Belt sander build vote

addertooth said:
Yes, the Square Wheel belt sander I have was used by my father and me to make knives, back when he was a member of the American Knifemaker's Guild. It got very heavy use. It has the original 1 HP industrial 110/220v motor and had plenty of power to grind metal till it was glowing red hot. Obviously, when dealing with knifemaking steel, you didn't want to get it to cherry red, due to the risk of depleting the carbon in the metal, and work hardening. A water bucket was next to the grinder to dip the steel in to cool it after each couple of passes.

I was tickled pink when he called me to drive 1300 miles to come pick it up. I have a lot of history with that belt sander. It is worth noting the JET version of it now costs over 2000 dollars. It is still considered the gold standard for belt sanders for knife makers.
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At $2000, I can see the reason why the folk wanting a reasonable better quality grade grinder will opt to make it a project, or they use available grinders as a kit that they upgrade. That so many and varied belt grinder projects exist, all well displayed on YouTube, probably speaks to the fact there were needs that were not being met, and throw in at a price they would find acceptable.

Here at HM, we get to find out what grinders are being used, what grinders are being aspired to, what grinders would not be considered again, and what kinds are being upgraded/replaced. Just learning about the utility of a glass backplate means that it becomes a feature one starts to look for when perusing advertisements or store offerings. Not that the store exists in UK, but would one expect a feature like that on kit found at Harbor Freight, or similar outlets?
 
mikey said:
Regarding HP, my little 2x42 sander has a 1/2HP motor and with ceramic belts it will flat out eat up HSS. I cannot bog it down even with heavy pressure so for tool grinding, big HP is not necessary. However, if you are going to use it mainly for fabrication or knife grinding then I think 3/4-1HP would do okay but 1-1/2HP will do better. 2HP, in my opinion, is definitely overkill with the ready availability of modern belts. The motor I have for my new belt sander is a 1-1/2HP DC motor but I'm really thinking about going with a 3/4HP instead.
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Mikey is right. I have 2HP and a 7in drive wheel on my 2x72. I usually run the VFD around 30%-50%.

It’s nice to have the power if ever needEd.

Check out House Works on YouTube. He has kits and plans available. A few of us have built the kit. You will need a welder.


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graham-xrf said:
Just learning about the utility of a glass backplate means that it becomes a feature one starts to look for when perusing advertisements or store offerings. Not that the store exists in UK, but would one expect a feature like that on kit found at Harbor Freight, or similar outlets?
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I've not seen a glass platen liner come on any commercial belt sander. They are usually an add-on done by the user. I've used one for a very long time and, in my opinion, it is the single most important thing to add to a belt sander if you need to do any accurate grinding. It not only allows you to grind a flat face but it eliminates any softening of the edges of those flats as you grind them. These platen liners are available in the US for about $20.00 delivered and will typically stay dead flat (in the hands of a tool grinding hobby guy) for a decade or more so they're well worth obtaining.
 
I have a 1 HP 6X48, a 3/4 HP 6X48 and a "1/3" HP 2X42. There is very little difference between the 1 and 3/4 -- but nowadays I run 2X48 belts on the 3/4 as they were very cheap (!!) and 80 grit ceramic belts on the 1HP.

If you use a lot of different grits, go for the 2X72 style with a quick change.

You can often find old used 1.5HP and 2HP Wilton 6X48s in auctions all over the US for around 200$. It is the most common machinists sander/grinder.
 
Ok I think I am leaning to 2"×72". I am not livining in the US where everything is much more common an available but in SA where if you don't live in or near a big city,stuffs more difficult to come by.

Can one make a glass platen?
 
I believe glass platens are made from tempered, fireplace glass.

I'm not sure if you can cut this without shattering it.
 
Suzuki4evr said:
Ok I think I am leaning to 2"×72". I am not livining in the US where everything is much more common an available but in SA where if you don't live in or near a big city,stuffs more difficult to come by.

Can one make a glass platen?
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Try emailing this company and see if he will ship some to you. I suspect it will take some time to ship it but by then you might be ready to install it.

If you can find a local source of ceramic glass fireplace door glass, that is the same stuff. I would think a glass supplier would be the place to look. They may also be able to cut some for you if they have it.
 
mikey said:
Try emailing this company and see if he will ship some to you. I suspect it will take some time to ship it but by then you might be ready to install it.

If you can find a local source of ceramic glass fireplace door glass, that is the same stuff. I would think a glass supplier would be the place to look. They may also be able to cut some for you if they have it.
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Good idea. Thanks Mikey.

Michael
 
If/when you install the glass platen, remember it gets HOT. you will need to use ultra-high temperature expoxy or high temperature silicone adhesive, or it will just fall all off after a while.
 
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Also, make sure you use a small ledge/shelf near the bottom in case the adhesive fails.
 
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