belt grinde questions

[woodwalker]

Not to long ago I realized that my $20 bench grinder that I got at Freds was not going to last very much longer. So last night I went to lowes looking for a belt grinder. I found one that I liked, a Delta SA180. It has a one inch wide belt, and an eight inch diameter disk. Unfortunately, all the belt grinders where labeled as "Belt Sanders" I talked to a guy that worked there about it, and what I wanted to use it for (grinding bevels in knives) and asked him f doing so would choke the 1/3 Hp motor. He said that it probably would not, but agreed with me that if it didn't do what I got it for, I could just take it back. This is where the fun begins. We couldn't find a boxed one, so the guy literally runs to a computer terminal to see if they have any in a back room. Apparently, not only wat that the last one they had, but also the last one they would get. Both the guy I was talking to and the assistant manager offered to sell me the display grinder at around 10% off. that would have been a good deal, but the display was missing the belt, and the rest that you use when you use the belt.

So I go to Home Depot. they had a Ryobi "belt sander" with an 8 inch wide belt, and a nine or ten inch diameter disk. after looking for a guy to ask, i finally found one, who I asked two or three times about it before he understud the question. he goes off to ask the manager. He then YELLS all the way down the isle to me that it is only for wood.

My question is simple. Is there a difference between "belt sanders" and "belt grinders"? And does sears sell a good one?

[Don A]

"Belt sanders" are going to have bearings that are not intended for metal dust.

A "belt grinder" will have sealed bearings that will resist being ruined by powdered steel.

That said, I have an old Delta 4x36 sander that has turned much steel into dust. It kinda knocks and thumps, but it does what I ask it to.

However, for accurate blade work, you get what you pay for. Shell out the big bucks for a knife grinder, and you will have a work horse. Buy a cheap sander and you will have... well, a cheap sander.

But, many a fine blade has been made with cheap tools. You are only limitied by your abilities and persistance.

Don

[Dodge]

Almost any retail store; Lowe's, Home Depot, Sears, Mennard's etc. is only going to have belt sanders (for wood). Metal grinding "sanders" are made specifically for that. As Don said, they are better sealed, have heavier bearings and more powerful motors. Usually 1 hp and above. Commercial knife grinding machines can cost $1000.00 and up. Grizzly makes one that is more reasonably priced but I've been told that it doesn't lend itself as well to hollow grinding as the specialized knife grinders such as KMG. I have seen some awesome home made grinders that get the job done, too. All it takes to obtain a good grinder is either lots of money or a good set of plans and/or imagination and hopefully, less money

[ThomasPowers]

Funny I can bog down a 2hp (dayton motor) bader 2x72 belt grinder under heavy hogging.

Somehow I don't think that feller knew what he was talking about.

There are several good plans on the net to build a decent grinder; but buying a cheapie is bad economy and a 2x72" belt is sort of a basic requirement as so many different ones are widely available along with many a jig and fixture for them.

[alabamablacksmith]

I started on a Delta like the one you described, I wish Blacksmith forum was around then, it worked for very lite duty things, but beyond that is was useless. The small design really limits the potential you have in your head. Not to mention the belts wear out in the blink of an eye, when they are that small. Good Luck in your quest, I agree with Thomas about building one, with little resources and some time you can build a much better grinder, than those for sale a home improvement stores. Matt.

[agsolder]

My wife bought a little Delta belt/disk sander for her dollhouse/miniature-making and we took it back the instant we opened the box at home-- cracked casting. Delta, like so many other fine old names in tools, ain't what it used to be. I think for hollow-grinding, you need as big a contact wheel as you can get, maybe 8-inches for a minimum, and I suspect most pros use at least a 10-inch wheel. The problem with some commercial grinders is that the position of the motor relative to the belt interferes with working on one side of the blade if you want to do it same way as on the other.

[dablacksmith]

if i was going to buy a comercial belt sander/ grinder and didnt want to shell out the big bucks i would go with the grizzly ... its not as versatile as some others but the price is much more reasonable and i think you will get your moneys worth out of it ... i built my own belt sander/ grinder but unless you have good tinkering skills it will be cheaper to buy one..the 1 + hp motor and contact wheel will set you back about what the grizzly costs .. but if you have the bucks then go for one of the purpose built knife grinders they are awsome! i got to use one at a friends shop and it was nice! the variable speed is worth the extra if tou go the big bucks route.. good luck!

[woodwalker]

Thanks, apparently my instincts aren't very good (but I have been suspicious of this for a while.) I suppose the only way to learn things is to screw up (or post on a forum)

[TarAlderion]

Like has been said before, when it comes to tools, you usually get what you pay for. For a long while I have been making knives using a 4"x 36" belt sander from HF. I think I only paid about $80 for it on sale. I used it really heavily for about oh say a year or so, and then one day the rollers cloged and froze and the motor refused to get it going. I tired to spin the belt but it woudnt start up. After about 5 seconds of it sitting (with the motor on) with me trying to free it up, a big cloud of smoke comes pouring out from underneath the thing. I burnt the motor out of it. I called up HF and tried ordering a new motor, the woman in India said it was ordered and would ship soon and be there in a few weeks. A few weeks pass, no motor, apparently they were out of them when I ordered and they didn't tell me. So the only thing I could do was go down to HF and buy a new one, which I did, and didnt get it on sale so I paid about $100. I have been using it since then. Now I spray it down with WD40 and oil up the bearings frequently to prevent the thing from freezing up and buring up again.

My point is, if you buy cheap, it wont last and you will have to go and spend more money to repair/replace things. The other downfall of said cheap belt sanders/grinders is that they are highly limiting. The 4x36 would only do linear, flat grinds down blades, this is highly limiting on what types/designs of knives you can make. Plus, you cant easily modify the machine to better suit your needs.

If you have the money, get into a good grinder as soon as you can, you will be much happier, and you will have much better results.

I just purchased a new KMG and retired the HF, and I am very glad I did. I highly recomend it to anyone who is in the market for a good, professional grade belt grinder. I have some pics of it up on my website as well.

[Dodge]

Originally Posted by ThomasPowers

Funny I can bog down a 2hp (dayton motor) bader 2x72 belt grinder under heavy hogging.

Somehow I don't think that feller knew what he was talking about.

Thomas,
I said, "1hp and ABOVE," the definitive word being ABOVE, as in more than!! I meant this as a bare minimum. As for not knowing what "that feller was talking about", my apologies. I do that a lot. However, given the proper pulley ratio, my 2hp (harbor freight motor) home made 2 x 72 belt grinder performs fine under the most aggressive load.