What kind of Belt Grinders do you guys have?

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Kalamazoo 1x42 belt sander.


51DZXzTLp2L._SL1280_.jpg
 
Mike Davis said:
I like the idea of the 72 veetical, but if. you are planning in single bevel stuff, you might want to consider 36 or 48. 72 i dont think will be deep enough for urasuki. Still an intriguing idea :) i am also interested in seeing the integral platen...pics :) Shooting to have the 3x132 done within the nezt two weeks
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Mike, did you get the sander finished? I would love to see a picture of it. I started building a 4x132” a couple of years ago before I got into making knives and working with metal. Then I decided it took up too much room for how often I would use it. I ended up building a 2x72 instead. For metal working, which I’m doing more and more of now a 3” version would make more sense. Is yours horizontal? That’s what I was building at the time. My next project will be a horizontal grinder I can use multiple size belts on.
 
NO ChoP! said:
Built this. 3 speed pulley. 1hp motor.
Also have
1x42 kalamazoo
1x42 Delta with 8" disc
2x 12" Rikon discs

Will be upgrading to a ots vfd grinder soon...
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I'm impressed with your talent. Nice job.
 
@blorp I have had one of the rikons for about 7 years and made a million handles and sayas with it. Picked up the second used so I don't have to switch from 90° to 45° repeatedly.

The Kalamazoo I use for wood mostly. The platen and table are horrendous. The motor is a Baldor, so there is some value here, as you'd be hard pressed to buy just the motor with switch and cord for less than this entire machine. The good is I can change belts on this thing lightning fast. I prefer the Delta 1x42 in use, but changing belts is more of a chore. I keep a low grit zirconia belt on it so I don't have to fuss with it often.

I traded a ZT pocket knife for a guy to weld the frame up for me on the 2x72. He threw in the older 3/4 hp motor, which runs fine for now.
 
NO ChoP! said:
@blorp I have had one of the rikons for about 7 years and made a million handles and sayas with it. Picked up the second used so I don't have to switch from 90° to 45° repeatedly.

The Kalamazoo I use for wood mostly. The platen and table are horrendous. The motor is a Baldor, so there is some value here, as you'd be hard pressed to buy just the motor with switch and cord for less than this entire machine. The good is I can change belts on this thing lightning fast. I prefer the Delta 1x42 in use, but changing belts is more of a chore. I keep a low grit zirconia belt on it so I don't have to fuss with it often.

I traded a ZT pocket knife for a guy to weld the frame up for me on the 2x72. He threw in the older 3/4 hp motor, which runs fine for now.
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Glad to hear a recommendation on Rikon then, I don't see anyone with one. Maybe I'm just not looking hard enough though
 
@blorp

They have 2 different 12" grinders. The one I have has a better quality 1/2hp motor @1725rpm. A solid cast table and well built tilting mechanisms. The other model entices with higher hp, but uses a stamped table and plastic bits in the mechanism. Rikon is well built stuff usually.
 
i have a parkside 75x457mm grinder from lidl. it cost about 30€. i run it with 40/60/80 grit belts.
belt speed is around 170-250m/minute (not second). i can grind out a hardened 200mm kitchen blade in about 45-60 minutes. using up maybe 3 belts.

i have made quite a few blades with it. and i like it. i will keep using it until it dies. then i will get another one just like it but better. 75x533 (blue bosch one).

lidl1-jpg.75282
 
inferno said:
i have a parkside 75x457mm grinder from lidl. it cost about 30€. i run it with 40/60/80 grit belts.
belt speed is around 170-250m/minute (not second). i can grind out a hardened 200mm kitchen blade in about 45-60 minutes. using up maybe 3 belts.

i have made quite a few blades with it. and i like it. i will keep using it until it dies. then i will get another one just like it but better. 75x533 (blue bosch one).

lidl1-jpg.75282
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What's the horsepower on this thingy
 
Tim Rowland said:
Pheer 2x72 with a 2hp Baldor motor and VFD, 6" drive wheel to really get it moving, can go to 5800rpm!
Various attachments for it.
4x36 / 6" combo sander
12" disc sander
1x30 Rikon
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Which rikon model? What did you get it for and how is it holding up?
 
NO ChoP! said:
@blorp

They have 2 different 12" grinders. The one I have has a better quality 1/2hp motor @1725rpm. A solid cast table and well built tilting mechanisms. The other model entices with higher hp, but uses a stamped table and plastic bits in the mechanism. Rikon is well built stuff usually.
Click to expand...

Glad to hear that, still trying to play around with what would be the best starter setup for me. Trying handles first, but ideally want to be able to do knives too
 
blorp said:
Which rikon model? What did you get it for and how is it holding up?
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I will have to look at it when I get home for the model number.
I used it about 8 years ago when I first started shaping handles and trying my hand at small knives. I moved to a 2x42 about a year later and used that for a few years until I stepped up to a 2x72 about 3 years ago.
The 1x30 Rikon has been sitting in a box with a ton of new belts for years, very seldom it gets used for some tight curves on some sculpted handles as a 1" belt has more flex
 
@blorp check out the 1×42 machines with the 8" disc. A bit better quality and better motors. They make them by Delta, Grizzly, Shop Fox, Rikon; and they are all nearly the same. Great machine for woodworking.

If your going to get into metal, and want to start cheap, find a dedicated 2x42 machine. They run a bit quick, but are built more for the task.

In the future, if you step up to a 2x72 machine, you can still dedicate the smaller machine to a specific task.

Trying to buy one machine for wood and metal without going vfd 2x72 with multiple attachments is tough.
 
I would look at a 2x42 and see if you can modify it to run a small wheel arm and a different size belt.

Look up the Jiffy Conversion for a 4x36" belt sander. I did a similar modification to another belt sander to run a small wheel setup.

I will try to get better pics, took this from a video I took of it. Arm sticking out perpendicular to the 2 main drive/tension wheels, a piece to hold the small wheel itself (I used Bader small wheels with the bare shaft at the end) and some spacers to get the small wheel holder more in the center of the 2 existing wheels. I have a 1750 rpm motor stepped down with a 1.75" pulley on motor and 4" on drive wheel, so its around 800 RPM or so and I haven't cooked any bearings yet!

franken.jpeg


You should be able to do something similar with a small wheel holder for the 2x42, maybe turn it into a 2x60 or 2x72"? Hardest part is making sure the arm is stiff and doesn't vibrate, may need to add dome vertical supports for it. If I didn't order the AmeriBrade, I would have redone the whole setup from scratch. You may be able to find an older 4x36 with a beefy frame to do something like this to. The newer HF ones are sheet metal frames and flimsy.
 
it says 600w on the box but i think thats the power it consumes. i think it puts out 300-350w to the belt.
and while this is almost like a toy, if you're only making a knife every month or 2 then it doesn't really matter if you have to grind for 1h or 10 minutes.
 
inferno said:
i have a parkside 75x457mm grinder from lidl. it cost about 30€. i run it with 40/60/80 grit belts.
belt speed is around 170-250m/minute (not second). i can grind out a hardened 200mm kitchen blade in about 45-60 minutes. using up maybe 3 belts.

i have made quite a few blades with it. and i like it. i will keep using it until it dies. then i will get another one just like it but better. 75x533 (blue bosch one).

lidl1-jpg.75282
Click to expand...
Curious, what is this being attached to?
 
the grinder is clamped to a piece of wood, that is the claped to an angle iron that i welded to a round bar, thats welded to a heavy base. i use that to clamp knives to when i grind them
swordproject1-jpg.62768
 
Hello all. I'd like to make my own handles as a hobby and looking for a belt sander. I don't have any experience on this, so a friend of mine suggested me the one below for beginners. I wonder what would be your suggestions. I don't have much space so portability is really important.

I'm mostly gonna do western handles (maybe some wa handles too) and some grinding on soft steels. Also which grits should you suggest for this kind of work? Thank you.

CENTRAL MACHINERY - 1 In. X 30 In. Belt Sander
 
@demirtasem Many people use a 1x30 belt sander for handle work. One of the problems is that high speed belts and especially fine grit belts, will burn the wood. Unless you are doing a large number of handles, you might want to try using rasps, files, and sandpaper wrapped around blocks or dowels. The 1x30 belts at 80 or 100 grit might not burn, but 220 and finer grits will burn the handle wood, especially end grain.
 
demirtasem said:
Hello all. I'd like to make my own handles as a hobby and looking for a belt sander. I don't have any experience on this, so a friend of mine suggested me the one below for beginners. I wonder what would be your suggestions. I don't have much space so portability is really important.

I'm mostly gonna do western handles (maybe some wa handles too) and some grinding on soft steels. Also which grits should you suggest for this kind of work? Thank you.

CENTRAL MACHINERY - 1 In. X 30 In. Belt Sander
Click to expand...
I have that exact 1x30 model from Harbor Freight. The only time I really us it any more is when doing westerns, and that's mostly because I can work the handle without the blade getting in the way. For western wa handles I use my 6x48 belt. What @kbright said is true. I use mostly 80 grit, sometimes 120, and with those grits don't scorch the wood. Early on, I bought some 220 belts and most hardwoods I tried them on would start burning almost immediately. So the belt sander serves to create a rough shape, and I smooth the shape out using sanding blocks.

It is cheap, it is small and easy to store and move. It has a vacuum port on the side, that accepts a small vacuum hose, which when used will minimize the dust. It won't eliminate it enough to use it in a living area of the house, but it helps keep your shop a little more tidy. I have owned mine for about a year and have never had any problem with it. There are many better quality options out there, but it has been a serviceable intro device to get me into the hobby.
 
I have been running a HouseMade.us revolution 2x72 built from a kit. I love that it can tilt horizontally to even put my bevels.
 
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