Which Belt Sander for Knife Sharpening?

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pastormarty

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Mar 22, 2010
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What is the best bang for the buck in terms of a bench-mounted belt sander? And what grit belts do you use?
 
Work sharp WSKTS... hands down

i have been using it for about 6 months, and every knife i have is shaving sharp
 
Harbor Freight 1x30 belt sander with belts from Lee Valley or TruGrit. I like using a 40 grit blue zirconia from Klingspor, and then 80 micron and finer Trizact belts by 3M. They're a little spendier than normal belts but they last for-freaking-ever and remove material quickly while leaving a very smooth finish. Mine burned out recently after a couple years of very hard use and I'm replacing it with a Kalamazoo 1x42.
 
Second the HF 1x30. Mine also lasted for more than a few years. I replaced it with the Viel 1x42. My Viel is a far better grinder but that HF is a real deal at around $30. For belts I'd get a few grits starting with the coarseest you find then skip a grit and get the next up to the finest you can find. I personally double the grit example 30, 60, and 120 grit and on up. A must for belt sharpening is a leather belt and some compound. I kick myself for not getting a leather belt right away. I use green compound but many like to go finer than that.
 
I'm curious about belt selection for the Work Sharp system verses a 1x30 grinder and even a 1x42 grinder. Does have have a big advantage of fancy 3M belts (and just belts in general) over the others? I know there are good aftermarket belts for the Work Sharp, but are belt selection still a big draw back for it?
 
My Kalamazoo 1SM has been getting the job done for about 3.5 years now, and I sharpen full time. Great little sander, still works like a champ.
 
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