Taming my belt pile

L

Ltortorich

Formerly known as Rocketmann
Platinum Member
Joined
Jul 12, 2022
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35
So lately I've been feeling like Indiana Jones in the snake pit...
Belts were out of control laying on the blast cabinet. On the bench, on the floor..everywhere.
My shop has sloping walls so wall hooks are not an option.
I decided to make a short coat rack to hang my in use belts on.
Its not pretty but it works.
Anyone else doing something similar??
 

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I need to go through and pitch a TON of old belts. My grinder came with a bunch of them but most of them are bad and I've bought new ones. It's just no fun to pitch belts when you think maybe you can get one more knife out of them...
But then there's nothing better than cutting with a new belt!
 
I have belts hanging on everything that sticks out far enough to hold them. My best advice for old belts is to take scissors or a utility knife and cut them before you throw them away. Make sure it’s a one way trip to the trash can for them.
 
I recall reading advice from DevinT back when I first started that stuck with me. Paraphrasing, "Use abrasives like you stole them". If I question a belt, I feel one of the same grit and usually toss it right away. Time is too valuable to waste on belts that aren't doing their job and causing a bunch of heat.
 
'I recall reading advice from DevinT back when I first started that stuck with me. Paraphrasing, "Use abrasives like you stole them".

Easy for Devin T to say that when he's made his millions making knives! LOL Seriously he is EXACTLY correct. It's tuff for us hobbyist that sell just enough to keep us going on with this obsession to keep making knives. The other quote I liked someone on here said "if you're having problems grinding a knife try putting on a new belt".

Tossing old belts is the easiest when you get a new order of belts in.
 
I generally keep at least one worn belt of each grit I’m working with. They come in handy for things when you want to cut slower and achieve a bit smoother finish. I find them most useful for things like rounding spines and making the last few passes before I start hand sanding. Each time I get a new belt at any particular grit, I keep the one I was using (generally about half worn) and throw the old worn out belt away. I keep them alternating into the trash that way. I go through a lot of belts in the 220-400 grit range. I also keep separate belts for shaping handles.
 
"I generally keep at least one worn belt of each grit I’m working with. They come in handy for things when you want to cut slower and achieve a bit smoother finish."

I use to believe that but at least in my experience it doesn't work out for me in real life. A worn out 100 grit belt doesn't turn into a 220 grit belt. It just no longer cuts but just produces friction and heat. The only belts I reuse are ceramic belts. I use them to profile the outside edges of blade blanks and rough grind the 45 degree knife edge to what I want my finished knife edge to be ground too.
 
LCoop said:
"I generally keep at least one worn belt of each grit I’m working with. They come in handy for things when you want to cut slower and achieve a bit smoother finish."

I use to believe that but at least in my experience it doesn't work out for me in real life. A worn out 100 grit belt doesn't turn into a 220 grit belt. It just no longer cuts but just produces friction and heat. The only belts I reuse are ceramic belts. I use them to profile the outside edges of blade blanks and rough grind the 45 degree knife edge to what I want my finished knife edge to be ground too.
Click to expand...

It’s not that it cuts like a finer grit, it leaves a different finish. If I grind my bevel to 400 grit I’ll take a few passes with a worn 400 belt just to change the finish. I have a better time picking up deeper scratches that way so I know if I need to grind a little more before I start hand sanding. That might have more to do with my aging eyes though. I use a mist system so heat isn’t an issue. I’ve been working to get the best belt finish I can. It saves a lot of time normally spent on hand sanding. 400 and finer is generally 1 knife per belt at best at my current skill level.

In one of the Loveless books or videos he explained how he started his mirror finish with worn 500 grit belts. That really surprised me.
 
I agree on cutting the old belts up. I cant count how many times I've pulled one out of tbe trash only to regret it.
That said, the coat rack seems to be working out well so far. I need to install some casters so i can easily move it around.
 
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