Tool opinions

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unky_gumbi

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Aug 28, 2009
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OK I am almost ready to start on my first knife, but I have decides that I need a drill press and a belt sander. I have been looking at some fairly inexpensive ones and would like some opinions on them
1st is the drill press not too expensive, and should meet my needs
2nd it the Belt sander I need to see what belts are available for it before I buy it

So if some of the experienced makers could give thier oppinion on these 2 tools, I realize that if I get serious about this I will need better quality tools so these are just to be temporary starters

Just did a quick search and found that I can get Aluminum Oxide Grinding Belts from 180 through 1200 and a leather honing belt at Lee Valley
 
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The job mate drill press will be okay for the mean time. The 1 by 30 will work, but you will probably finish with a file. I used my 1 by 30 for three months. Then I went to a 2by 72.
 
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180 grit belts won't do much for the first part to remove metal. Not only will they not take off much but will be worn out on one or two small passes. After that all they will do is round every thing off. You could however go to the hand filing to get rid of what you don't want and then go to the 180 and others that are finer. Frank
 
It is my intention to do all the rough work with a file and hacksaw, the sander is going to be more for finishing and fine tuning on the blade and handle
 
on the drill press make sure its big enough to fit a 5+ " of wood comfortably on it.-marekz
 
I have a 1x30 grinder and I buy belts for it from www.popsknifesupplies.com. he has them from 60 grit on up. To start I would suggest 60, 120, 220, & 400 grits. With practice you can make a decent knife if you keep the blade small. Have fun!
 
I'm a sales rep for Grainger Industrial supply and figured you guys might be interested in this: http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/items/5XT50 We usually sell it for $2,005.00 but are liquidating our inventory and it is on sale for $512. Also, since I'm an employee, I would get a 30% discount if you wanted to buy it through me. Not even really sure if this is good for knife making, but thought I'd throw it up here to see if it helps anyone out.
 
I would suggest going with a 2x42. I made my first knife with a 1x30 and I must say I went thru a lot of belts quickly with 1080. If you want to use a 1x30 I would suggest getting a bench grinder to help with shaping the blade and it can make quick work of the steel rather than with a hacksaw on all the curves. You can probably find a cheap one that will get the job done.

EDIT: Found some tools that might be useful for you.
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=1&p=62064&cat=1,44047 (mounts to a bench grinder) Can probably be modified to use 1x30 belts or 2x42 if you got the know how.
Seems that Sears has stores in Canada, might check on their website www.sears.ca
 
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