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  1. #1
    Join Date
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    Default Sharpening with a sander vs sharpenig with a grinder

    I have a 12" disc/belt sander as well as an 8" grinder.

    It appears to me that it is easier to set angles on the disc/ belt than on the grinder.

    Is there any advantage to using the disc/belt compared to the grinder?

    What grit paper would you use if the disc/belt machine is chosen?

    Would you still have the disc or belt moving into the edge, as is the case with the grinder??

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  3. #2
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    Default

    They both have advantages and disadvantages so it's good you have both to choose from.

    It depends on what grinder style you have but I'm guessing it's a normal bench type one.
    So the first difference is hollow grind vs flat grind. Both are good so you get to choose.

    The second for me would be the many types of abrasives you can choose from when you use a disk grinder. It's much cheaper to chop and change grits and types.
    Their is a youtube video I posted about a while back with info on 3M's feathering adhesive.
    It allows you to peel off paper and stick it back on very easily, just be vigilant with dust!

    Speed, the disk grinder is probably much slower than the grinder so for simple high carbon steels it buys you more time to cool your tools down.

    If you disk grinder is strong enough ( and fast enough to a point) you can run some pretty coarse grit paper which really speeds up removing badly damaged edges. Coarse and sharp abrasives remove steel quickly with a lot less heat buildup. You just need to remember to use very little pressure.

    One major disadvantage with disk grinders is that on a wide cutter, no matter how you place the tool, the abrasive will be passing the cutter at different speeds across it's edge. You can adjust for this in pressure as well as being mindful that one end is getting hotter than the other. The most obvious solution is holding the edge pointing towards the centre which helps somewhat ....I have no idea how to describe that.... Someone else that remembers high school geometry will correct this!
    Most disk grinders are setup with the tool rest across the diameter of the disk though..

    The bench grinder is still an option.
    Very easily dressed up so it's sharp and square. Faster speeds with finer sharp abrasives still give you time to quench. Cheaper to run if you don't need to many different wheels.

    People talk about micro fracturing steel with both grinders and abrasives....I can't say I have ever had an issue. I heavily grind some steels with a 36grit belt and never had an edge failure that I can see.

    The blue zirconia abrasives is a great place to start as a general purpose mild steel/carbon steel/HSS grinding. They cut very fast and are 'self sharpening'. They last for ages. The normal brown belts for wood dull very fast and are not worth the cost when it comes to steel.
    Their are many,many types of abrasives to choose from.
    Like a whetstone, you can still use dull abrasives as a half way point between grits.

    You use them the same as with a grinder. The cutting tip into the rotation of the wheel/disk.

    I'm sure I missed a lot!

    Actually, if I were you I would be looking at setting up the belt sander as a sharpener. It negates a few of the problems with the disk and belt changing is very quick.

  4. #3
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    Thumbs up

    Thanks Ben.

    I have a 6"belt on my disc sander. Easy to set up jigs on that.

  5. #4
    Join Date
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    McBride BC Canada
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    Default

    My plan was to begin with a Narex 1/2" skew (single bevel, 25 degrees) and make a 1/2" carver's stop chisel (double bevel, 20 degrees). The technique is to stop around parts of the carvings and come back to that with gouges +/- mallet so that there are no long-runout splits.
    a) square the end with a bench grinder 3750rpm. Go easy, go slow, little bit at a time.
    b) stationary belt sander 36 or 80 grit, I foget which. Not difficult to establish the 10 degree angle for each side. Lots of black felt marker on the developing bevels to observe progress.
    Reasonably square, lots of deep scratches, reasonably close to the result.
    c) progressive series of grits, freehand: 220, 400, 800, 1500.
    d) 4k waterstone then honed with chrome green on a strip of card.

    I am pleased with the result.

  6. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
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    blue mountains
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    4,882

    Default

    A belt sander is good if you want a flat bevel and simple jigs can be made to obtain results. I used this method before I had a bench grinder. I still use it if I want a flat bevel. You need water handy to keep the blade cool. Dont use gloves as you need to feel how warm the steel is geting. There was a lot of intrest on this forum about sander sharpening about 7 years back.
    https://www.woodworkforums.com/f44/bench-sander-blade-grinder-mk-ii-16156
    Regards
    John

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