belt grinder help for novice

[Harry White]

OK so I have a birthday coming up and I'm tinkering with the idea of getting a belt grinder to help sharpen and polish my knives. I have never been a heavy user of power tools outside of the occasional drill.

My question to those of you who are machinery experts is: what minimum requirements would you recommend for a beginner in terms of HP, belt width, etc. that won't become useless a year from now when I realize the full potential of having this machine in my garage?

C'mon -- let's talk shop!

And thank you in advance... :)

[Slick]

I see this is a QUIET thread. I can't advise on a belt sander but growing up my dad had some nice lapidary tools. I could put an "untouchable" edge on a knife with the 1200 grit sandpaper wheel (liquid cooled of course) then a tiny bit of polishing on the flat felt wheel with diamond powder. Never needed (or had the skill) to use the big grinding wheels on knives. Knife? what knife, all I see is a pile of 'filings'.

Not an answer to your question but I would like someone to enlighten you and me.

BTW those grinding wheels, belts and diamond abrasives were not cheap. I'd love a decent flat belt sander. The trick would be to not damage my knives and tools.

Some of you makers please share with us.

[tonydahose]

for belt sanders go with the porter cable whisper series i prefer the 24" belt.

[thombrogan]

I use a Harbor Freight 1" x 30" sander. They normally sell for $40 and go on special for $30 all the time (or used to). With an 80 grit belt, 15 micron belt (that's about 900 grit) and a leather belt with microfine buffing compound (get the last two belts and the compound from Lee Valley for convenience and quality), I was getting edges I didn't think would ever be within my skill level.

The thing with a belt sander is a light and smooth touch. Don't push and don't linger and you don't have to worry. They also make easy work of resharpening mower blades and pruner blades.

[Harry White]

thank you for the replies eveyone. and thanks thom for the recommendations. i guess a lot of folks here sharpen by hand or with the Sharpmaker. while i do own a Sharpmaker, i admit it's not easy for me to get the edge back anywhere near where it was when the knife came out of the box. and not for lack of trying and patience! so i guess i was looking for a machine for the sharpening-impared to do the job i can't do.

any other recommendations are still very much welcome. thanks again.

[gull wing]

I only use a belt grinder on knives when I sharpen Hunting or Kitchen knives (large). You (I) can take too much off of your darling little folding knife with a belt.
I (spend more money here) use an Edge Pro to reprofile my blades when they are very dull. Then every other day, or so touch up on the Sharpmaker. Edge pro is not cheep but the waterstones are great. They cut fast and last a long time. There is a learning curve, but after you are past that, if is a solid system you can count on.

[butch]

if you want to spend the bucks then a KMG grinder in varible speed would be nice thats what im saving for now but its for making knives
not that i couldnt sharpen knives on it tho turn the speed down low and take your time is the key not over heating the blade is the trick for sharpening
if you wanted to reprofile your blade the grinder is great thats how i get all my edges started on the knives i make but then i hand sand and finish
not sure if this helps
butch