Should I buy a Belt Sander? Advice

[Cliff Stamp]

The label says the belts are for metal, but also for wood, painted surfaces, and fiberglass. It seems likely that since these belts can be used for much softer surfaces they probably aren't going to be optimum for metal removal. This could very well be my problem.

Those are the same belts I use, they wear out relatively fast on high carbide steels like D2, but cut very well initially in the low grits, don't go over 100, and will cut steels like 1095 for a long time. I have tried more expensive ones including ZrO from Lee Valley and that will cut a lot faster and last a lot longer. But for me it isn't worth the extra cost and the cheap ones easily adjust edge angles in a few minutes anyway even on large knives when new.

-Cliff