Inexpensive belt sander/grinder for beginner? HF or other?

MatthewVanitas

MatthewVanitas

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I have a friend who's been doing some knifemaking, and various BFC members have told him that a belt grinder would really smooth up his work and save him a lot of time.

I glanced around, and there are tons of lovely but pricey ($500 and up) belt grinders, like Grizzly and such. However, are there any <$100 belt sanders/grinders that would be decent for a small-scale amateur knifemaker?

I see this huge thread about the Harbor Freight 1" for $40 or so, is that a decent starter piece to go with? Folks seem pretty excited about the price and such, but I don't know enough about steel to understand how limited/versatile this machine is. Is it more for sharpening and sanding just the wooden scales, or can it be used to shape blades and metal handles?

I see this "TD" brand on eBay for a similar price, but have no idea if it's a decent product or not. Consider or run away? http://cgi.ebay.com/6-Bench-Grinder...ryZ42277QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

For reference: he's not only making blades, but also making metal sandwich scales and such, if that makes a difference.

Thanks for any advice!
 
The HF sander might make 3 whole knives before it quits working. It does not have the power to grind serious amounts of steel. The Grizzly "Knifemaker's sander" is the cheapest real sander I know of.
 
Harbor Freight has sales occasionally, so you might pick up their 1x30 for as low as $30. I made a mount for mine out of scrap wood for more convenient sharpening.

You'll need belts, though. Lee Valley sells 3M's mylars in various grits, as well as Surgi-Sharp's leather belts for stropping. Moon's Saw Shop seems to have the better price on the Surgi-Sharps. You'll probably also want some polishing compounds for your strops. All together, it's an investment, but lots of us think it's worthwhile. I can tell you that even my kitchen knives on any given day would give your face a pretty nice shave. Without an inexpensive and convenient power system like HF's, that wouldn't be so.

Edit: PS: Bill has a point. HF's quality is variable. I bought a second unit as a spare, and had to correct some assembly defects on the first. It's still going strong, however.
 
Bill DeShivs said:
The HF sander might make 3 whole knives before it quits working. It does not have the power to grind serious amounts of steel. The Grizzly "Knifemaker's sander" is the cheapest real sander I know of.
Click to expand...

Okay, so it's more for sharpening/polishing then?

I googled "grizzly knifemaker's sander" but didn't get one particular model. Do you recall what the model number is for that one?

So for something that a knifemaker would actually use for years, $400 or so is what we're looking at? Granted, if it's a good piece of gear that'll last decades, that's not necessarily bad. However, if I help him out with that he'll be making me more than a dozen knives to pay me back. Not that that's all bad...

EDIT: You don't mean a small 1x30 like the $79 Grizzly H7760, do you? http://www.amazon.com/Grizzly-H7760...36-1995028?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1192486321&sr=1-1

51JBGZVC35L._SS500_.jpg


Any links to specific models?
 
Dr. Thunder provided the correct link to the Grizzly I was referring to.
I have more expensive grinders that are more precise, but my Grizzly is the most used item in my shop. My first one went out after about 6 years of constant use, and I immediately ordered a second one. For the money, it's still the best sander out there.
 
Take my word for it, save money and at least go with the grizzly that DrThunder shows in the last thread. I spent at least that much trying to buy cheap grinders that just didn't work that well. I wish I had just saved and started out with at least the grizzly. Would've saved me a lot of headache.
 
Good deal. I'll bring the info here so folks don't need to muck about with links:

g1015.jpg


Belt size: 2" x 72"-76" range
Belt speed: 3600 FPM
Motor size: 1 H.P. single phase 110V
Motor Amps: 14
Motor speed: 1725 RPM
Main arbor size: 1" dia. x 8"
Auxiliary arbor size: 5/8"
Height with belt arm horizontal: 11-1/2"
Height with belt arm vertical: 39"
Overall width: 29-1/2"
Cast iron body
All ball bearing construction
Shipping weight approx.: 110 lbs.
Click to expand...

Hot dang, 110lbs. That'll add some shipping cost, eh?

EDIT: yep, $74 bucks of freight for total delivered price of $469.

So this is the baseline "if you buy cheaper, you'll wish you hadn't" sander/grinder?

If he thinks there's a chance he might get serious and start churning out knives every week for the next couple years, maybe start retailing, then this is the grinder to buy?
 
I've just ordered the Delta SA180 for 111.40 shipped from Hechinger.com. I've read a lot of good things about it on BF so I thought I'd go with it as a starter/budget machine. I understand if you go with the 2x72 later the smaller 1x42 is still a very useful sander to have around.
 
Comparing H7760 to the G1015, the main thing that jumps out in the specs is the .5 horsepower vs 1.0HP. Well, that and the G weighs 110lbs vs 25lbs on the H.

So the extra $300 is used to double the horsepower, and that's the fundametal difference (setting aside feature issues)? And you need all that HP to keep the thing running long enough to grind out multiple knives without killing the motor?

I'm not averse to a more expensive machine if that is, fundamentally, the better long-term buy. Just making sure that it wouldn't be more machine than is needed for someone starting out (with plans to expand down the road).
 
The G1015 has an 8" rubber contact wheel. It's 1750 RPM. It has a built-in buffer. It stable. And, yes-you do need the horsepower.
Unless you build your own, there is no better deal on a 2 X 72 grinder for making knives. Anything less than this model is unsatisfactory, and I'm speaking from experience.
 
Agree with Bill!! That is a huge reason to not get the delta (or similar sander) and get the Grizzly: the contact wheel. And the built in buffer is a great addition; you can also put a drum sander on there. You have way more options with the Grizzly and the horsepower is definitely necessary. Again, just save your money and go with the Grizzly; you won't regret it. There's a reason why delta and companies modeling similar products usually don't list metalworking under the specs; they are really designed for woodworking and very small metalwork at the most. Otherwise you really need that extra HP. Just my two cents!
 
Bill DeShivs said:
The HF sander might make 3 whole knives before it quits working. It does not have the power to grind serious amounts of steel. The Grizzly "Knifemaker's sander" is the cheapest real sander I know of.
Click to expand...

:confused: I'm wondering if you make this statement from experience, or opinion. I purchased mine about a year ago with out problem. I've made many knives with it and found that it is replacing my 4 x 36 Ryobi in most applications.

I paid $29.00 bucks for it (plus tax and warranty - about $37.00 total). If/when it fails, I'll I'll buy another one.
 
Jim
I'm making the statement from experience. I have 3-4 1 X 30 sanders. I never use them.
They are better than nothing, but the Grizzly 2 x 72 is a real grinder. There is no true comparison.
So-I'm wondering: did you make your statement from inexperience or opinion?
Bill
 
The 4 X 36, 1 X 30, 1 X 42 belt sanders are basically wood working tools. They can be useful tools in the shop, but can not compare to a 2 X 72 metalworking grinder.
Bill
 
thombrogan said:
I might've made four knives with my first HF 1" x 30" and then it died shortly thereafter.
Click to expand...

Knife making has to be a demanding task. I'm just a sharpener who does his own custom re-bevels, and I still bought a backup unit when it was on sale. After nearly a year, it's still sitting in its box, unused, BTW.

Go professional? Don't try to do it on the cheap. The rest of us po' folk just have to take what's available.
 
Sharpening puts no where near the strain on a sander as knifemaking.
Bill
 
Bill DeShivs said:
Jim
I'm making the statement from experience. I have 3-4 1 X 30 sanders. I never use them.
They are better than nothing, but the Grizzly 2 x 72 is a real grinder. There is no true comparison.
So-I'm wondering: did you make your statement from inexperience or opinion?
Bill
Click to expand...

I'm made my statement from experience. As I said, I haven't had any problems with my HF 1X30 and have been using it fairly hard.

The only opinion that I can offer about the "Grizzly" line is that if I had to save up for one I would still be with out a 1X30 belt sander. Nothing bad meant, just that on my meager budget, I could in no way afford such an "upgrade" and that I have not as yet had any trouble with that equipment. I might today now that I bragged on it. :foot:

Jim L.
 
Good coarse belts help alot with the 1x30. I've made more than a few knives on my HF 1x30. Now that I've read this thread the darn thing will probably die on me. :) My biggest problem is when useing the finer belts I get shocks like you wouldn't believe. For $30 you sure cann't go wrong trying one out.
 
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