Advice on a belt sander needed

[Nomad]

http://www.axminster.co.uk/axminster-hobby-series-aw130bd2-belt-disc-sander

I prefer this type of belt sander if your only an occasional user

I've got one of those (Clarke branded version), and I don't think I'd like to grind knife blades on it - the wider belts that can be set horizontal look much better for that. I reworked the blade on this...

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=116615

...and found it quite fiddly. However, the 1" belt (above the backing plate near the table) worked well for shaping the handle.

 

[petrochemicals]

http://www.axminster.co.uk/axminster-hobby-series-aw130bd2-belt-disc-sander

I prefer this type of belt sander if your only an occasional user

Verticle belt type, they're only general examples, but like the blurb says the belt lasts longer as the composite is kept cool.

http://www.gpescientific.co.uk/view-categories.php?catID=172&mastercatID=6

 

[Everything Mac]

http://www.axminster.co.uk/axminster-hobby-series-aw130bd2-belt-disc-sander

I prefer this type of belt sander if your only an occasional user

Really? I've used one and thought it was awful. The grinder Hillbill links to would be much better.

Andy

 

[Shinken]

Really? I've used one and thought it was awful. The grinder Hillbill links to would be much better.

Andy

Yup really imo that is, out of the box the one hillbill linked is not very good for starting the grind where the ricasso is because the platten is wider than the belt.

Again im not saying its the best but ive made blades with one just fine (just takes longer than a specialist grinder)

I've got one of those (Clarke branded version), and I don't think I'd like to grind knife blades on it

Can i ask why you wouldnt grind a blade on it?

Really? I've used one and thought it was awful

Can i ask why it was awful?

 

[HillBill]

It has tracking so you can move the belt either way by quite a bit i can get it over hanging the platen by an inch easily. Yes you do need to track it over to the other side when your grinding the other side of the blade.. but it literally takes a second. Been using it for 5 years... so it must do alright

Yup really imo that is, out of the box the one hillbill linked is not very good for starting the grind where the ricasso is because the platten is wider than the belt.

Again im not saying its the best but ive made blades with one just fine (just takes longer than a specialist grinder)



Can i ask why you wouldnt grind a blade on it?



Can i ask why it was awful?

 

[Nomad]

Can i ask why you wouldnt grind a blade on it?

On the knife I linked to, I put the curve onto the spine, and removed some belly from the blade to make a shape more like a spearpoint. Doing the spine was okay, but reworking the cutting edge wasn't very nice. I think the vertical belt in conjunction with the table as a backstop made it hard to work with precision or even a good feel in the hands. The blade tended to be somewhat unstable and there was little control of the grind angle. Difficult to keep it set up nicely while working along the convex curve of the edge-to-be. If the belt was horizontal, and with an angled support like that shown in Mark's picture, then it would be much easier to get fingers and thumbs on the blade, resting on the angled support, and work the curved edge over the belt to get the desired grind.

Good point about access when grinding near the ricasso. If the flat bed grinders have sticky-outy platens, I'm sure a subtle modification to the side of the platen/frame using a hammer, hacksaw or similar precision tool, could resolve that. I found the free edge of the 1" vertical belt sander quite good for that sort of thing when shaping the handle (didn't need to grind near the ricasso - that bit was already done).

 

[HillBill]

They have tracking to move the belt.

 

[Shinken]

Cool thats fair enough i guess there are many ways to skin a cat.

I myself prefer vertical grinders (and i'd say 90% of knifemakers ive seen use them) I like to look down at the edge when grinding. But at the end of the day its the finished result that maters. As long as your getting nice blades then the bit in between does not matter so much.

 

[HillBill]

I've never tried using a vertical belt (though i could do that on this as it goes vertical) it's a completely different technique, normally using a clamp to hold the knife... i like the blade in my hands though... so i would't be able to do it on a vertical belt

Cool thats fair enough i guess there are many ways to skin a cat.

I myself prefer vertical grinders (and i'd say 90% of knifemakers ive seen use them) I like to look down at the edge when grinding. But at the end of the day its the finished result that maters. As long as your getting nice blades then the bit in between does not matter so much.

 

[British Red]

The one thing I find that vertical grinder better at is profiling convex blades (axes) you can run the belt slack and with a little pressure it hugs the profile - rather like the mousemat hand technique.

 

[HillBill]

On do that on my radius masters slack belt section when starting the bevels off on refurbed axes

 

[British Red]

On do that on my radius masters slack belt section when starting the bevels off on refurbed axes

I suspect my problem is that iof a radius master ambushed me in al alley, I couldn't pick it out of a line up!

 

[HillBill]

http://www.radiusmaster.com.au
[video=youtube;ub2JllFFH2M]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ub2JllFFH2M[/video]

 

[British Red]

Okay that is cool! Overkill for me - but very cool!

 

[Macaroon]

Now that really is smart design!

 

[petrochemicals]

Yup that a versatile machine hill bill, but a man of your productivity could do with one of these.

http://www.warco.co.uk/72-surface-grinders

Should be able to do wet grinding, not sure whether you need the wheel parrallell or across. Build yourself a jig, and you could do the bevel manually. I think it would be cheaper over the long period.

I saw on another thread the heat treat ovens, I must ask do you heat treat after shaping?

 

[Seabass]

A surface grinder is for precision surface finishing to a given "roughness". You would need to remove the stock first using another method.

 

[HillBill]

I have no more room left in my workshop for any more kit at the moment. When i get a bigger place....... I do need a better way of finishing the flats for some stuff though.

Yup that a versatile machine hill bill, but a man of your productivity could do with one of these.

http://www.warco.co.uk/72-surface-grinders

Should be able to do wet grinding, not sure whether you need the wheel parrallell or across. Build yourself a jig, and you could do the bevel manually. I think it would be cheaper over the long period.

I saw on another thread the heat treat ovens, I must ask do you heat treat after shaping?

 

[petrochemicals]

I have no more room left in my workshop for any more kit at the moment. When i get a bigger place....... I do need a better way of finishing the flats for some stuff though.

Seriously, I found hardened steel incredibly hard to grind any serious ammount, surely a heat treatment after basic shaping is what you do?

Also found this but it's not really what your after.

http://www.pieco.com/en/products/multiarm_knife_sharpener/

 

[HillBill]

I do most of the work before the heat treatment... leaving only the bare minimum work for afterwards.... finishing off the bevels, and cleaning the flats..