3x21 belt sander for blade grinding?

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scott.livesey

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Nov 10, 2011
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will a 3x21 belt sander work ok to grind a blade? have a fixture built that will hold blade at desired angle and allow right/left movement. any comments appreciated. steel being used is Aldo's 1084. have 40, 60 and 120 grit belts.
 
When you say "Belt Sander" are you talking about one of these?

porter-cable-belt-PC-352VS.jpg



Sure it will work....but probably will be an adventure as well :)
 
when i first started making knives, i actually used a sears craftsman 3x21 sander and it did ok. i made a big bowie with it that turned out really good. i would try to find a 2x42 or 2x72 instead.
 
I used a hand held belt sander to clean up and flatten a fairly large blade. It is an older heavier duty one than most I've seen, but any should work maybe just a bit slower. I used some wood screws around the profile and screwed it down to a piece of wood. The edges of the screws clamped it down for me and I sanded the whole surface actually pretty flat that way.. sanded right through the screws, and flipped it and did the same. It turned out not bad actually.. but I wouldn't recommend it, as it's a pretty slow process. That method is not really good for edge beveling though, just flattening.
 
If you have it already it will work,A guy who helped me get started used one to make several knifes.He turned it upside down in his bench vise and started grinding.Not the best in the world but it works.
I would not go out and buy one for that purpose,save the money for a 2X42 or such.But if you got it,go for it.
Stan
 
My fathers porter cable which is at least 20 years old does a pretty good job grinding steel with a good belt when its turned upside down in a vise. Far from ideal though, but IMO still better then a 1x30. That said I would imagine the craftsman 2x42 is better still.
 
It will work to do a lot of metal removal but you will probably need to clean and finish it up with files to get it the way you want the blade to be. It's not going to make plunge cuts, for instance.

I used one after making about six knives with files. I thought I had died and gone to heaven because of all the work it saved me with files. wearing ear-muffs to block the noise, I held it in my lap while grinding. This is undoubtedly NOT a safe way to use it. After four or five blades I burned the brushes out. I could not bear the thought of going back to files and bought a mighty Sears 2X42.

- Paul Meske
 
I have a custom built 3x60, works like a charm, i can run it vertical as well. Ive tapered tangs with my 3x21 in my vise:o. But from start to finish it would be a task, imho. GHaile
 

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GTH11 said:
I have a custom built 3x60, works like a charm, i can run it vertical as well. Ive tapered tangs with my 3x21 in my vise:o. But from start to finish it would be a task, imho. GHaile
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How many horsepower is the 3"x60" Greg?

I've seen a few newbies make knives with 3"x21" that were mounted in a vise. Go for it. Try using a file to cut in your plunge lines, or as Marchand would say "plunge lines are over rated" just make a plunges blade! Good luck!
 
Its runnin a craftsman 1/2hp, and i can bring it to a stop...but i dont use it for hawgin, she appreciates a slow and steady hand. Once i get a piece of glass on that platen ill be :D!
 
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