VISLONE Mini Belt Sander, Electric Belt Grinder Machine, Sanding Belt Adapter for 115mm 4.5" and 125mm 5" Electric Angle Grinder

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The size of a sanding belt is how much area of abrasive material is available for shaping. The length of a belt will also often reflect the size of the machine that accommodates it. For that reason, different-sized belts cannot be interchanged between belt grinding machines. If you are on a budget, I wouldn’t buy anything smaller than a 2″x48″ belt grinder. These tend to be a few hundred dollars cheaper, and are a good starting point if you are not sure if you want to make the investment in a good grinder. Although many people have started on smaller grinders than a 2″x48″ belt grinder, I wouldn’t recommend it, as you will just replace your weak small one after 3 knives anyways as they are not very good for the task.

I still use ceramics at 120 grit, but a number of knife makers I know begin to switch to zirconium or AO belts at this grit. The choice is ultimately up to you. Best Aluminum oxide 220 grit belt for knivesAluminium oxide sanding belts are now used much less commonly for metal sanding. The ceramics and zirconia grits normally give significantly improved belt life. Where aluminium oxide sanding belts are required we have a range of different materials we recommend When you’re looking at different belt grinders and trying to decide between them, try ranking them on the following traits. These are the features you’ll need on a belt grinder for knife making. The better a grinder does with these features, the more useful it will be for making knives.

The average entry-level belt grinder has about 0.33-HP. Compare that to the top-end professional belt-grinders with 1-HP, and it’s easy to see where some of the price difference goes. There is no centralized source of truth for these terms. Manufacturers of these machines will often refer to them as sanders. People in the abrasives industry will often refer to grinders as machines that use wheels, rather than belts. Knife makers will refer to these tools as belt grinders – I have heard some knife makers say that belt sanders refer to tools designed for woodworking. Who’s right? What terminology should you use? Hell if I know, I just know knife makers generally call these machines belt grinders. Belt Grinder Accessories

For grain finishing, most knife makers would finish on an A45 or A30 grade. Mirror finishing can be achieved using Trizact which is available up to A6 (P2500 P-grade equivalent). Use Teflon platen pads for working difficult to access applications (avoids causing excessive wear on Beltit arms. Part Numbers: Part No.

Standard belts of 2 inch width (and 72 inch long) are used in the industry for creating professional-quality knives. The bulk of belt grinding machines used in the knife industry in North America are this size. For the level of performance, the units are surprisingly small and can work with a wide variety of belt materials. In addition, there are more accessories available for 2×72 belt grinders, including: Also Available at: Walmart , Lowe’s 8. Best Wider Belt Grinder—Rikon 50-112 4-Inch x 36-Inch Belt 6-Inch Disc Sander The performance of 1×42 belt grinders is comparable to that of 1×30 grinders. The grinding surface area is slightly larger, and the machines are more reasonably priced. A lot of professional knife makers keep both 2×72 and 1×42 grinders on hand in their work spaces. Steel oriented grinders will want a higher belt speed than wood oriented grinders. You will want a belt speed somewhere in the range of 4,100 surface feet per minute and 7,000 surface feet per minute. You can calculate the sfpm with the following formula: sfpm = (pi * drive-wheel-diameter) * motor-rpm / 12 Variable Speed The robust motor brings 2 horsepower and works smoothly to ensure a stable and quiet use. Owing to an all-steel structure, the belt grinder is always solid and sturdy enough for you to do any knife making, woodworking or tool polishing.Inch width: A 2-inch wide belt is a perfect size for knife making. It has the most accuracy without sacrificing too much width for larger surface grinds. Specifically, the industry-standard size is 2 inches by 72 inches. However, on the consumer market and at most hardware stores, 2 inches by 42 inches is much more common. Some direct drive belt grinders have an option for variable speed. This is the best of both worlds, as these belt grinders have more versatility. Users can adjust the speed to match their growing skill sets, a certain material, or a particular blade. Motor Power

Begin with a 280 grit Trizact belt (SKU: 237AA/65/2000×75) or if it is a particularly fine finish you can start with the 400 grit Trizact belt (SKU: 237AA/45/2000X75). Trizact belts will remove the fine sanding lines and leave a very consistent finish. Ceramic grains are tougher and more durable than zirconia so the more aggressive the application, the greater the potential benefit Some of the best belt grinders will come with multiple surfaces for getting different angles and shapes when knife making. For example, there is the platen arm for flat grinds but there are many types of grinding wheels to get a radius cut, too.

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In addition to the belt grinder and the belt itself, there are a number of tools designed to prolong the life of your belts and to improve your grinds. These tools are not necessary to make high quality knives, but it’s worth knowing about them grinding belt eraser Zircuonium can handle steel better than aluminum oxide belts, but they wear out faster than ceramic belts. The Shop Fox W1843 Knife Belt Sander is the best choice for serious knife makers. It’s got a 1-HP, 14-amp motor that spins the 2-inch wide belt at 4,500 FPM, with fast single-lever belt changes and a dead-stable build.