sharpening for city dwellers, abrasive question

S

samoand

Joined
Jun 8, 2004
Messages
128
Greetings all. This quick observation may benefit those who, like myself, have space constraints, don't want to make their living area into a garage and therefore can't afford to have a decent workbench, are too busy (or lazy) to spend much time relocating stuff and cleaning mess, yet are trying to keep their blades sharp.

I gave up on machinery: never found something that would be reasonably priced yet give me the level of sharpness I truly wanted. If any of you gurus can recommend a decent belt grinder within lower side of three digits that doesn't take much space and can produce razor edge - do tell by all means.

I gave up on sanding paper, even though together with mousepads, it's a good working combination for making convex edge. Since we are talking about blades that are reasonably sharp to begin with, sanding paper is somewhat expensive and high maintenance: fine paper (1000+) cost more and wear off fast.

The combination of belts and abrasive worked best for me. I made a trip to a local military surplus store, got myself some inexpensive leather, and supplemented it with 2 different abrasives: about 1000 and about 2000, thus winding up having 3 sharpening belts: 2 with abrasive, each permanently appointed to be used with a single type, and one to be used with none (I believe that makes it about 4000). That's it. Easy to attach to my small folding workbench, minimum switching, minimum disposable materials, all fit in a single bucket with minimum mess. Now I'm a happy owner of few razor sharp blades, and would recommend this technique to anyone.

Now, here comes the question. What abrasive mix do you folks think is best for the job? Thanks.
 
your technique sounds good to me. If you should decide to go with a power tool, here are a few to tempt your wallet:

Harbor Freight 1 x 30 belt sander = $39.99 (sometimes on sale for $29.99)
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=38300

38300.GIF



Delta SA150 1 x 30(?) belt sander

delta-tools_1803_9132201


Can be purchased at Lowes or Home Depot for ~$80 on sale


Delta SA180 (the model I have) 1 x 42 belt sander

delta-tools_1803_9276074


Also found at Lowes, Home Depot - usually on sale for $99 (went down to $87 just a few weeks ago)


There are others, but they are usually over $100.

I think grizzly.com may have a 1x30 under $100...too lazy to look right now.


Best of luck!
 
DEL - TA
DEL - TA
DEL - TA

Go with the 180...it's an amazing sharpening machine. The 180 I bought at the Cantina's suggestion has enough power to make it easy, not so much as to make screwing up easier.
 
Delta all the way. I got the local Lowe's SA 180 floor model on closeout for $65, it's worth every penny and then some.
 
It does have a few drawbacks though:

1. It will get really dirty due to the number of things you will find to sharpen
2. Neighbors will start to hangaround with their things to sharpen
3. Packages with knives you can't keep start to arrive to be sharpened
4. Your wife will start to complain that her kitchen knives are too sharp
5. Lawns in the hood will start looking better due to having sharp blades
6. It will cause you to invest in a decent shop-vac
7. You will incur increased costs for typing paper showing off sharpness
8. Neighbors will wonder about deliveries of pool noodles since you don't have a pool
9. You will have to start responding to "Help me learn to sharpen" threads
10. If you're not careful, you will start to think about buying stock in the company that makes band-aids
 
My Delta 180--1"X42" does more than I ever imagined.

I did buy one of those hi-powered electric leaf blowers and it cleans the grinder,the floor,the work bench,and the driveway just fine.

I left the pully cover off so I could blow it out/clean it easier.
 
I agree that a really good shop vac is essential. I recommend the small Fein, as it extremely quiet, powerful and dustless. When I got mine, I put the old "screamer" out in the alley immediately :) Another device worth considering is an air cleaner - a big fan that sucks air through a series of filters to clean it. Several brands out there.
If you check my posts, you'll see I'm kinda big on dust control. My shop is inside the house, so at night, we all breath everything I put into the air that day. Especially in the winter with the windows closed. Sounds like you are going to have a similar situation. Every penny you spend on workshop dust control is well spent, in my book. Welcome to the cantina. :D
 
it is a great machine. sturdy w/a powerful motor. you can get belts for it from klingspor at www.woodworkingshop.com, including leather and linen belts, honing compound and sharpening belts. 'surgi-sharp' i think is the trade name. obviously you can also get standard sanding belts.

i lucked out and caught a clearance at lowes -- $59.
ab
 
Useful recommendations and a good laugh... that's what I needed.

Here is something funny: I couldn't find a store that would carry SA180. Yes, that includes local Home Depot and Lowe's. It also includes some specialized shops that find pride "in carrying a wide variety of power tools" :) people would first give me a blank look, then browse through their inventory - unsuccessfully, then find the requested item in the catalog - successfully, and then admit that - "nope, I don't recall it ever being ordered and on the shelf". I live in SF Bay Area. As far as online orders go, usual delivery fee is about $40 - which sucks all fun out of finding a good deal. I wound up ordering it from Tyler Tool for $99 and free delivery.

I guess I am writing all this to make ablebravo and Roadrunner feel even better about their deals :)
 
ablebravo said:
it is a great machine. sturdy w/a powerful motor. you can get belts for it from klingspor at www.woodworkingshop.com, including leather and linen belts, ...
Click to expand...

linen? is it a cheap alternative to leather, or are they completely different animals in terms of application rules?
 
Both carry abrasive to the material being polished. I would guess that linen would hold more abrasive grains, as it has more crevices to embed it in. My opinion is that only a detail wood carver or eye surgeon would be able to tell the difference. My 2 cents.
 
belts for sharpening. but i intend to get a linen one to see what it does. delta is supposed to provide a felt belt for these although i have not been able to find it. the hard felt wheel i have for my grinder is more of a polisher than a sharpener. i expect the linen to work the same way.

am sorry others did not luck out at lowes -- i fully expected to find one at $99 and to walk right on by.

occasionally, you can find a fairly good price on tools at amazon.com (which absorbed the former 'toolcrib of the north') but there is shipping to pay, of course. they do carry a pretty good selection.
ab
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top