I need a belt sander :P

C

chococrazy

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Jul 1, 2009
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After my belt sander vs dmt stones thread my dad said he would get me a belt sander if I wanted one (he owns a car body shop, and always has wet and dry paper that I can get for free :P). The thing I need to know is the size of the sander I was thinking 1x30 or 1x42. I also need to now if home depot or Lowes will sell belts in a high enough grit to sharpen (micron belts like 15~9).
The budget is around $120 I think. Atleast I don't have to get a HF sander now :).
 
I have been playing with a 1x30 Dremel belt sander and it works good for what I am doing,which is sharpening axes and hatchets.The problem is belts,you can't get them in fine grits.The finest I have found is 120.
'Good luck
Randy


there is a belt sander1x30 on Ebay for $27.00 Do a searchSearch under belt sanders
 
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Heres the one I use, it's a bit larger than the other "green" one mentioned. This one is very easy to work with, alot of room.

Harborfreight Belt sander

It's also a bit more pricey at 70 bucks. That Lee Valley link is pretty much where your gonna be buying your belts as I've yet to find a walk in store that carries the finer grits or even the type of belts they have. They ship very fast.
 
nifrand said:
I have been playing with a 1x30 Dremel belt sander and it works good for what I am doing,which is sharpening axes and hatchets.The problem is belts,you can't get them in fine grits.The finest I have found is 120.
'Good luck
Randy


there is a belt sander1x30 on Ebay for $27.00 Do a searchSearch under belt sanders
Click to expand...

I have belt as high grit as 15 micron, then leather belts loaded with .5 micron compound. Lee valley is the place to go.
 
The price range you've given rules out a 42" sander unless you find one used for a good deal on craigslist or something. Craftsman has a 42" sander new for $140. Find one of those used and you might be able to pull it off and still be under budget... maybe.

I wouldn't rule out the HF model entirely. It will work fine for simple convexing. I know I poo pooed it in your last thread, but that was only because of it's limitations with the platen and table. You'll have to ask around about 30" sanders bc I've never owned one. There might be some better ones for just a few bucks more.

You'll probably have to order your belts. Home Depot type stores won't have them in fine enough grits. The best prices and selection I've found are at supergrit.com. You can find them at Lee Valley, but the prices are higher. Klingspor's site has some belts that Supergrit doesn't.
 
Order your belts. 99% of the belts you will find locally are going to be for wood and don't hold up for metel. You also are probably not going to find the higher grits locally anyway. Put me down for thinking the HF sander is more than good enough for sharpening. Heck I cann't see any pjroblems with them for that at all.
 
Ok then I'll just got with the HF model, now I found this guy selling a 3 pack of micron belts on fleabay I'm not sure what microns I should get he has.

9 micron- 900 grit, 15 micron- 600 grit ,30 micron- 400 grit, 40 micron- 320 grit, 60 micron- 240 grit, 80 micron - 180 grit ,100 micron-150 grit ,
I was thinking of getting the 9micron,15micron, and the 40 (to reprofile).
 
My main gripe about the HF sander is that the wheels are dome shaped, so your belts end up that way too. For dropped edge knives its not a problem, but if you want a sharp edge all the way to the plunge line on something like a Delica, its tricky. Tracking is suspect and the new motors are horrible. My first one has been working fine for the last 7 years, except a bearing went out in the top wheel. My last 2 wouldn't even start properly. Then the motors started smoking. Basically, these are a hit or miss proposition. I'm 1 for 3 so far.

Belts fine enough for sharpening are difficult to find. If you have a Klingspor store around, the 220 and 320 grit belts work great. If you have a Fastenal store, they carry from 24 up to 180 grits, only the last of which can be used for actual sharpening. I have not tried Supergrit.
 
No matter which size you decide on its going to be hard to find belts for sharpening locally. To find high grit or a leather belt you're better off ordering them from a knifemaking supplier like jantz or a woodworking store like lee valley. The highest grit I've found for my 1 x 30 at lowe's is 120.

For sharpening I use 120, 240, 320, 400, and 600 depending on what I'm trying to do. I also have a leather belt that I use to remove the burr. If it's the first time sharpening something or trying to get out nicks I start at 120, but if I'm just touching up a knife 400 is the lowest I go. Remember that the higher the grit, the faster the heat builds up. You can skip grits with a sander more than you can with stones though. Make sure not to leave a leather belt on the sander when not in use because it will stretch it out. Another thing to think about getting is a belt cleaning bar as it will prolong the life of the belts. They can be found at HF as well.
 
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