Belt grinder belts

[Larry Copas]

I have a Kalamazoo 2 X 48” belt grinder set up similar to the Sorby Pro Edge belt grinder. I'm using it with a Oneway clone Vari-Grind.

I only use it to sharpen bowl gouges. I started with a 3M 120 grit aluminum oxide belt but have moved to 180 grit. The belts are cheap and last a long time. I'm pleased with my grind but have been wondering if a premium belt would give even better results.

Anybody using the ceramic belts and if so what grit?

[carl mesaros]

I purchased the Sorby Pro Edge system in early February. It came with a 60 and 120 grit aluminum oxide belt.
I set the profile on all my gouges with the 60 grit and the final edge using the 120.
I purchased a 120 grit ceramic soon afterward and have used it daily ever since. It still is performing well. For me the 120 provides a great edge and can see no reason to go finer.

[ALAN HOLLAR]

Ceramic belts give a finer edge to Pro PM, A-11, V-15, and other powder metallurgy tools.

[John K Jordan]

Ceramic belts give a finer edge to Pro PM, A-11, V-15, and other powder metallurgy tools.

Alan,

This is interesting. By "finer" do you mean a smoother edge such as you would normally get with a belt with finer grit?

I can't find (with a google search) any data about this. Do you have any links to tests, reviews, or even manufacturer claims about this?

Or is this a result of your own observations? If so, how do you measure the fineness, by eye, microscope, the effect in a cut? I have been in communication with several people about how to do careful tests to evaluate various sharping methods and more information on this might be helpful.

JKJ

[John Sanford]

If you want to know about how grinding belts interact with different metals, head on over to Bladeforums. The knife guys live for this stuff.