Slow speed belt sander

[Leigh Betsch]

Actually I am thinkng about making it a horizontal sander. I guess my real thought is to make the belt so it would lap from the back to the front of the chisel. I not sure if this is clear.

I added a sketch
changed it to a jpeg, try that

[Glen Evans]

What are the main benefits of the 72" belt length over a 42" belt? Cooler cutting?? I've been looking at the Lee Valley system item number 68Z75.01 for making carving and marking knives...seems like a pretty cheap entry point but I don't know enough about it to decide--any thoughts?

Thanks
Glen

[george wilson]

Can't open your attachment.

Glen,are you talking about a 1" X 42" ? the long belt is 2" X 72". Will last a lot longer,much more abrasive area.

[Leigh Betsch]

I changed to format, give it a try now

[Glen Evans]

George, yeah I'm talking about a 1" x 42" unit. From your comments I conclude that the smaller abrasive area of the smaller belts would reduce their life (that makes sense). Are there any other downsides I should know about??

thanks
Glen

[Wayne Morley]

Another very good and versatile abrasive belt grinder (also known as a polishing machine) is made be Stephen Bader. They have a floor machine that uses a 132” belt and a bench model that uses a 72” belt. They also sell all kinds of attachments and contact wheels. There web site is http://www.stephenbader.com/

I agree with what another person said about the belt speed. You will get better results and longer belt life with speeds in the 3500 to 10,000 feet per min. range.

As far as belt life goes most people replace the belt way before it is used up. I ran a polishing shop for about 12 years and I found that you could turn 10 pounds of brass into dust with one 120 grit belt 132 inches long by 1.5 inch wide.

All of the advice that George Wilson gave is very good, I would like to emphasize that an abrasive belt grinder can be a dangerous machine. You can get a serious and painful cut by bumping the edge of a belt going 8000 ft/min. Use proper safety equipment including gloves, safety glasses and a dust mask or respirator.

[george wilson]

Nonsense,Wayne. I NEVER got burned on a belt.

Actually,I'm lucky I didn't get severely slashed by a thin mylar belt. I had a few violently blow up.

[Dave Lehnert]

You can find a Shopsmith and belt sander for cheap on craigslist.

You can slow the belt way down. and change the belt direction by mounting on the opposite end.

[Leigh Betsch]

I saw one of these Shopsmith belt sanders for sale somewhere but I didn't know if it would be easy to attach an electric motor, so I passed on it. How is it driven? Would it be difficult to attach an elelctric motor, keeping in mind that I'm not much of a welder but can do a pretty decent job of machining.

[Dave Lehnert]

I saw one of these Shopsmith belt sanders for sale somewhere but I didn't know if it would be easy to attach an electric motor, so I passed on it. How is it driven? Would it be difficult to attach an elelctric motor, keeping in mind that I'm not much of a welder but can do a pretty decent job of machining.

It would not be hard at all to mount it on a stand. Shopsmith makes a "Power stand" but not too sure how slow it would run.

Some people are buying old Shopsmiths and cutting them down to make a mini to run tools.

[Alan Zenreich]

I too have a Bader III 2x72" variable speed belt grinder that I use for sharpening chisels. I have both an 8" wheel and the 'knifemakers' flat platen/wheel combo.

I currently have it configured with a Nova Sharpening Center (from Teknatool)

I'm also experimenting with final honing/touchups using scary sharp method on plate glass.

[george wilson]

You do grind bevel upwards into the direction of the rotating belt with norman cloth backed belts. Just do not try it on those paper thin mylar belts.

If you don't grind with the cutting edge upwards,you can't tell how thin your edge is getting.

[David Martino]

Interesting discussion... I have a 3x21 Bosch belt sander (portable, not benchtop) that I was thinking about using as a grinder for chisels, plane irons &c. The sander has a clamp attachment for clamping flat or vertical on a bench, and also a fence attachment. Any tips or things I should watch out for?

[philip marcou]

Has anyone tried out the 3M Trizact diamond belts and if so what is the verdict?

[Wayne Morley]

Has anyone tried out the 3M Trizact diamond belts and if so what is the verdict?

I have used them, and for some applications they are very good and the extra expense is worth it. The main problem with this product is that it is pressure sensitive. By that I mean, if you apply to much pressure when grinding you will strip the abrasive off of the belt and ruin it. It is not what I would call a general purpose abrasive. I wouldn’t bother with it unless you have a specific, high volume, application in a manufacturing environment.