Problem with Harbor Freight 1x30 using Lee Valley Leather Belt

HikingMano said:
Yeah, I was looking at the Medium and Very Fine at Tru-Grit.

"1x30-SB AMED Surface Conditioning low Stretch" and "1x30-SB AVFN Surface Conditioning"
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Hiking, if your worried that they'll fit, call TruGrit.

Only so many 1 x 30 out there and I swear they are all almost the same. They would have a handle on fitting I'd think.
I'm diging the Norax 1200 and 3000 with felt. Felt at Jantz? I think.
 
HikingMano said:
Yeah, I might do that :thumbup: But I think your tip is what will make the difference.
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These both feature the other HF 1 x 30 with 5" disc. They all are visually the same.
Just the standard HF 1 x 30 with a disc on the other side and 2 metal pulleys.

Pretty much how I do it now in these vids.

I increased the tension in the spring by slipping a screw with some washers into the end of the spring.
Loosened the Bolt enough to give me room for some grease to make moving the tension arm easier.
Tightened the nylon lock washer till the arm just so the arm is a bit hard to pull in and out.

Done. Occasionally tightened the bolt if I want less play in the belt.

Hope it helps. Turns into a nice sharpener and fast!

[video=youtube;eREokC4MPM0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eREokC4MPM0[/video]

[video=youtube;GqtKDLkcmDk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqtKDLkcmDk[/video]
 
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Just have to say, out of all the fine grit belts, am loving the finesse of the 15 micron belts from Lee Valley.
Something about them just gets that razor edge on, better than the Norton 5 micron that actually feels rougher.

Getting more impressed with this little machine. Had a bad chef knife with at least 2 -3 inches snapped off.
The little devil not only let me reshape it, but thin it vertically to the tip and horizontally, then adjust the polish over the whole knife so it was seamless.

$40, go figure.
 
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Amazing, isn't it? After I got started with the belt, I seriously have wondered why there are ANY dull knives left in the world.
 
Just a word of warning. I have been using a HF 1x30 for about 10 years to sharpen my knives and other tools. I recently ran some tests on a Cold Steel Barong machete and an Old Hickory 8" butcher knife. I tested both for 2x4 cutting and shaving, ala the ABS Journeyman's test. Both will cut 2 2x4's and still shave. HOWEVER, the OH knife so far (tried twice) will only do it after sharpening by hand on waterstones and the Sharpmaker. I tried it with a fresh edge off the HF sander w/ surgisharp power stropping and the edge rolled on the first few hits. Be very careful and use a coolant if at all possible when sharpening.
 
me2 said:
Just a word of warning. I have been using a HF 1x30 for about 10 years to sharpen my knives and other tools. I recently ran some tests on a Cold Steel Barong machete and an Old Hickory 8" butcher knife. I tested both for 2x4 cutting and shaving, ala the ABS Journeyman's test. Both will cut 2 2x4's and still shave. HOWEVER, the OH knife so far (tried twice) will only do it after sharpening by hand on waterstones and the Sharpmaker. I tried it with a fresh edge off the HF sander w/ surgisharp power stropping and the edge rolled on the first few hits. Be very careful and use a coolant if at all possible when sharpening.
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Understood. I tend to move at a fairly fast pace along the belt and have a water bucket setup ... basically 2 passes .. in the water, quick wipe .. back to the belt.
Never gets too hot to hold.

So far no problems, but have had the occasional stubborn knife that goes on the WEPS ... some just don't cooperate. But no rolling issues .... yet ;)
 
Well these 2 knives are the simplest steels around and will soften easily. Any softening will be in the first few thousandths of an inch, and likely never be felt by hand.
 
I've had no trouble with mine thus far, and when I first started I really tortured a couple cheap kitchen knives to see if I could see any difference. Hardly a scientific test, I know, but I couldn't spot any changes from sharpening on the EP to sharpening on the belt as far as that went. I also run a Kalamazoo, which runs a LOT slower than the HF, which might make a difference... Never heard of any trouble unless you didn't cool the knife every pass or so.

My method for keeping heat build-up down is to pinch the edge of the blade firmly the INSTANT it comes off the belt. If I can feel warmth in my fingertips, I dip it. The only blades I've ever had trouble with are some of the newer Kershaws, that have that hair-fine needle point. The heat builds up there SO quickly if you're not extremely careful.
 
Komitadjie said:
I've had no trouble with mine thus far, and when I first started I really tortured a couple cheap kitchen knives to see if I could see any difference. Hardly a scientific test, I know, but I couldn't spot any changes from sharpening on the EP to sharpening on the belt as far as that went. I also run a Kalamazoo, which runs a LOT slower than the HF, which might make a difference... Never heard of any trouble unless you didn't cool the knife every pass or so.

My method for keeping heat build-up down is to pinch the edge of the blade firmly the INSTANT it comes off the belt. If I can feel warmth in my fingertips, I dip it. The only blades I've ever had trouble with are some of the newer Kershaws, that have that hair-fine needle point. The heat builds up there SO quickly if you're not extremely careful.
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Similar here. I keep the outside of one index finger help guide near the tip. Can feel any heat as its happening, and try to spend as little time on that tip as possible.
Water bucket mandatory.

Someone else mentioned that Kalamazoo ..... the rpm of 1750 has my interest.
Hows the ease of belt change?
 
Extremely so. You just push down on the top of the "cover housing" at the top, and the entire column telescopes downward a bit to let the belt off. Literally takes less time to explain than to do. The top half of the column is just pressed upward by a spring to keep the belt tensioned. I keep the "safety cover" flipped back all the time I'm using it, I STILL haven't figured out precisely what it's supposed to be protecting me from. Maybe if I had really long hair or something? Most guys just remove it entirely, I just haven't gotten around to that yet.
 
Just got my belts from TruGrit, I'm looking forward to practicing on some butter knife dull kitchen knives this weekend. :thumbup:
 
you loosened the belt tracking all the way? this causes the small wheel to rub on the frame! I found this out on mine! its a design flaw that causes the wheel to rub and I found once the tensioner is tightened back it will release! then the motor will spin freely
 
randyha said:
I recently purchased a Harbor Freight 1x30 Belt Sander and separately ordered a 1x30 leather belt from Lee Valley (Surgi-Sharp by Wheatland). The belt seems a little smaller than all abrasive belts from Harbor Freight or Lee Valley. I have to coax it on the wheels with the tensioning knob loosed all the way. But when I turned the sander on, the motor wouldn't turn, strained buy the tension of the leather belt. Runs fine when I take the leather belt off. All I can think of is the that my garage is a little cool, around 50 degrees and the belt has shrunk a little due to the cold, but that is not very cold and it seems unlikely. Has anyone else run into this situation?
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I had the same problem with a belt I bought from Edgemasters. It measured only 28 inches and could barely fit over my loosened harbor freight sander. I too observed a stalling of the sander and felt continued stress would only harm the motor. Instead of forcing it to run I made a simple belt stretcher using a bottle jack and two half circle wooden pulleys. I am new to this forum and haven't figured out how to post a picture. Cheers
 
TheBishop said:
Hiking, check this out and look at their other vids, it all comes to light:

[video=youtube;HCihlSO0zso]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCihlSO0zso&lr=1[/video]
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I don't get how he sets this, he first shows how to change belts, all he does is pull the wheel forward. He then goes to show how to loosen the screws to allow this, and then to set the tension by pressuring the wheel back against the belt, then tightening the screws... when I do this I can no longer pull the wheel forward to remove belts, and if I loosen the screws so that I can do this, I get a really loose belt. Am I missing something? How the heck does he loosen the screws, then tighten them down so that he can pull the belts on and off, with a tight belt?
If you notice he says " this is all you have to do " to remove the belts. Anyone know? skip to 4:00 minutes to see the demonstration.
 
I do not have a leather belt but I do have linen belts I have never used? How different are they?
 
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