Belt Sander ( home made ideas ) ???

[Big Dad]

I want to add a much better belt sander to my tools , got old sears one that isn't much good no more ..

Has anyone made one , looked up Ellis and they are $2000 ..

Like this , somewhat

 

[shawhite]

There are a lot of diy belt grinder plans on some of the knife making websites. There is also the multitool grinder attachment for your bench grinder. Then if you want to step up there is always Kalamazoo or burr king

 

[scooby074]

Look up belt knife grinder. There are plans and even some diy kits out there that all you got to do is weld the parts.

Also look at the "Multitool" that bolts to a bench grinder. Ive seen a couple videos of them and they seem to work decent. https://www.trick-tools.com/Bench_Grinder_Attachments_28

 

[GeoBruin]

I have the multitool from trick tools. If you have a grinder already and are willing to sacrifice one or the other wheels, it's a great tool. If you want to really lean on it and take off a lot of material, you probably want a dedicated belt grinder with a longer belt.

 

[nadogail]

There are are many good homemade belt sanders out there, my first belt sander had wooden rollers.

 

[2oolhound]

I think there are 2 different terms for these tools.
Belt Sander - is found in wood working shops
Belt Grinder - is found in metal working shops.

That said I think there is a lot of overlap in what the owners do with theirs. Generally belt sanders are wider, 6" and up to really wide whereas belt grinders tend to be 1" and 2".

I've owned several smaller 42" x 1" and 42" x 2" metal grinders but also use them for wood at times and man, do they eat wood. Trouble is the wood dust builds up inside and when you grind metal afterwards the sparks ignite the wood dust and it smoulders until you deal with it.