Is this tools worth a try?

U.C.O.K.

U.C.O.K.

Joined
Dec 6, 2004
Messages
656
Is this belt sander is good enough for knifemaking? I'm not living in US and to import such a belt grinder is very expensive. I can find this Delta in my local Ace Hardware store. The belt can reach 3,000 SFPM. Any insights will be helpful. Thanks in advance.:)

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I never tried a 1x30, I had a 1x42 for years and it worked great for a small machine. However, I put a 1/2 horse motor on it. I think that 1x30 belts cannot be found in as great a variety as others, and are comparatively expensive for the life you get out of them. That being said, if you hold out forever for the grinder of your dreams you may never get off the ground. It's a modest investment, and even if you quickly replace it, you can always use it for handles and such. There are others all over this forum who have personal experience with this grinder, so I will let them weigh in with more authority. If you live in Canada, you might look into this thread www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=601860 sorry if this is not relevant to you....
 
I have that exact machine in my shop Delta 1" x 42". It was the first grinder I bought, picked it up at Lowes for $99.00 I believe. With the 8" disk sander and a variety of belt grits, I made my first 4 knives on it. As Vorpal said, she'll get ya started, and waiting really does suck when ya got the bug. The platen is really not much to speak of, but the disk sander is pretty good at shaping handles. The rests are pretty good as well. My other grinder is the Grizzly 2" x 72", and works pretty darn good for the money....$395.00 2 yrs ago. You have to modify it a bit though.

Grizzly also makes the same style 1" x 42" grinder as the Delta....but I'm not sure how much it costs or how well it works. That being said I use my Delta almost every time I make a knife....not a bad investment for $100.00.
 
Ditto... The Delta SA180 was my first power tool purchased specifically with knifemaking in mind. These days, it's pretty much relegated to finish work, shaping handles, etc. I used it to profile my first few blades, then used files to put the bevel on. I use a Coote 10" 2x72 for grinding everything now, but if anything ever happened to my little 1x42 Delta, I'd run out and get another one in a heartbeat.

-Mark
 
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