Belt grinder vs belt sander

M

mitch8

Joined
Oct 11, 2010
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From my understanding, a belt grinder is built to take bigger belt and have a more powerful motor than a belt sander. both will grind and sand, but the grinder will do better almost every time, with the drawback that it costs significantly more. With this in mind, the unit that is most often recommended is the craftsman 2x42 sander. It has drawbacks, according to the owners, but it is a step up from the cheap HF stuff and less expensive than a KMG/ KMG clone/ BIII/Burr Kings/Wilton square wheel/TW-90/ other grinders I can't remember.
 
The craftsman works ok with some cheap upgrades to the platen. It's very fast, but it is considerably cheaper than higher end grinders. It has drawbacks, but is a decent intermediary.

Just make sure if you do it, buy belts from trugrit. Don't try grinding with the AO belts, you'll be very disappointed.
 
So use silicon carbide not aluminum oxide? What are some good belt abrasives?
 
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Buy a craftsman 2x42. Look up $500 knife shop on google and YouTube. That's where you'll find the mods.

I use 60 grit ceramic, and A65, A45, and A30 gator belts from trugrit. They work pretty well.

Email me and I'll try to help you more if you need it.
 
I've always heard the machines referred to as belt sanders when they are used on wood, and as belt grinders when they are used on metal.
 
And it seems like the wheel set up is quite different on a purpose built grinder than on a sander, why is that?
 
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