HF belt sander questions

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WillieD

Joined
Jan 22, 2004
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I have some axes and afew knives that I was thinking of doing on a HF belt sander if it is worth it. for $50, is this a decent unit? Other than a basic one time reprofile on a few old axes, i was going to use this on all the kitchen knives that I don't want to take the time with on the sharpmaker. Also. what are the ideal belts to have for it?
 
If you're referring to the 30", I've had one for about 5 years now, I believe it's great for what you want to use it for. HF also sells 80 grit belts for it which I believe will do the trick for your axes. Google Lee Valley for a full line of 30" belts. 220 grit is pretty good at working up a good/fast edge.
Later if you decide to move on to another sharpening process, this belt sander will always be a good tool to have around.
 
You might consider the Work Sharp Knife and Tool Sharpener. It has been extensively discussed on this forum. It does lawnmower blades, axes, garden tools, pocket knives, kitchen knives and scissors. It is small, flexible, and very well designed. It comes with an excellent choice of belts and a good instructional DVD.

I bought and returned a HF 30" Belt Sander. It was large, heavy, slow to change belts, and generally not as elegant a solution as the WSKTS.
 
I was thinking along the line of the cheapest unit possible. Did you think the HF was THAT bad? I generally use my Sharpmaker for sharpening, so this won't see any MAJOR use, but at the same time, I don't feel like dealing with a POS. The unit is on sale for $40 and belts aren't too expensive.
 
I have both a Grizzly and HF 1"x30" belt sander. They both work very well for my needs. If you buy from Grizzly you can also order a paper wheel to use on a bench grinder to remove the burr you will work up on the belt sander. If you are near by, we can set up demo if you have interest. Or you could create the burr on the belt sander and then remove it with the Sharpmaker.
 
When I first started using my HF belt sander I used this post by Jerry Hossom as a guide. Tons of good info there. The belt recommendations there are pretty well spot on and should last you quite a while. Good luck just get a bunch of scrap knives to practice on and keep a bucket of water handy and you will be fine.
 
Nothing wrong with them.I know guys that grind out all their knives with them.Although mine is a Delta i think.Got it used at a pawn shop.I have ground a few myself.For reprofiling and sharpening they are great.Is a new Bader or KMG better?Uh.. yea!Is a work sharp tool sharpening system better?Not in a million years.JMOHO.
 
I have had mine for a while now and Im seeing some wear at the ? plastic ? gear that drives the belt. I also have trouble getting the tension right if thats the correct term so that the belt tracks straight. Anyone else have these problems??? does work though and I guess the price was right. You might want to consider the other options with a slower speed (which cost more ) for better control. All in all a good buy especialy for "rough work"
 
Is the Veritas® Honing Compound from Lee Valley good for knives?

What honing compounds work well for getting a mirror polish with a leather honing belt on a belt grinder?
 
had my hf sander for quite awhile now and i installed a dimmer switch in the power line and have had no problems. but i dont run it every day as this is just a sharpening tool. my electrictian friends tell me that this will burn up the motor because it is not wound to run at slower speeds. but if it lasts a year[and it has] so what.
 
gomipile said:
Is the Veritas® Honing Compound from Lee Valley good for knives?

What honing compounds work well for getting a mirror polish with a leather honing belt on a belt grinder?
Click to expand...

any stick compound will work. even the big handyman store brands work, if you first your way up the grit scales. i.e.- 100-200-600-so on and so on until you reach micron nirvana. buy a few belts on-line.
 
Ended up getting the HF belt sander yesterday. I bought an 80grit grinding belt for $3 and was happy at the job it did thinning out the sides of my old hatchet and bring the edge to a burr. However, the sander might be going back for an exchange. A few time, when I went to turn it back on, the motor just buzzed without starting. I either had to help the belt along with my hand to get it started or spin it be hand a bit before I hit the power on. Might be a bad startup solenoid or something. Anyone else have this happen? Anyway, got some belts coming from Lee Valley and was overall happy with the performance. Waiting for the extra belts before I hit the kitchen knives.
 
I'd definitely exchange it for another one while you still can. If you think that 80 grit belt made short work of it, you should try a 40.:D I like those for some serious metal removal on axes and machetes. Once you get a leather belt to remove the burr I bet you'll like it a lot.

While you're at HF don't forget to pick up one of the belt cleaning sticks if you don't have one. It's only a few bucks and will extend the life of your belts.
 
dannyp said:
I'd definitely exchange it for another one while you still can. If you think that 80 grit belt made short work of it, you should try a 40.:D I like those for some serious metal removal on axes and machetes. Once you get a leather belt to remove the burr I bet you'll like it a lot.

While you're at HF don't forget to pick up one of the belt cleaning sticks if you don't have one. It's only a few bucks and will extend the life of your belts.
Click to expand...

I guess I have 90 days, if I really want to push it. I fired it up a few times today to see if it still did it and it didn't. Maybe I had the belt adjustment of that it was dragging to much on startup. It was crank the whole way, so maybe off center enough to hold it up. It will get more of a workout end of the week. I'm getting my belts and I have two more axes to do. We'll see if she can take it. Thanks for the input. BTW, I grabbed it for $31. It's on sale now and there was a 20% off coupon in the paper. I'm a cheap bastard and that's really what pushed me to get it...lol!
 
Now that I think about it, I have had a few times where it wouldn't start turning. It turned out that I had overtightened the belt. You don't have to crank it down really hard, just enough to get rid of the slack. It doesn't take much to stop it either when pushing too hard against the platen with steel or the belt cleaner. Another thing I forgot to mention is that if you use a leather belt, don't leave it on the machine when done. This will prematurely stretch it out as it naturally has more give than the other belts.
 
Sander works great now, must have had the belt too tight before. Did a hatchet and an axe to shaving sharpness. Going to do a larger fixed blade tonight. What grit is best to start with. I have 80, 320, 500, 1200. Not sure if the 80 would be too aggressive, but not sure if the 320 would be aggressive enough. Thanks
 
Dont be afraid to give the little grinder a jump start with your hand if the belt is tight.Just, carefully of course,give it a quick push downward to get it spinning.These belts stretch out quickly.Some of my scotch brite belts went on really tight and i had to spin them around by hand quite a bit to get them to take off.Im sure there are better ways,but im telling you what ive done.
 
Hmm the HF 1" sander looked cheap as hell.. The one on display had parts hanging off it.. plastic pieces that were broken.. I went with the Work Sharp mini 1/2 belt sander for sharpening.. I love it! I am now saving for a 2" belt sander, probably the grizzly knife sharpener. The Work Sharp is perfect for sharpening a few blades once in a while. I can get knives slicing paper like butter now with it. But it comes back to the fact that it is TINY and once you start trying to reprofile, or remove coatings or sharpen many knives, you realize the belt size and length is just too little.. SO save for a bigger one if you are serious. Better quality parts too...

Though honestly, if you are new to the idea, get a cheapo, waste the money.. and make sure you are into it before you drop more cash :)

Oh, and the Work Sharp basically convexes only.. But thats ok with me :D
 
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