shop tip- belt breakage

M

magnum .44

Joined
Jun 12, 1999
Messages
1,110
to reduce belt breakage on your sander you can round the top edge or your platen, so that the belt splice isn't hitting that edge when it travels around. it'll increase sander performance too.
a common reason why belts break is that the spice is hitting on the platen's top edge, which grabs the splice and pulls it apart.
belt breakage is a very dangerous part of knifemaking, and it scares the cr** out of you. also it breaks belts that would have lasted much longer. breakage was a common thing in my shop, until' i rounded the platen's top edge, i haven't had a break since, and it's been a couple of months.

[This message has been edited by magnum .44 (edited 02-02-2000).]
 
the edge on top of your platen reduced splice life, when you round the top of the platen it'll help make your belts last longer.
 
I rounded the top edge of my platen right after your tip and I believe it will make a difference. Thanks for sharing your experiences.

Marcel

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I learned yesterday that an old GLOVE laying on the platen to protect your hands from the freezing north cold here is a good way to break a belt: It slid into the grinder destroying the belt, glove, and made one HELL of a mess!....lol

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Nonmetalic G-10&CarbonFiber Knives:http://www.geocities.com/bladewiz/bladewiz.html
 
a glove, never thought that a way to snap a belt. i wear welders gloves while grinder, becuase the steel can get very hot, but i don't feel it. lately i've been just opening my door and queching the blade in the snow to cool it down. i'm glad you guys are making use of my tip.
 
Magnum,
Try grinding with out the gloves. It really impressed the ladies when you can light a match on your finter tips
biggrin.gif


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Lynn Griffith-Knifemaker

BG-42 is now an option

griffithknives.com
GriffithKN@aol.com
Griffith Knives Forum
 
Guys: Gloves? Don't wear them, never have. I think gloves are dangerous, and besides, if you're getting the heat treated knife that hot, you're asking for trouble.
If you grind without gloves, within a month or 2 you'll have enough callous that a bit of heat is only uncomfortable. HA!
Besides, you can use your toughened fingertips for other tricks-like pressing on the backside of a slack belt to concentrate the presure on a handle pin without over-sanding the surrounding area.
cyanoacrylate adhesive applied to your fingertips will make them tougher as well.

Have fun-

RJ Martin
 
i use gloves for grinder before heat treat, after i don't so i can tell when to cool it off. good idea darrel, that would save filing time.
 
About the platen thing-I like to set my platen so that it protrudes just slightly beyond the surface of the wheels. That way, you can minimize belt breakage, but, equally as important, you're not stretching the belt all over the place as it runs over the platen. That's right, if the belt is stretching, your flats will not be flat.
this brings me to another point: for finishing work, I like a NEW micron belt (mylar backing= very flat nd lower stretch), and, not too much pressure on the blade. again, more presure= less flatness due to belt stretching.
Dan Johnson told me about the stretching thing years ago-I thought the idea was crazy at he time, but, it's true.

RJ Martin
 
ok, i use ceramic norton belts for regular sanding, do you think they stech to much? cuase it takes a while to get the blades flat.
 
ok, i use ceramic norton belts for regular sanding, do you think they stech to much? cuase it takes a while to get the blades flat.
 
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