I honestly think too many people use small, underpowered disc sanders. A good sized powerful one is a GAME CHANGER for wood and metal.
Ill post some photos of the knives ive been making soon,
But I have 3 disc sanders currently, a 1hp 9 inch disc with a VFD, a 12 inch 1hp grizzly (Both of which are for sale)
but I recently got a 16 inch disc sander with a 1.5hp motor, reversible, and a 45 pound disc on it. Anyone who says disc sanders cant hog off material has never run a 50 grit disc on this monster. They are great for bringing everything back into plane between grinding, and for finishing they leave a really even , flat surface that makes a great place to start hand sanding from.
If anyone is in Socal, id be happy to show you how a big disc grinder can up your knife making!