Multi Systems Belt Sharpener

It's the HF 1x30 grinder with a couple of attachments to make changing belts more difficult :confused:

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What i really don't get is why they orient the knives edge-first - in this image, the belt is moving into the cutting edge:

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When i grind on my HF 1x30, I simply lay the grinder on it's back (flat, no attachments required) and hold the blade at the desired angle with the belt moving away from the edge like a strop. It works great and cost me ~$40.
 
I agree. Looks like it would be frustrating to change belts. It looked like to me that the belt was moving away from the edge, pulling the knife at times and changing the angle. I use a 1"x42" Viel and prefer the belt rotating towards the edge.
It seems the belt has a pretty big gap from the platen. If so, at the beginning and end you would have a more convex edge shape from the slack. I also thought it was a bit funny how many times the cleaver was called a boning knife.
I would shop some more.
 
Not only is it cutting into the edge in the video (easier to tell when they set it upright and sharpen the drill-bits), the belts being used are not "400-grit" but the 80-grit available from HF for this device (it looked familiar, so i paused the video to confirm) :p
 
I also use my HF belt grinder lying on it's back, the belt running away from me and the knife edge. That way it is the same setup as any other of my sharpening methods. I even move the knife as I would do it if sharpen by hand. I use the HF when I reprofile the backbevel/edge to my preferred 15-isch dps. Since it runs very fast, I always only do one swipe, then cool the blade in water.
 
Edge leading can, theoretically ( and does in manual sharpening) help with minimizing the burr. I have sharpened both ways and currently sharpen edge trailing on my belts with the belt vertical and going down. One thing I did notice about edge leading vs. edge trailing on a belt was that the edge leading seems to remove metal much quicker. I think it also can keep your edge a little quicker as it is moving the heat into the mass of the knife and not as much into the edge and burr, but I have not seen any proof of this w/ micro thermocouples or anything. Just subjective experience. =)

I would consider getting something like this if I were to go w/ a 1x30

[video=youtube;xGL-dI89of4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGL-dI89of4[/video]
 
ricklee4570 said:
Some great observations here. I do like the angle attachment on the Multi Systems Sharpener.
Click to expand...

Is it worth $100? Because that's what you're paying for it... and it's facing the wrong direction :p
Keep in mind that this grinder is low-budget, the motor is slow and the belt bounces a bit. When you grind edge-first into a stone, this isn't a problem, but a belt bouncing grit into our edge is bad for the edge and can also result in a cut belt.

My recommendation - buy the HF 1x30 for times that power-sharpening is actually recommended (e.g. major grinding / re-profiling) and then pin a protractor to the side if you really think you need to set a specific angle (hint: you don't need to, and the precision you'd achieve with the protractor/guide is no better than eye-balling it given vibration/flex in the belt). You'll save $100 that can be spent on finer grit belts and a hand-sharpening system (even an angle-guide system) for higher precision and touch-ups that recommend against power-sharpening.
 
With the right belts I could see it working alright, probably not worth the extra $ but who knows. I like the idea of the padded block and ramp but again, that might not work so well in action.

Here's the unit I'm working on - works great but is a PITA to shim the belts. Proof of concept but I don't know how much further I'll take it. In practice is a modest improvement over freehand on the belt itself though does offer a larger margin of error via some positional reference you don't get on a plain belt, more controlled grind rate and cooler working temps.

[video=youtube_share;fO4ZDnloxiA]http://youtu.be/fO4ZDnloxiA[/video]

Ultimately I might try to make something more along the lines of the Worksharp WS3000 that uses a spinning horizontal platter and avoid belts entirely, would give a lot more flexibility to apply different approaches. Then again, it really isn't that difficult to shim the belts and I'd only use it for initial heavy repair reprofiling anyway...
 
I bought one a few years back and except for the minute and a half that it takes to change belts (loosen two screws to remove the angle guide) I think it works very well. However, I have cut a couple thin 1000 grit belts with it
I just transfer to my HF once I want to use those film backed belts.
The machine is good for people like me who have developed a tremor with advancing age. I am sad they are not in business anymore since I would like to buy some parts for it.​
 
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