OT HF 1" Belt Grinder

cavetech

cavetech

Joined
Nov 25, 2005
Messages
760
I bought a Harbor Freight 1"X30" belt grinder with disk today at HF. The sale price was $44.00 plus another 10% off with this coupon http://ww2.harborfreightusa.com/showpage_retail.taf?pageid=214&email=

It was just too cheap to pass up. Should sharpen even convex Kuks with the slack part of the belt. Also got a horizontal/verticle band saw for $169.00 less 10% and a two axis machinists vise as almost a giveaway.

I only posted this in case you're looking for tools like this for knife making or sharpening. Good deals.
 
Let us know how the HF does. I almost bought one, but opted for the Delta at about 90 instead.
I don't see why it wouldn't work for your sharpening needs.



munk
 
I own that sander, I think. It has done pretty well for the price. The belt tracks off-center. I can't operate it with the plastic side guard in place. The other day, the wheel that drives the belt came unglued from the motor's axle. But, with a little love, it still works, and I've been able to convex, sharpen, strop, and do everything else that I want. Even refinish handles and the like, with practice. It's a piece of junk, but if you treat it all right, it will surely do the job for not much $$. Good buy, IMHO. :)

Chris
 
I bought the HF 1x30 belt sander because it was so cheap. I've used it on a few knife making projects and it ran well and tracked true. Yeah it's cheap. Disposable actually. But it is good for working on smaller projects. 5 replacement belts for under $2.00.

I have heard a lot of positive things about the horizontal/vertical bandsaw. I did need a bandsaw, so for $169.00 less 10% I have one. Hurt my back and haven't been able to get it out of the box and assembled yet!
 
Harbor Freight is a good source for stuff to put a shop together. I believe in buying first-rate usually, but there are times when a lesser-quality bargain is just fine. I don't think I'll live long enough to wear out the two monster adjustable wrenches from HF that I bought "just to have a couple of really big wrenches around."
 
I used the little HF 1x30 belt sander tonight on a stainless steel bolster pair for a hunter. It worked good for its size. If I pushed it hard I could slow the motor. So, keep the belts in good shape and let the belt do the work on this machine. Can't say I'm disapointed.
 
I still have the HF Central Machinery buffer/grinder that I bought from them 5 or 6 years ago. It always sold for $99. As soon as I bought it the price dropped to $89, and for the last 2-3 years had been $69!

It is one hell of a good unit I think. 1 HP and 3600 RPM. I changed out the buffing wheel they had on it for some better ones from Eastwood. I took off the grinding wheel and guard, and mounted a wire wheel on that (left) side which is much more practical for me, as I already have a Craftsman 8" grinder. Bought a home made buffer stand at a school district auction, and then ruined a new $20 cobalt tipped 1/2" drill trying to drill thru the base, which I found out to be superhardened steel off a tractor disker! So much for saving $. It stands taller than the store bought ones though which is why I wanted it. Finally got the base drilled and mounted to the floor.

The only trouble with the buffer is that it is an odd sized 3/4" arbor. Getting a wire wheel in that size was a pain, but I finally found an outfit in Canada that sold me two of them, one regular and one a twisted wire one for really heavy duty rust, that I hardly ever use.

Someday I'd like to get a Baldor, but I'll wait for this one to give up the ghost first. Could be a while...
 
OK, so I'm a rookie at this.....

What belts are needed for sharpening with the HF belt sander???

Thanks, Paul
 
OK I've owned three harbour freight power tools.

1. 1/3 hp benchtop drillpress. ($40)

2. 1/2 hp grinder ($35)

3. Same belt sander you got for a similar price.

All of them were so cheap they could be considered disposable. Which was good since 2 of the three (drill press and belt sander) experienced a motor failure during the first year. I spent more to replace the grinding wheels than I did for the grinder. It still runs, but I am constantly waiting for the Central Machinery motor to fail. I like HF for clamps, straps, casters, organizers...etc.

For good quality new power tools at a cheap price Grizzly can't be beat. I upgraded my benchtop drill press to the Grizzly 14" model. It's a beast, and I don't ever expect a failure. It was WAY better priced and heavier duty than the Jet or Delta ones.

For my power tools nowadays I goto redmond first, buy used and rebuild. My Delta 1x48 belt sander was $35 and has a super heavy motor. Additionally it was built when quality still mattered around here and was manufactured in the USA!!!!!!!!!!!! There isn't any thin wobbly sheet metal on the thing and the table is cast iron.

Good luck with your sander though. It sure is fun to fill the shop with bargains like that.
 
Hi Paul:

I'm afraid my answer will not fit your question.

I use a big belt/disk sander and the little 1x30 HF belt/disk sander to help me make knives. I use an Apex sharpener by Edge Pro to sharpen knives.

The little 1x30 HF is good for my purpose, but it's belts do not come in a wide selection of grits. No really fine grits for final finishing or sharpening. I also feel it is too fast for sharpening.

If I had the money I would buy a professional 2"x72" belt grinder. They come in many, many different grits and compositions. Sharpening could probably be done on them.

Kuks are a specialty knife when it comes to sharpening. A lot of care and a light touch on my big belt sander or the HF would work on them. The "slack" part of the belt is used for convex grinds. Almost all of my sharpening is done on the Apex. After using it a bit it sharpens pretty fast and uniformly.

Thanks, Steve
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top