Belt sander recomendation

[soloz2]

Hello,
My next tool purchase is going to be a belt sander. I would really like a true multipurpose sander that I can use for wood, plastic, metal etc. I would also like to be able to use it to sharpen knives. Due to this requirement, I'm primarily looking at 1" and 2" wide belts with combo discs.

there are a few I'm considering as I'd really like to keep the price reasonable.

1. HF 1x30" belt sander w/ 5" disc
http://www.harborfreight.com/1-belt-and-5-disc-combination-sander-69033.html
This seems to work well for some folks, but has limitations that would have to be worked around.

2. Craftsman 2x42" w/ 6" disc
http://www.sears.com/craftsman-2151...p-00921513000P?prdNo=4&blockNo=4&blockType=G4
This one has the added bonus of the ability to use 1" belts as well as 2" belts. There are some mods posted online to aid in knife sharpening, but the sander spins quite fast 4400 sfpm which is not ideal.

3. Girzzly 1x42" w/ 8" disc
http://www.grizzly.com/products/1-X-42-Belt-with-8-Disc-Sander/H8192
I like that this one has a slightly slower speed than the Craftsman and an 8" disc, but it doesn't have the ability to use 2" belts. I'm not sure if this is the same as the Rikon, but it looks shockingly similar (so does the Jet version)
http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/2084086/36736/Rikon-1-x-42-Belt-x-8-Disc-Sander.aspx

4. Kalamazoo 1x42"
http://www.use-enco.com/1/1/34901-1sm-kalamazoo-belt-disc-combination-sanders.html
This is quite a bit more expensive and does not have a disc, but it spins slowly so it would be better for knife sharpening. Additionally, it is made in the USA

5. Worksharp Ken Onion Edition
http://www.worksharptools.com/knife...r/knife-tool-sharpener-ken-onion-edition.html
This is actually very different from the other options I've listed. It is designed specifically to sharpen knives, but it does have available attachments to make it into a handheld detail belt sander. Not sure how useful it would be for that purpose though.

The other option would be to get something like the worksharp then a larger 4" or 6" belt sander. This would put me past my budget though and I would have to get one tool at a time.

 

[skruft]

I have never found much use for the narrow belt sanders. I have a small stationary one but rarely use it. I know that some professional knife sharpeners are basically the same thing, quite compact and with special features to hold the blade in position. But I think those are used for tasks like rough sharpening of butchers knives.

For woodworking I use 3 and 4 inch, and for finer work a stationary one with 6 x 48 belt.

 

[soloz2]

Thanks for the response. The more I think about it I think I might be better off with two separate units. Maybe a 6x48 belt sander with 8 or 9" disc and then a small 1" or special purpose tool like the work sharp.

 

[PT Doc]

Be careful when sharpening on a belt at speed and all of those a simply to fast. You will ruin the heat treat in a jiffy.

 

[gregthor]

I have an older 1X42 sears Craftsman that has been my work horse for 20 years. It has been indestructable. The one feature I really like is that it has both the belt supported with a back plate and a few inches at the top where the belt does not have a backing plate. This comes in handy for some sanding. My other is a 6X48 and 12 in Diameter Delta rockwell sander for the big stuff.

If I was going to give any advise it would be this: After you get your machine buy the expensive top quality sanding belts/discs!!! They are worth the money.

 

[humanbeingexpert]

I have been considering the Kalamazoo one for sharpening knives, axes, tools etc after reading some really good reviews...anyone have experience with it before i spend ~$300? Thx to the OP for bringing it up!

 

[Provincial]

I have two 1x42 belt sanders. One is a Rockwell with a brush-type direct drive motor that was a gift well over thirty years ago. It is pretty fast, but has the advantage of quick belt changes if I leave the belt guards off.

The second is a Taiwan-made unit I picked up at a garage sale a couple of years ago. It is built like the Grizzly mentioned (#3) above. It is very good for rough work because of the slow speed.

I use the Taiwan unit for coarse grit belts and rough stock removal. The slow speed helps with this. I use the Rockwell for finish work with fine grit belts. The higher speed isn't too bad if I am careful.

I don't do much wood work, so the narrower belts work well for me. I find that they are handy for detail work and deburring.

I have an old Craftsman 6x48 with a 12" disc that I haven't used in over 20 years. I always had trouble keeping the belts in track on that machine. It uses cams for adjustment, which may be the reason it is so sensitive.

 

[soloz2]

After thinking about and looking at units in the store I think I want at least an 8 or 9" disc and I want decent build quality.
The craftsman 6x48 with 9 disc looks to be fairly well constructed, has a 3/4hp motor and is less plastic than less expensive units. At roughly $250 its a decent price too. The plus would be that it would be great for woodworking and allow width up to 6" on the disc and 4" on the disc. The downside is that it does not have a table for the belt to use vertically and it would not be good for knife sharpening.

The other options are all similar. Grizzly, Rikon or Jet 1x42. They all look the same in pictures and are all speced the same. 1/3hp 1750rpm motor 8" disc. These appear to be built better than the craftsman 2x42 and have a larger disc. I'm thinking that all 3 come from the same factory, what I don't know is if rikon or jet have better quality control than Grizzly. The Grizzly is about $200 shipped. Woodcraft is going to have a sale on the Jet $400 and Rikon $230.

The other option, but would be out of the original budget would be to opt for the Jet 2x42 with 8"disc. It is going to be on sale for $400. I'm not sure it's worth the extra $150 over the cman or rikon units though. It has a 3/4hp motor and accepts 1" belts too, but the motor is not the slow 1750rpm kind so I'm not sure if it would be aby better for knife sharpening.

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[Packard V8]

First, I'd never sharpen a knife on a belt sander. For me, that's only for initial stock removal. and polishing. I do sharpen outdoor tools such as axes, hoes, shovels, on the belt sander.

I do a lot of fabrication and refurbishing of old tools and cars. I've got an old 1"x42" belt sander I use pretty much every day. Couldn't get along without it.

Agree, I'd like to have a quality 6" belt/12" disc sander, but in forty years of garage/estate/auction sales I've never found a good deal on a single phase unit.

jack vines

 

[soloz2]

I'm leaning heavily towards getting the Craftsman 6x48 9" disc unit. It looks to be fairly well crafted and the price is very reasonable. I can get it for just over $200 after coupon and points. I can always add a 1" sander down the road

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[Steinmetz]

"...First, I'd never sharpen a knife on a belt sander…" Amen.

 

[zkling]

Do you have a drill press and at least a hack saw? If so I'd suggest that you build a nice KMG style 2"x72" belt grinder with disk. Very nice for metal work and even wood work.

That Kalamazoo one is nice.

Craftsman use to, not sure if they still do, make a decent little 2x42" belt and 6" disk combo machine that was pretty nice for the money. Only downside was the somewhat hard to find, goofy belts and limited grit availability.

"...First, I'd never sharpen a knife on a belt sander…" Amen.

 

[soloz2]

Do you have a drill press and at least a hack saw? If so I'd suggest that you build a nice KMG style 2"x72" belt grinder with disk. Very nice for metal work and even wood work.

That Kalamazoo one is nice.

Craftsman use to, not sure if they still do, make a decent little 2x42" belt and 6" disk combo machine that was pretty nice for the money. Only downside was the somewhat hard to find, goofy belts and limited grit availability.

I have both. I looked at a site that had some plans but the price was still over $500. Am I missing something?

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[zkling]

I have both. I looked at a site that had some plans but the price was still over $500. Am I missing something?

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What is "both" . Drill press and hacksaw? Over $500 to build it yourself Where were you looking? I could see maybe $250 if you were hell bent on purchasing all new drive components. But with a little scrounging you could put one together for <$100 fairly easily.

 

[soloz2]

What is "both" . Drill press and hacksaw? Over $500 to build it yourself Where were you looking? I could see maybe $250 if you were hell bent on purchasing all new drive components. But with a little scrounging you could put one together for <$100 fairly easily.

yes, I have a hack saw and a drill press. The grinder in a box kit is $260 plus shipping alone. I've never really done a project as involved as making one from scrap.

 

[BD1]

I bought the 1'' belt only Hf one and it's still going. Use a 25% off coupon if you go with a HF one. http://www.harborfreight.com/1-in-x-30-in-belt-sander-60543.html Not bad for $30.00.

I have the Kalamazoo 4x36 and it is awesome. Found it at a yard sale for $ 50.00
http://www.use-enco.com/1/1/34899-s4s-kalamazoo-belt-disc-combination-sanders.html

Here's a posting from earlier this year. http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=186092&highlight=sander

Mine is post #23. I have a 6x48 belt and 12'' disc Powermatic. This thing really does a job on steel. Check craig's list for a older one. You can find deals but don't take the time to ask members if it's a good deal. When you find out YES, it's GONE !

 

[zkling]

yes, I have a hack saw and a drill press. The grinder in a box kit is $260 plus shipping alone. I've never really done a project as involved as making one from scrap.

No time like the present. There are all kinds of plans out for these, from mild to wild depending on what equipment you have available. I'll try to dig up a few of the easier to build ones.

 

[ElectroLight]

A few years back I was looking for a belt sander for the same reasons you mention. My goal was to find a used 6x48 belt/disc combo. I ended up finding a nice Craftsman 2x42 on CL for next to nothing. I run a 220 grit belt and use it primarily for squaring up/deburring metal parts on welding projects. I run 80 grit on the disc but rarely use it. I think I may pick up a large disc sander like the 12" HF sander for the bigger jobs.

 

[LG63]

yes, I have a hack saw and a drill press. The grinder in a box kit is $260 plus shipping alone. I've never really done a project as involved as making one from scrap.

I couldn't even find the $260 kit, was this on the Beaumont website?

 

[zkling]

A few years back I was looking for a belt sander for the same reasons you mention. My goal was to find a used 6x48 belt/disc combo. I ended up finding a nice Craftsman 2x42 on CL for next to nothing. I run a 220 grit belt and use it primarily for squaring up/deburring metal parts on welding projects. I run 80 grit on the disc but rarely use it. I think I may pick up a large disc sander like the 12" HF sander for the bigger jobs.

Random question, what is the COO on your 2x42" unit?

 

[Hammer1963]

I have and use a 1" x 42" Grizzly, a 2' x 42" Craftsman, 2) 2" x 36" Multi-tool units and a 4" x 48" Multi-tool. All perform a certain task and do their jobs well. If I was going to purchase one, I would go with the Multi-tool sander/grinder units for Bench grinders. These are tough and very, very versatile. Check out Trick Tools web site for these

 

[soloz2]

I couldn't even find the $260 kit, was this on the Beaumont website?

Here is where I saw the $250 kit: http://www.polarbearforge.com/grinder_kit.html
The Grinder in a box kit is even more expensive!

Everyone seems to like the 2x42 sanders, but from what I've seen they are:
seemingly cheap like the Craftsman 2x42. I looked at one in the store and the table doesn't look very sturdy and it seems to use quite a bit of plastic. It also spins very fast with no way to slow it down without replacing the motor. Granted at less than $150 the price seems reasonable.
From there the price jumps up to about $400 for the Kalamazoo 2x42 without a disc or to nearly $500 for the Jet 2x42 w/ 8" disc. Or for $600 the Grizzly is an option. The kits I've seen tend to be even more than this.

 

[humanbeingexpert]

I am going for the kalamazoo, heard nothing but great things...especially for knives. You can get them on sale for ~$300, plus shipping.

 

[ElectroLight]

Random question, what is the COO on your 2x42" unit?

Just took a look, I knew it‘s imported, just wasn't sure where from... Taiwan. I guess it's about 10 years old. Not a bad unit.

 

[ElectroLight]

Here is where I saw the $250 kit: http://www.polarbearforge.com/grinder_kit.html
The Grinder in a box kit is even more expensive!

Everyone seems to like the 2x42 sanders, but from what I've seen they are:
seemingly cheap like the Craftsman 2x42. I looked at one in the store and the table doesn't look very sturdy and it seems to use quite a bit of plastic. It also spins very fast with no way to slow it down without replacing the motor. Granted at less than $150 the price seems reasonable.
From there the price jumps up to about $400 for the Kalamazoo 2x42 without a disc or to nearly $500 for the Jet 2x42 w/ 8" disc. Or for $600 the Grizzly is an option. The kits I've seen tend to be even more than this.

I found my Craftsman 2x42 on CL for $25 it was like new, a guy bought it for his wife and she used it once! Check CL...

 

[soloz2]

I've been watching CL, but haven't found anything. Lots of scroll saws... Tempting me! Lol

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[Provincial]

This fellow used to live nearby. He makes very high quality stuff. The prices are really quite reasonable for a professional grade tool. I don't have one because I don't use one enough to make the investment. I would love to have one, though.

http://www.cootebeltgrinder.com/

 

[soloz2]

Thanks for the input guys. I decided in the end that I would be better served with two different machines instead of one all inclusive one. I picked up the Craftsman 6x9" sander. It was on sale and I had some points so it was in line with the harbor freight offering, and looked to be better tooled.

I'm going to eventually pick up a 1x30 or 1x42 machine but will likely pick up a worksharp for knife sharpening first as my shop situation isn't the best right now and the small portable worksharp would be much easier to use.

 

[exmaxima1]

I have been considering the Kalamazoo one for sharpening knives, axes, tools etc after reading some really good reviews...anyone have experience with it before i spend ~$300? Thx to the OP for bringing it up!

One of my friends has the Kalamazoo and it is very good, but runs fairly slow compared to the old Delta/Rockwells or the Craftsman direct drives. It is a simple design that uses a rubber caster wheel for the drive.

I had some free time and a spare DC motor lying around so I emulated the Kalamazoo's drive wheel concept---I bored a rubber wheel for the drive and made a few rollers from scraps. Speed control is EXTREMELY handy, and yes, you can sharpen knives with a belt grinder if the speeds are correct. You can even buy leather strops that you dope with diamond polish for unbelievably fast and fine sharpening.

 

[larry4406]

exmaxima1 - nice unit. Details please on the DC motor and controller - Dayton?

 

[logan09]

I have a 1x30 delta I got for free and honestly rarely use it, and a 4x36 I use all the time. I've never used it for sharpening a knife or my axes as the smaller belt ones tend to run very fast.

 

[exmaxima1]

exmaxima1 - nice unit. Details please on the DC motor and controller - Dayton?

AFAIK (I'm at work and the unit is at home) it's a Dayton 3/4 HP motor, 1750 rpm, with separate controller. Got it from a friend for the cost of a dinner. The motor has a C-face mount, so it was easy to add the belt wheel assembly. It is extremely quiet even at full speed, yet has lots of power at all usable speeds, including snail pace.

I also have a Baldor 2x48 belt grinder that was only $35 since it was 3-phase and nobody wanted it. I added a VFD to run it on single phase power and it is an outstanding machine. Baldor motors are so well balanced that you can literally balance a coin on edge on the grinder. That is the better approach for designing a grinder since the speed range can even exceed the motor's rated rpm, and 3-phase motors are easily found dirt cheap.

 

[zkling]

Just took a look, I knew it‘s imported, just wasn't sure where from... Taiwan. I guess it's about 10 years old. Not a bad unit.

Thanks for checking. Yea mine too is COO Taiwan. Probably going on 12+ years old now. Got it at the sears outlet back in the day. I was just curious if they ever produced a different COO of that unit. I can't begin to count the miles of belts I have worn through with it. Almost 99% metal work and it still runs like it should. Even after a little mishap took a chunk out of the top pulley

Thanks for the input guys. I decided in the end that I would be better served with two different machines instead of one all inclusive one. I picked up the Craftsman 6x9" sander. It was on sale and I had some points so it was in line with the harbor freight offering, and looked to be better tooled.

I'm going to eventually pick up a 1x30 or 1x42 machine but will likely pick up a worksharp for knife sharpening first as my shop situation isn't the best right now and the small portable worksharp would be much easier to use.

DON'T, spend your money on something else if you want to sharpen knives.

 

[HBM]

Hello,

I don't mean to spam, but I think this product would fit the needs of many posters here. It is the "Jiffy" Belt Sander Conversion at http://www.AKGrinders.comFairly inexpensive, low speeds allow knife and tool sharpening, ultra versatile...

Take a look, it is my product, but it is one that I developed specifically for DIY guys and garage hobbyists- because that is what I am. If you like it, spread the word a bit, it is for guys like us.

I realize this is my first post, but I have been reading and learning here for quite a while.

 

[woody 73]

They tell me on the lathe forums that it is the kats meow...

http://www.thebestthings.com/newtools/sorby_proedge.htm

 

[HBM]

Cool product, just not nearly as versatile and far more expensive. Mine makes use of a tool you already own to save you some bucks and space, and offers a larger variety of options for working surfaces. Think of it as getting an upgraded ProEdge sharpener and a 75% off coupon...

 

[zkling]

That's kind of a slick little product HBM.

 

[Mike007]

The link comes up dead for me.

 

[zkling]

The link comes up dead for me.

Yea he linked it goofy.

Try this
http://www.akgrinders.com/

Where is my commission check?

 

[bareass172]

I have an older version of the 1x42 from Grizzly and it has generally been unimpressive. Aligning the 1" belt is basically impossible, even with the available adjusters the pulleys just never line up. The belt will be falling off the right side of one pulley and rubbing the inside of the guard on the left side of another. It's just flimsy so it flexes too much. The disc on the side is nice, but the table is a PITA every time you need to change a disc. It's "hokey" with no alignment indicators and a lot of slop. You have to install the bolts loose and then tap it into place with a square to level it against the disc. Then, inevitably, it'll seem right so you snug the bolts and the last turn of the bolt makes it shift and you have to start over.

I do like that belt changes can be pretty quick, and someone else mentioned that there is a section of belt supported and a section that is not, both are useful for different things.

I attached a pic, my older design had the disc on the opposite side.