Let’s talk about belt grinders!

gamma_nyc

gamma_nyc

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Dec 1, 2007
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706
I’ve noticed a lot of knife makers use a belt grinder/sander to sharpen knives.

What are some good entry level (read hobbyist) models, that are a few levels better than a Worksharp grinder?

1) Important features for me:
Stable base that can sit on a workbench
2) Common belt size that gives me economical access to all grit types for sharpening needs.
3) easy to change belts
4) reliable and can last 1,000+ hours of duty; low maintenance.

Would a “Bucktool” like this one be a potential solution? What else would you look at? Want to keep price under $300 for the unit.

 
Despite having an extensive workshop, I didn't have a belt grinder/sander. I had a particular project were I thought one would come in handy, but the project wasn't so important that I wanted to spend much money. I went to Harbor Freight. You can probably guess the rest of the story. I had to dramatically modify the tensioner before the unit would even work. It is AWFUL. Now that the belt tracks properly, the power is so anemic that it will barely do any work. If you go to Harbor Freight and end up with one of these unusable belt sanders, it's your own fault. You were warned.
 
The ability to control speed is important for sharpening. The problem with most cheap belt grinders is that they run blistering fast with no quick easy way to slow them down.

You'll also want some sort of misting/cooling system.
 
You might honestly be better off with a filing jig.

I started out with a pretty decent 1x30, made a nice base for it.
You are just very limited with it. Horrible platen. Bad belts, wobble, speed..... everything.

Save your money.
I do believe you can put something together economically, but it's still going to cost you around a thousand
 
I'd look at the Rikon variable speed unit, which runs around $160. Or if you don't want to pay for variable speed, look at the Wen 1x30 for around $90.
 
I use an AMK-75 1x30 knife sharpener and it meets all your requirements. That said, you might not consider it t be 'entry level'.

If using any grinder for sharpening, you'll want to make sure that the abrasive feed rate can be lowered to a 'safe' value. The AMK has a 350 rpm low speed, with a 2" drive wheel giving the abrasive a 3 feet per second feed rate. In contrast, a grinder w/a 1750 rpm motor and a 4" drive wheel would be smoking along at a feed rate of 30 fps. I rarely use anything other than the lowest speed on my AMK.

-Phil
 
RustyIron said:
Despite having an extensive workshop, I didn't have a belt grinder/sander. I had a particular project were I thought one would come in handy, but the project wasn't so important that I wanted to spend much money. I went to Harbor Freight. You can probably guess the rest of the story. I had to dramatically modify the tensioner before the unit would even work. It is AWFUL. Now that the belt tracks properly, the power is so anemic that it will barely do any work. If you go to Harbor Freight and end up with one of these unusable belt sanders, it's your own fault. You were warned.
Click to expand...
👆🏻 He’s not wrong. I also had to modify mine to work correctly. It works great for a hobbyist, but I’d never consider it in any kind of production shop.
 
I do own a Rikon 161VS it does have a platen, it seems to have good power, definitely enough for sharpening. 1000 hrs of low maintenance operation? I have a about 100 hrs on mine its works fine. One tip: take a few practice passes without the belt moving to check your technique and angle. My only gripe about the sander is the table on the disc sander end is a bit fiddly.
 
J. Doyle said:
The ability to control speed is important for sharpening. The problem with most cheap belt grinders is that they run blistering fast with no quick easy way to slow them down.

You'll also want some sort of misting/cooling system.
Click to expand...

The coolant part of this equation cannot be overstated. It is VERY easy to overheat the extremely thin metal at the apex and it happens in a matter of seconds (or fractions thereof). The old 'don't grind if it's too hot to hold bare handed' won't apply here either because at such thin cross sections the steel can heat up and subsequently cool down so quickly as to be undetectable. Everything you are looking for in a sharp and long lasting edge requires you to not damage the apex.

The Tormek T-8 system that I run is probably not even half as fast as a belt grinder and that's OK with me, even as someone who's doing this professionally and knowing I can make more money using a belt grinder. It's also much cleaner and can be rather enjoyable to use when you know what you're doing. The reliability and warranty of these is stellar and you get 7 years coverage for even professional use. You can also get all sorts of different wheels for varying applications.

One thing I must mention is this will not be a good fit for most workbenches as they are to tall to work ergonomically as you sort of have to stand over the Tormek. 28" height is the maximum for many people I'd say doing knives.
 
I have the discontinued low speed (1,750 RPM) 1x30 Rikon. It works fine for garden tools and the typical 1x30 jobs. It benefits from some DIY tuning, but honestly it is useable out of the box. It is not reasonable to expect a precision tool at this price. I would buy the newer variable speed model, but mine is humming along just fine so I'm probably good for the immediate future.

A kitchen knife, or a good knife I will use for its intended purpose are not sharpened on the belt. In my hands, it is not that much faster than anything else. It is not nearly as precise as a guided system, and not as much fun as freehand on a flat stone.

It should be noted that I love to sit down in front of a good whetstone and stroke away! If you don't love the process, the belt may be your huckleberry.
 
RustyIron said:
Despite having an extensive workshop, I didn't have a belt grinder/sander. I had a particular project were I thought one would come in handy, but the project wasn't so important that I wanted to spend much money. I went to Harbor Freight. You can probably guess the rest of the story. I had to dramatically modify the tensioner before the unit would even work. It is AWFUL. Now that the belt tracks properly, the power is so anemic that it will barely do any work. If you go to Harbor Freight and end up with one of these unusable belt sanders, it's your own fault. You were warned.
Click to expand...
I went down this rabbit hole a couple years ago. I wanted one to do some repair work to axes, and maybe try to sharpen some beater kitchen knives. I couldn't find much between cheap, and really expensive. I went with the Harbor Freight one, and I have to say it's worked well. I've used it for lots of projects and so far so good. Anything at harbor freight seems to be hit or miss. Just my sample of one. I would never use it for any good knives. I can put a killer edge on an axe though. The biggest thing for me is it's to damn fast. If it came with a variable speed it would be a lot better.
 
My cheap set-up:

Regrinding/sharpening worn Victorinox carving knives

A set of worn Victorinox carving knives from a local butcher. Edge angles on the really narrow ones were in the 50 to 60 degrees inclusive range, and the request was to see if i could at least make them useful again. Weapon of choice was my cheap variable speed Parkside belt grinder (345-645...
www.bladeforums.com www.bladeforums.com
 
gamma_nyc said:
I’ve noticed a lot of knife makers use a belt grinder/sander to sharpen knives.

What are some good entry level (read hobbyist) models, that are a few levels better than a Worksharp grinder?

1) Important features for me:
Stable base that can sit on a workbench
2) Common belt size that gives me economical access to all grit types for sharpening needs.
3) easy to change belts
4) reliable and can last 1,000+ hours of duty; low maintenance.

Would a “Bucktool” like this one be a potential solution? What else would you look at? Want to keep price under $300 for the unit.

Click to expand...
I have two bench belt sanders, a Delta 1X30 and a Wilton 1X42. I use the 1X30 for sharpening and the Wilton for shaping wood. Both of them could work fine for sharpening and save time if an edge is badly damaged or difficult to deal with using stones. The Wilton is heavy duty. Unfortunately, both are out of production. I can’t make a clear recommendation right now, but there are probably good ones out there. I have been using them for more than 10 years, with more use of the smaller and lighter Delta. The Wilton weighs about 80 lbs. I like a belt sander for difficult to sharpen blades where I need to reset the bevels.
 
I use an old Montgomery Wards 1 x 30 belt grinder. I hooked it up to a foot petal for operation. It works great. Practice on some junkers so you can learn how not to plunge.
 
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