Which is the most useful, disc sander, belt sander or bench grinder???

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Which is the most useful, disc sander, belt sander or bench grinder??? I am looking to purchase one of these tools for making handles and sharpening my knives. Question I have is which one is most useful for this purpose. I don't plan on making to many handles for blade blanks that I purchase, however, I want to try my hand at a few over the next year to give as gifts. I do want to find a tool that will help me sharpen my knives as well. Something with a good adjustable guide/platform that will allow me to adjust the angle of a grind. Any comments or suggestions are appreciated, even recommend a model. I want to spend around $100.00 total with relatively easy access to purchasing or chaning the belts/disc/wheels.
 
Craftsman 2x42 belt sander is the best you can get in that price range. Much more useful than a bench grinder or disk, IMO.
 
Yeah the humble 2x42 has made an awful lot of knives. It does have a reasonably useful disc sander already on it, too. Skip the cheap AO belts at Sears and order some nice 3M "Gators" from TruGrit. They come out costing the same, cut cleaner and last longer. :thumbup:

I threw away the tool rest for mine so long ago that I don't recall how adjustable it was, but I don't think it would be too difficult to mod it or make a new one to set your angles. Then again you could just practice a bit and work freehand.
 
That is my goal, to get decent on the tool and see if I can replicate it by hand. I figure I will eat through at least a dozen $5 learning how to use it.
 
I wish I had the money to buy a craftsman. I know they aren't THAT expensive but another alternative is a harbor freight 1x30 belt sander. With a coupon you can get one with a replacement plan for around 35$ then you can spend the other 65$ on a mess of belts and a leather belt. I have one and it does a great job on handles and sharpening convex edges. I just got done tapering a tang on a little loveless style hunter with it but it took more time then id like to admit. I'm a super noob so take my advice for what its worth not the most capable bit of equipment but its very usefull and stays under budget
 
reiko1078 said:
I wish I had the money to buy a craftsman. I know they aren't THAT expensive but another alternative is a harbor freight 1x30 belt sander. With a coupon you can get one with a replacement plan for around 35$ then you can spend the other 65$ on a mess of belts and a leather belt. I have one and it does a great job on handles and sharpening convex edges. I just got done tapering a tang on a little loveless style hunter with it but it took more time then id like to admit. I'm a super noob so take my advice for what its worth not the most capable bit of equipment but its very usefull and stays under budget
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Newbie here as well. I have a 2x42 and it does alright. It's a love/hate relationship with that grinder! But if handle work and sharpening is all you want to do, then I'd save my money and get a 1x30 or 1x42. The 2x42 is really fast and it can eat a knife handle or blade really quick if you're not paying attention. Ask me how I know! Not sure how fast the smaller ones are.
 
I am new to doing anything knife related but have been around shops for a while. The sanders regardless of whether or not it is a 1x or 2x or whatever will eat up anything quickly depending entirely on what grit and pressure applied. There are things like keeping the work moving and appliying very light pressure to start forming and what not that help also. If your using the 80 up to 400 or so it will tear thru some stuff if your not careful. Ive ruined many a project myself.
 
A narrow belt or file tends to "dig in" at the edges more than a wider one.
 
My only type grinder for 18 years was a 9" reversible disc. I started with a 1/2hp single phase that I wired to reverse. The disc I had a friend turn for me. Total cost was bout $25 cash for the switch to reverse the motor and the lumber I had to buy to make the bench. Used that grinder about 6-8 years before i upgraded to a DC VS motor. I ended up turning a couple more heavier discs and my boss gave me the motor so total cost to me $0, just time. I finally got a used VFD for $100 and have totally switched to 3ph motors. I also finally made a KMG Clone about 1.5 years ago. Use it much more than the disc but it cost me about $500-$700 in steel and about 3-4 days work. I still use the disc for finishing work and some blade grinding but little else now.

So you can make due with a disc just fine if you can put one together. If not the craftsman with work but you will want an upgrade later. Some do not want to put out the $$ twice so it's your choice there.
 
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