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#1
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Help on which sander to buy
Craftsman has the following on sale. These are in my price range currently. 1yr warrantee. BELT SIZE DISC SIZE 2X42 6" 4X36 6" 1X30 5" I was wondering which is a "standard" size that is easier to find the belts I need in. Anything else the "sander" need to have as a feature? I am going to do knifemaking as a hobby so I dont currently need a real beefy machine. |
#2
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TKS has 2x36 belts. You could just use one belt. You really don't NEED 4". TKS has a 2x36 grinder attachment that mounts on most bench grinders. $150. Not a bad price and just a little more than the Craftsman's your looking. You can get good belts that will cut steel. www.texasknife.com/store/....htm~smain |
#3
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Most knifemakers use 2" wide belts for grinding their blades. I have heard good and bad information on the 2X42 grinder, mostly that it is good for the price but not as good as one would like to have if they had more cash. The 1X30 was used by Jonathon Loose fora long time. It worked and he made a lot of great knives with it, but he later upgraded to a 2X72 and is much happier. The 4 X 46 is an ok machine, I have one but rarely use it and never for blade grinding. If it were me, I would buy the 2X42. You will learn to grind on the belt width that you will most likely grind on in the future. If you ever upgrade to another machine, you will be able to use this machine to make a surface grinder or other grinding tool or use the wheels as parts to make a better machine. One thing I look at when buying a machine of any kind is, "What can I make out of it when it breaks?" My wife thinks I'm nuts. This is all assuming that these are the only three options you have at this time. As a general rule, buy the BEST you can buy, period. If you can get a good machine today within your budget or can wait a month and get a better machine, wait that month. Now you can probably wait 5 years and save the money for the BEST machine out there and I am not recommending you do that. Just look at what you can get for a few more bucks and then decide if it is worth the wait. |
#4
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On the grinder there's other things to consider. Is this machine ment for steel? Nothing worse than getting a tool that was ment for wood. The motors are open and the steel dust gets inside and burns it out. How expensive are the belts for it, how's the selection for belts, how long are they going to hold up. Is my wife going to like it? There's lots of reasons why most makers have 2 X 72 grinders...Ray |
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