Bench grinder vs belt... mounted belt sander thing.

[Bennylava]

Grand pappy used to have a huge belt sander which he required for his business. I loved that thing. Anyway now I no longer have access to one. But I do have a JET bench grinder. So that got me to thinking... what is the real difference? I suppose if there was some reason that space became an issue. As in, you couldn't get the item you wanted to grind, close enough to the bench grinder. Also you could change the grit on the bench sander. I guess. Never knew anyone that did, but I guess you could. So in your opinion, why own both? Why own a standard bench grinder, as well as a mounted belt sander? Link below to what I'm talking about:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0035K0XCC/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[Ole Slewfoot]

ever try to put a wire wheel on a belt sander?

 

[Bennylava]

ever try to put a wire wheel on a belt sander?

Well to clarify, I already own the bench grinder. I'm asking if there is any real need, to someday buy the belt sander.

Or are you saying that no.. if you own the grinder, you likely won't need the sander

 

[ssdave]

Depends on what you do. Wheel grinder is good for small stuff, and for high pressure, like shortening a bolt. Also, may or may not (depending on quality) do a slightly more precise grind if you use the rests carefully.

Belt grinder builds up less heat, so is better to sharpen or shape things that you don't want to lose temper on. Belt sander is also easier to make smooth, even surfaces; the chatter from a grinder makes it tough to do that. Belt is safer in the sense that a wheel can't explode and hurt you; if the belt breaks or tears there is minimal damage to you.

Where a belt grinder excels at, is making smooth blended surfaces. The wider belt and flexing of the belt lands itself to that, where a wheel doesn't. It's also possible to grind against a wheel to make a hollow ground surface with a belt grinder; and you can change wheel size. Trying to do that against a stone wheel gives too much chatter to work well, and of course you're limited to the size of the stone.

 

[shawhite]

Why not have both in one. http://www.multitool-usa.com

 

[Ole Slewfoot]

Also you can flatten things much better on a sander than a bench grinder.

I have a 1/3 hp delta like that multi tool, and it isn't great, but it is a small motor.

 

[D45]

I have an older Milwaukee I got with the stand for $100 and I also have a 6x48/9" combo I scored for $25

I love them both

The ZA belt and ZA disk are amazing, eats through metal fast

I have an extra set of AO belts and AO disks on hand for other materials

 

[lis2323]

I use my bench grinder only occasionally. Mostly for the wire wheel. Belt grinder 95% of the time.

 

[ocloc24]

I look at it like the difference between using a grinding disc or a flapwheel on an angle grinder. As mentioned the belt sander is much smoother and easier to get a flat surface on. I prefer belt 90% of the time

 

[dnschmidt]

Belt, without question. It's also the best way to sharpen tungsten for TIG welding.

 

[bubinga]

Belt grinder with fine belt is nice for de- burring.

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[oldwino]

I have and use both but I find I grab the angle grinder 90% of the time

 

[CR888]

Two different tools, in some tasks either can be used however they both do certain things better than each other. Ideally both tools would be good but that's not always possible.

 

[tarbellb]

Belt sander is vastly superior to a bench/stone.

A grinder w/ a wire wheel and a Mulit-tool belt is a excellent option tho.

 

[Kev In]

I started with a 4x24 belt grinder and bench grinder many tears ago. With my fabricating and welding, I built a bunch of 2x72 belt Grinders with 1.5 hp motors. I use my bench grinder less and also don’t use my angle Grinders as much either too. I love my belt Grinders.

 

[evintho]

It'd be nice to have both, if you've got the room. For me, I just use the bench grinder for most jobs. If I need a belt sander I just chuck my $10 garage sale Craftsman portable in the vise and wire tie the switch on. Serves the same purpose as the $200 Amazon piece!

https://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/tls/d/craftsman-3x21-belt-sander/6587916187.html

 

[lafester]

Why not have both in one. http://www.multitool-usa.com

Just got one of these myself. Easy belt belt changes, wide variety of grits and if you cut 4" belts in half they can be pretty cheap. I got mine used for $120 shipped with 10 belts so I think I did alright. Check all of craigslist as these do pop up and nobody seems to know what they are, and they are small and easy to ship.

I have two grinders and neither one has a stone installed now. Couple wire wheels, buffer and sander. Although the buffer will probably move to the lathe and then maybe I'll start looking at some of the 3m wheel options.

I do have a big 6 in belt sander but only have 80 grit belts for it, at least for now. Its a pain to get those lined up so swapping often is not going to happen.
I did just make a jig for it to sharpen wood turning tools and it works great for that.

 

[BWS]

Pretty much covered above.The nice thing about belt grinder/sander/whatever is you can swap out platens,or go without(slack belt linishing).

You need both,in fact,you need several examples of both.3 bench grinders...hard rocks,wire wheels,buffing.... and you could add pneumatic sander heads making a 4th.

Belt grinder/sanders.... it's a cpl each of verts,and edge having different grits on speeds up the whole show.Add a widebelt.

Then there's all the "babies" and Gbabies. Angle grinders,hand belt sanders/linishers,throw in some die grinders and might even use a sanding block from time to time(Durablock).

 

[6PTsocket]

ever try to put a wire wheel on a belt sander?

Ever try smoothing a large flat surface on a grinding wheel. They each have their uses.

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[OccupantRJ]

I use a bench grinder only for wire brushing jobs or for sharpening tool cutting edges. Belt grinder/sanders for most else, as you can curvature grind, flat grind, or slack belt grind.

 

[kelpaso1]

I got a belt/disc sander like D45 shows 15 years ago and have never used my grinder since, except for the wire wheel. As said with ZA belts and disc they remove metal fast.

 

[tarbellb]

I started with a 4x24 belt grinder and bench grinder many tears ago. With my fabricating and welding, I built a bunch of 2x72 belt Grinders with 1.5 hp motors. I use my bench grinder less and also don’t use my angle Grinders as much either too. I love my belt Grinders.

Dang, I would be showing those off as well. Nicely done.

OP, my first sander was a crappy 6" belt x 8" disc like the one posted. But I found a old Delta, maybe Jet, Craftsman, circa 80' or 90's as they are all the same. Best $75 I spent, beat on it hard, kept going till I sold after upgrading.

Maybe this guy? https://dallas.craigslist.org/ftw/tls/d/craftsman-belt-and-disc-sander/6606144479.html

 

[CoogarXR]

Belt sanders are good for woodworking projects too.

 

[whateg01]

I don't think I'd try to sharpen drills on a belt sander, but I use it for a lot of other stuff. I still sharpen tungstens on my bench grinder, and in fact, just picked up a couple more bench grinders so I can put different grit wheels on them.

Dave