Tool sharpening

I don't see any reason not to. I know of several turners who've switched from grinding wheels to sanding belts. If you're sanding against a flat platen, you won't get a concave bevel, but that's the only main difference as far as I can tell. Plus, you can get a concave bevel if you sand against a wheel instead of the platen.
 
I've got a little Harbor freight 1" belt sander and bought some super fine grit belts and leather belt for it from Lee Valley.

Fastest easiest way to sharpen knives I've ever found...
 
Ok got to toss in the disclaimer. Sanding metal tools causes sparks. Sparks can ignite piles of sawdust in and around the sander. So clean up the sawdust before you start and make sure your sander and surrounding area is completely out when you are done. Even if it means pouring water on the bench your sander is on just to make sure.:thumb:
 
I've got a jet 1" x 42 belt sander that I love. It is quick and easy to sharpen knives on and you can do a flat, concave or convex profile depending on what you want.

Just don't hook it up to your shop vac...you'll need a new one after that. plus it will be really hard to eat dinner that night with your wife sitting across from you shaking her head and laughing every time she looks at you.
 
Just don't hook it up to your shop vac...you'll need a new one after that. plus it will be really hard to eat dinner that night with your wife sitting across from you shaking her head and laughing every time she looks at you.

Well Brian when you say something like that your going to have to tell the rest of the story.:thumb::thumb:
 
Thanks guys, especially on the safety tips :thumb:

I've heard of folks using sanders but wasn't sure if it was an 'accepted' alternative. The platen rises up approx. 3 or 4 inches, then the belt is unsupported for the remaining 3/4" up to the upper roller, so concave shaping 'should' be feasible. :dunno:

I'm going to attempt this method with my chisels and turning tools, which leads to a side question...what is the common terminology for lathe tools, are they referred to as 'tools', or is there another choice of word{s} when talking of them as a group? :eek:
 
Thanks guys, especially on the safety tips :thumb:

I've heard of folks using sanders but wasn't sure if it was an 'accepted' alternative. The platen rises up approx. 3 or 4 inches, then the belt is unsupported for the remaining 3/4" up to the upper roller, so concave shaping 'should' be feasible. :dunno:

I'm going to attempt this method with my chisels and turning tools, which leads to a side question...what is the common terminology for lathe tools, are they referred to as 'tools', or is there another choice of word{s} when talking of them as a group? :eek:

tools of the devil? :D
 
Not sure of Brian's story, but my dad used to empty the ashes from his wood stove with his shop vac...well he did, for about three times before the 'whoops'
adventure :rofl:

We had some rocket scientist at the marina try and vac up some gas they had spilled in a boat with a shop vac. Well all I can say is that didn't end well.:doh:
 
So, I'm in need of a new grinder as mine went to smoke heaven...anyway's...until I find one and break loose of some moola, anyone here use a sanding belt? I have a 1"X? vertical type with multiple grit belts......passable or pass? :dunno:

My grinder is one of those $20 Mexican Flea Market 3600 rpm jobs with 6" gray wheels... no good for sharpening tools.... I've been using my 1" harbor freight belt sander with 100 grit belts for years... ever so often I do have to take my tools over to a friend's house and "reshape", then try to follow the shape on the sander when I touch up the tools.... it you watch closely and don't reshape the tool on the sander, it does put an edge on the tool.

Note: I re-read this and thought I better clarify my description of my grinder... it was bought at a Hispanic flea market in Tucson many years ago... I don't want to disparage any of my Latin friends in any manner....
 
Last edited:
Well Brian when you say something like that your going to have to tell the rest of the story.:thumb::thumb:



This was in my old house some time ago...(yeah, I know sounds like a corny rip off of starwars:D)

I was in the basement sharpening some chisels for work the next day and thought I could speed up the process so i could get to bed earlier. Started up my little belt sander with shop vac hooked up so I wouldn't get metal shavings all over and sharpened my chisels.
The lighting never was very good in the basement and I started to notice a strange smell, then I noticed a strange glowing out of the corner of my eye. I looked over and thought to myself, why is the shopvac glowing like a jackolantern? A couple seconds later I realized the entire basement (and upstairs:eek:) was filling with smoke. I grabbed the shop vac and ran outside (had exterior stairs kinda like a cellar would have) and ripped apart the shopvac in the hopes of saving it. The metal sparks had ignited the sawdust and bag inside and as soon as I removed the bag the whole thing basically blew up in my face as the bag fell apart and the sawdust all ignighted at once. Sooo... I didn't need to shave (or get a haircut) the next day and I was missing part of an eyebrow. And nope. I was unable to save the shopvac. The tub was melted through and the motor whined like mad and smelled like burnt popcorn no matter what I tried to get rid of the smell.
:rofl::rofl:
 
This was in my old house some time ago...(yeah, I know sounds like a corny rip off of starwars:D)

I was in the basement sharpening some chisels for work the next day and thought I could speed up the process so i could get to bed earlier. Started up my little belt sander with shop vac hooked up so I wouldn't get metal shavings all over and sharpened my chisels.
The lighting never was very good in the basement and I started to notice a strange smell, then I noticed a strange glowing out of the corner of my eye. I looked over and thought to myself, why is the shopvac glowing like a jackolantern? A couple seconds later I realized the entire basement (and upstairs:eek:) was filling with smoke. I grabbed the shop vac and ran outside (had exterior stairs kinda like a cellar would have) and ripped apart the shopvac in the hopes of saving it. The metal sparks had ignited the sawdust and bag inside and as soon as I removed the bag the whole thing basically blew up in my face as the bag fell apart and the sawdust all ignighted at once. Sooo... I didn't need to shave (or get a haircut) the next day and I was missing part of an eyebrow. And nope. I was unable to save the shopvac. The tub was melted through and the motor whined like mad and smelled like burnt popcorn no matter what I tried to get rid of the smell.
:rofl::rofl:

Great story. I can see my wife shaking her head and laughing at me if I did something like that, too. :p
 
Sooo... I didn't need to shave (or get a haircut) the next day and I was missing part of an eyebrow. And nope. I was unable to save the shopvac. :rofl::rofl:

I learned just this when I was just out of school and I emptied an edge sander [flooring] bag with oak dust onto the scrap fire. Won't make that mistake again..... Ya, made a 20' fireball and I looked like a young eyebrowless Telly Savalas:doh:

But I did have a vacuum burn up......Like a blast furnace eh...

And I did know what Chuck was talking about with the sander........


Sometimes people ask me how I know so much. I just show them the scars.....

To the OP. They make a great tool grinder, and you can change grits so fast its handy, but get rid of the sawdust.......
 
Brian had to laugh because our neighbor did the same thing. It wasn't funny but when I saw his wife with her hands on her hips shaking her head and laughing saying you never think and there he was watching his brand new shop vac go up in flames missing eye brows and some hair.:rofl::rofl:
 
Top