1x30 belt sharpening?

clampdaddy

clampdaddy

Joined
Aug 31, 2013
Messages
3,197
I picked up a 1x30 belt sander at harbor freight and had a few questions for you fellas that have been using them.

1. How do you set your angle? I always hear people talking about the angles they grind their edges at. Seems like eyeballing it is about as good as its gonna get with this sander.

2. What grit belts do you like to finish with?

3. Why am I rounding the tips off? Using the slack area between the roller and the belt support I can get a really nice convex on the blade but for some reason I can't get a nice pointy tip. What am I doing wrong?
 
You have to stop pulling it through when the tip us half way through the belt. No more. When you pull it all the off the belt, thats when u loose the tip. Also, for finishing, you can get 1x30 leather belts on ebay/amazon, and put green or white compond to load it with. Watch youtube videos "1x30 grinder knife" prob find alot of helpful hints with those key words.

jamtgagar@gmail.com
 
1. I tossed the platen without even installing it. I mainly use mine to knock down the shoulder and create a microbevel with a diamond plate or stone.

Sharpie should be used on your edge up to about 1.5" away from the cutting edge. This way, you can tell how much, and where from on the blade, material is being removed based on how you're holding it. This way, you can adjust your angle with your hands on the next pass.

2. I usually start with something like an 80 or 120 grit belt depending on how much I need to take off of a particular shoulder. Then if I'm feeling really frisky, I'll kick up a burr with the 120, hit the other side up with a 400 or so, then go to around 800, then finish with a1200 or 8 micron belt. Lastly, as was stated above, i love using a leather belt with compound. It's phenomenal as long as you don't hit the edge too hard and round off your cutting edge.

3. See #1 for sharpie reference. When I did the edge of my sasquatch recently, I made sure to keep the edge that turns into the tip parallel to the ground, and perpendicular o the belt. Does this make sense?

I personally like to use my belt with the blade facing up, tip left. I'm right handed you see, and this lets me use my left hand simply to stabilize the blade. When that tip gets close, my left hand is responsible for nothing more than keeping that edge right before the tip PERPINDICULAR to the belts motion. Then stop the rotation of the blade with your right hand, and simply pull through to the right. Check your sharpie marks, and do it again. Feel free to pm me if you'd like.

Good luck! Pics would be awesome
 
clampdaddy said:
1. How do you set your angle? I always hear people talking about the angles they grind their edges at. Seems like eyeballing it is about as good as its gonna get with this sander.
Click to expand...

I think a lot of people use jigs they make, there's also an adjustable manufactured one you can buy for the 1x30, but I haven't tried it.

When I'm not convexing, I just set the whole sander at a specific angle by shimming/blocking up the back feet. I check the angle with a free clinometer app on my phone against the platen. Once it's all set you just have to keep the blade vertical as it moves across the belt.

I've also seen rigs set up to flip the sander around so you can grind horizontal with the belt running away from you, but that seemed like too much effort to me, lol.
 
Thanks fellas. I have found it most comfortable for me to lay the sander on its back. The finest grit belts the had at HF was 120. I got the basic edge about where I want it so I think I'm going to hold off until I get something finer so I'm not taking off more metal than I need to, trying to get the top back where I want it.

I was just looking at my machine and it looks like it wouldn't be to tough to rig up the adjustable table on the "top" wheel. The center of that shafts is already tapped. Just need to space it over a little and maybe open up the window.
 
Apophis said:
.....When I'm not convexing, I just set the whole sander at a specific angle by shimming/blocking up the back feet. I check the angle with a free clinometer app on my phone against the platen.......
Click to expand...
Excellent idea. I keep forgetting how handy these little gadgets can be.
 
this sander

[video=youtube;Dv1sFySnmvw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dv1sFySnmvw[/video]
 
I've used mine to re-profile edges, and entire grinds.


I'd be much better off with a smoother variable speed grinder, but it's what I have.
 
Apophis said:
...I've also seen rigs set up to flip the sander around so you can grind horizontal with the belt running away from you, but that seemed like too much effort to me, lol.
Click to expand...

clampdaddy said:
Thanks fellas. I have found it most comfortable for me to lay the sander on its back. The finest grit belts the had at HF was 120. I got the basic edge about where I want it so I think I'm going to hold off until I get something finer so I'm not taking off more metal than I need to, trying to get the top back where I want it.

I was just looking at my machine and it looks like it wouldn't be to tough to rig up the adjustable table on the "top" wheel. The center of that shafts is already tapped. Just need to space it over a little and maybe open up the window.
Click to expand...


I took off the table and plastic guards and lay the grinder on its back with the belt running away from me. I use the platen to adjust tension or if I need a flatter bevel. You could shim the grind to an angle if desired, but the convex produced by the grinder is often sufficient to give you the angle you want on average by eye-balling it. If trying to match a bevel already present, just use the Sharpie to tell you whether or not your hitting the bevel. Like Timmy above, i progress through grits depending on how much material needs to be moved. SpyderPhreak's guide of belts is the way to go for getting the belts you need/want, really really helpful :thumbup:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top