Harbor Freight belt grinder

BarberFobic1992

BarberFobic1992

Joined
Jan 21, 2008
Messages
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i saw a few guys around here mention that they had one of these, and i just had a few questions. i put this in WS&S because i know at least a few people here have this grinder.
anyway, i dont really have much of a shop, just a garage that someone went and filled up with cars. so, i cannot get a nice large grinder, so i thought the 1 x 30 harbor freight looked like a good choice. my main question is, does it need to be bolted down to use? my bench space is limited, so i couldnt aford to have it as a permanent fixture on my bench, but if it can be clamped down and then stowed away when i am not using it, that would be a good deal.

any thoughts or answers would be good. thanks on advance.
 
Great question BF.

If you don't mind me adding on to your inquiry, is the Harbor Freight belt sander a variable speed?

I have a craftsman 4X36 and my biggest problem is that it runs full throtle. I'd love to get something a bit slower.
 
I mainly use mine for sharpening and it just sits on my work counter, no bolts or clamps. If you wanted to use it for work requiring more pressure, I think a couple clamps at the front of the unit would be just fine. It isn't easy to tip over backwards, but it will tend to slide if you press something firmly into the belt. It does have 4 rubber grommet type feet at the base that I suppose you could run bolts through if you wanted, however. :thumbup:

The HF sander is a single speed (listed @3400 rpm).
 
Rupestris said:
Great question BF.

If you don't mind me adding on to your inquiry, is the Harbor Freight belt sander a variable speed?

I have a craftsman 4X36 and my biggest problem is that it runs full throtle. I'd love to get something a bit slower.
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it dosent outright say that it is a variable speed, but it does say it can get up to 3412 rpms, so i dont know if the up to means that you can adjust it up to that much or just that it is capable of going that fast under ideal conditions.
 
Mine is not variable speed.

You can buy a unit that has a big dial on the top that you plug your sander into, then adjust the speed via the dial on the unit.

Not sure what they are called. I got mine from my Dad years ago, so I never had to buy one. I will say that the sander will be plugged into it whenever used on knives.

.
 
G. Scott H. said:
I mainly use mine for sharpening and it just sits on my work counter, no bolts or clamps. If you wanted to use it for work requiring more pressure, I think a couple clamps at the front of the unit would be just fine. It isn't easy to tip over backwards, but it will tend to slide if you press something firmly into the belt. It does have 4 rubber grommet type feet at the base that I suppose you could run bolts through if you wanted, however. :thumbup:

The HF sander is a single speed (listed @3400 rpm).
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Thats what I do, just a couple of clamps on the front side, not going anywhere.
 
Thanks G, & David. I'll look into those.
Thanks again for posting this question BF.
My Christmas wish list is almost complete :p.
 
The HF 1"x30" works well mounted on its back so the belt is moving away from the operator. Some might like it sitting on the factory mounts so the belts moves down, but I like it on its back. For a little machine it works nice for power stroping or for convex grinds with 900 & 1200 grit belts. I remove the platten when convex grinding, but use the platten for stroping "V" grinds so the edge does not get rounded. You can slow the motor if too much force is applied to the belt as it is not very powerful, but used for small jobs it does just fine.
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I say ditto the the Delta 1x42". I got mine from Dan Koster! It's probably worth millions now. It's easier to get 1x42" belts than the 1x30", more variety as well. I've used it to make a few knives, and it's my sharpening monster. A 1x42" leather belt that Dan gave me is my favorite non-knife knife-thing. ITS AWESOME!
 
You can get any and every size and grit belt that you can imagine for the 1x30 sander as well. I have had mine for quite some time and have sharpened hundreds of knives and made quite a few as well with the HF 1x30. Not bad for 48.00 bucks. I am going to get a second one for the finer grit finish belts. I have the leather belt for mine too but I seldom use it, the 400 grit shines them up really well.
 
I picked one of these up today for $39.99. I had a 20% off coupon so the actual price came to about $32.

I understand Lee Valley Tools has some nice 1x30 belts that can be used for sharpening. They also have a leather honing belt.

John
 
Although much lighter than my Delta 1x42, the HF 1x30 does just fine without needing to bolt it down.
bench1.jpg
 
it's a nice starter sander, good to learn on and inexpensive (I went to HF and got it for 28 bucks!) and I also use belts from Lee Valley.

not made for profiling or heavy work (will burn out the motor) but for touch ups and basic stuff, it's a deal!

I would suggest to practice on cheap/inexpensive blades first! until you get to know the machine.
Their is a really nice thread here in "Maintenance, Tinkering & Embellishment" section (buried)
Good Luck ;)
 
its a great little machine if you use good belts (i use the blue klingspor that leevalley sells).

i just sit mine on my bench, about chest height. it has little rubber feet, and pretty much no vibration, so it doesn't go anywhere. this means that i can stand and grind and not hurt my neck looking down. i have caught some belts in the face though when i apply too much pressure to a worn out belt. safety glasses are important!

i use mine for some pretty heavy grinding, you just have to use coarse belts and not go too hard. i use mine for all of my sharpening and grinding on just about any blade i can think of. the only exception is true scandi grinds are hand sharpened (convex scandi are done on the machine)
 
siguy said:
its a great little machine if you use good belts (i use the blue klingspor that leevalley sells).

i just sit mine on my bench, about chest height. it has little rubber feet, and pretty much no vibration, so it doesn't go anywhere. this means that i can stand and grind and not hurt my neck looking down. i have caught some belts in the face though when i apply too much pressure to a worn out belt. safety glasses are important!

i use mine for some pretty heavy grinding, you just have to use coarse belts and not go too hard. i use mine for all of my sharpening and grinding on just about any blade i can think of. the only exception is true scandi grinds are hand sharpened (convex scandi are done on the machine)
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wow I've read so many posts about how not to use it for heavy stuff, but you have and it works! and here I was being cautious! that is nice to know ;)
 
I've had the Delta 1"x42" for many years, adding the HF unit a few years ago, after buying some Delta 1"x30" buffing & sanding/grinding belts dirt cheap at a home center. I use the larger one for coarse, the HF for finer & honing. It does slow appreciably under load. Keep a cottage cheese container full of water near by to keep your edges cool, and a clamp or two on the front will keep the HF from walking. I also use a 6" grinder - with the shields removed and a pair of cotton buffing wheels attached. It's 3450 RPM is too fast - still safe with my wheels (Check your specs.). It buffs fast - using the usual 1lb assortment of 4 oz bars of tripoli, emery, white, and red rouge - Sears did sell it for $4 or so. HF carries some buffing compounds - and wheels, too.

The 3.5" directly driven belt drive pulley would give 3,160 feet/minute for the 3450 RPM HF's motor, ignoring slippage. That's fast - optimum FPM speeds, if I remember correctly, of 1,100 to 2,000 FPM would likely be better. As an induction motor, the HF's speed is powerline frequency determined, thus not a prospect for control. However, while not optimum, the HF units do work... and you can easily spend more on belts than the little tool cost in short order.

Stainz
 
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