Can a 4" belt sander be used as a sharpener?

[chuckt]

Hey -

I was wondering. The Chipping Away Ultimate Power Sharpener is really a vertical 1" belt sander right? Is there any reason why one can't use your garden variety 4" belt/6" disk sander as a power sharper? Is it that you can't get the same quality of belts in the 4" widths & lengths that they have for their power sharpener?

Obvious reason for the question is that I have the belt/disk sander and someday if I decide to do power sharpening would rather use something I have than spend for something similar that I don't.

If this would be possible any thoughts on what grits to use from reshaping up through sharpening before stropping?

General thoughts?

Thanks!
ChuckT

[Kenny_S]

Yes and many carvers uses the 4 inch belt sander to sharpen tools.

However the speed is around 3750 rpms and can burn a tool quickly. Have a cup or water beside the sander and dip it often. Just a second on the sander and dip, wipe, then sand a second,dip and wiope. The ultimate sharpener can burn the tool also.
Just my take on it.

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

Yep sometimes you can and have to make do, but even tho you can trowel cement with a piece of 1 x 2 , a trowel still works better lol Talking

[Mitchell]

I use the Delta belt/disk sander for sharpening and have a leather belt for buffing / sandpaper belt for grinding.

It turns too fast, so you have to be REAL careful of heat with the sandpaper.

As Ken states - You should be able to use the 4" belt sander as well (don't think you can find a leather belt to fit it though). Again, be careful of heat - slower speeds are better.

[Ron Davidson]

I have a 1"X 30" belt sander that I replaced the belt with a leather belt to use as a power strop. It works real good as far as the rpm's the belt slips enough on the pully that it runs fairly slow but dosen't seem to hurt the motor.
Ron

[chuckt]

Ok - so speed seems to be the big issue. Why is it so expensive to make a belt sander (or a grinder for that matter) run at slower speeds?

I mean - it seems that the big difference between a basic bench grinder and a slow "sharpening" specific grinder is the speed. But the basic bench grinder can be had for $50 and the "slow sharpener's" seem to run $150 - $400 (Tormek). Why the big jump in price?

Same for the belt sander. Your run of the mill belt sander seems to be relatively inexpensive, but look at the Chipping Away power sharpener and you're talking $200+. Why???

I must be missing something.

Signed -
ChuckT - the confused and frugal

[Claude]

Originally Posted by chuckt

Ok - so speed seems to be the big issue. Why is it so expensive to make a belt sander (or a grinder for that matter) run at slower speeds?

Quantity. The majority of what they sell is at the higher speed, so making a slower speed model means you produce less of them and it costs more per unit. (that's the classic answer; the real one is somewhere between that and "what the market will bear")

Originally Posted by chuckt

I mean - it seems that the big difference between a basic bench grinder and a slow "sharpening" specific grinder is the speed. But the basic bench grinder can be had for $50 and the "slow sharpener's" seem to run $150 - $400 (Tormek). Why the big jump in price?

See above.

Originally Posted by chuckt

Same for the belt sander. Your run of the mill belt sander seems to be relatively inexpensive, but look at the Chipping Away power sharpener and you're talking $200+. Why???

I must be missing something.

Signed -
ChuckT - the confused and frugal

AC motors turn at the speed they do because of of the way they are built (number of poles, number of windings, etc.) You could reduce the number of the windings, but you also then lose torque. This is very important, as too low of a torque and the slightest pressure on the spinning wheel will stop it. The ideal solution is to use a DC motor - even a very low rpm has major torque. Problem is that conversion of the AC we all use to DC isn't cheap. The other easy solution is to run your tool using multiple pulleys. Put a small pulley on the motor and a large pulley on the tool and you have slow speed; put a large pulley on the motor and a small pulley on the tool and you have high speed. My drill press is that way: I can move the belt from one set of pulleys to another and change the speed.

So...bottom line: get separate tools and motors and run them with multiple pulleys for speed changes. Which, of course, means some expense for the extra pulleys, the belt, the pillow blocks, etc. I think it's called TANSTAAFL! (There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch!)

I suppose you could condense all of this into "speciality items in a niche market always cost more than mass-produced general items."
Claude

[chuckt]

Thanks for the replies all. I am thinking that I can try to use my belt sander as long as I follow the "touch and quench" procedure to keep the balde temp down, then follow up with the remainder of the scary sharp method by hand and strop. Now I just gotta figure out what grits I need.

Thanks!