Thread: Derek's belt sander vs. high speed grinder??

Just a head's up - FWW have published a bare bones version of the Mk I in the latest mag. They really know how to ignore features!

Regards from Perth

Derek

Derek, which system would you say is fastest at grinding out nicks from a blade - I'm thinking of very coarse shaping of blades here. I don't mind doing the honing by hand through using either the scary sharp method at the moment or eventially waterstones which I plan to graduate to but I'm looking for a fast system of shaping the bevel to begin with. Which cuts through steel the most quickly: a belt sander with a coarse belt, a high speed bench grinder with a white wheel or something like a tormek? This isn't just a question to you, I'm just throwing it out there.

I don't want to replicate the other thread comparing grinders so I don't want to just limit things to speed alone. What about cost? Which is cheapest: a durable cast-iron belt sander combo/drawer pull or a good quality bench grinder or slow speed water cooled version?

I've hit a rocky patch in my efforts to find a good quality belt sander with a cast iron platen. There simply don't seem to be any for sale in this part of the world for a similar price to the Carba-tec sander Derek bought. It's at a price of AUS$329 and sanders for around that price in the UK all seem to have pressed steel platens. It's not until you spend twice as much that you get a cast steel platen over here. This version by Sealey looks similar to Derek’s but look at the price – that’s the equivalent of AUS$659 – about the same price as a 10” Tormek over here!

So I’m not sure what to do. The cast iron version is beyond my budget for now and I don’t really want to spend a not inconsiderable amount on a pressed steel one that will only warp out of shape with frequent grinding. I’ve seen some cast ones come up on ebay but the cost of shipping is prohibitive and I’m wary of purchasing a bench power tool without things like guarantees and so on.

This development has forced me to look at grinders which – from what little I know, admittedly – are either too slow for reshaping or fast enough to easily burn an edge if you don’t know what you’re doing (me again). There is a medium speed grinder of about 1500rpm which looks interesting… I dunno. Advice needed.

Woden

You can do as others have done (and as I did as well), with the cheap pressed steel version you need to add a piece of glass to the surface (just contact glue a piecethat is 6mm thick). This will maintain the flatness you need.

Regards from Perth

Derek