Shops, tools, materials and tips

This forum is for those who like to repair and restore knives, and for those who would like to learn.
Tony_Wood
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Re: Shops, tools, materials and tips

Post by Tony_Wood »

Jerry,
You will not find another grinder for that money, better or worse. The money that you save in buying the 1x30 you will spend in belts.
I can only echo the above posts above in saying:
The 1x30 will heat up quickly. Keep a Bucket of water close by and dip frequently when grinding or sharpening metal.
Buy more belts than you think you need. Trying to make belts last longer will cost you in the long run, burning steel, burning wood, etc. Use belts like they are free.
You will use the grinder much more than you think. Especially if you buy one that had a disk grinder. Good for flattening, where the belt will not be as it is flexible.
If the grinder does not have a player behind the belt you will want to fab something. Otherwise your grinds are rounded and not sharp/crisp.

After you buy the 1x30 and get used to it you will wish you have bought a larger one. I can speak from experience here. I tried to use a 1x42 to do the work of a 2x72.

Buy the cheaper one. Repair some knives. Make some cash. Save half to go into the next machine. You will have a larger grinder in no time.

Best of luck. Post pics when you get it in.
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Tony_Wood
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Re: Shops, tools, materials and tips

Post by Tony_Wood »

I remember a t-shirt that a guy was wearing one day at a knife hammer-in. It read, “If you want to make a small fortune at knife making, start with a large one.”

‘It’s true. Except I started small and went smaller. ::nod::
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Meridian_Mike
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Re: Shops, tools, materials and tips

Post by Meridian_Mike »

Tony_Wood wrote: Thu Jun 18, 2020 3:38 am I remember a t-shirt that a guy was wearing one day at a knife hammer-in. It read, “If you want to make a small fortune at knife making, start with a large one.”

‘It’s true. Except I started small and went smaller. ::nod::
LOL.... yep, that quote is SO TRUE Tony!
.
Jerry...
If you need to stay under $100 for a sander, I would suggest the 1" x 30" sander you speak of. That was the one I started with when I started doing knife repairs. Believe me, you can do a LOT of damage with one of those before you know it..... LOL.
if you decide you want to do more later, then move on up to a bigger and better sander......
Start slow and enjoy the ride!

::tu::
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orvet
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Re: Shops, tools, materials and tips

Post by orvet »

Tony_Wood wrote: Thu Jun 18, 2020 3:23 am
I can only echo the above posts above in saying:
The 1x30 will heat up quickly. Keep a Bucket of water close by and dip frequently when grinding or sharpening metal.
Buy more belts than you think you need. Trying to make belts last longer will cost you in the long run, burning steel, burning wood, etc. Use belts like they are free.

I agree with Tony; don't try to make the belts last too long, you will just end up ruining things in the long run, burnt steel and burnt wood gets expensive.
I would recommend a belt cleaner bar, they help thebelts lady longer.

Remember: Have Fun & post pictures!
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Jerlin
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Re: Shops, tools, materials and tips

Post by Jerlin »

Thank you to all who responded with advise. It is greatly appreciated. First of all I asked my three married kids if any of them had a belt sander (I have found out in the past they had power tools I didn't know they had). None of them had one, so I went ahead and bought a 4" X 36" from Harbor Freight. Then I read some of your replies and decided I didn't want the 4" X 36" after all, so I took it back. I then began a local search for a used 1" X 42", but with no luck. We celebrated Father's Day this weekend and low and behold my kids and grandkids gave me a Harbor Freight 1" X 30" belt sander. I have watched several videos of individuals using this machine to sharpen knives. Some have made modifications to the machine to improve it's functionability.
As I have said before, I do not plan to do much in the way of knife repair, handle making, etc with the machine. I can see using it more for sharpening knives, tools, etc.
Therefore, I could use suggestions in the following areas for those who have used a 1" X 30" machine: 1. What are the best types of belts for the various tasks (some handle shaping, mostly sharpening, etc.)? I believe some of the choices include aluminum oxide, silicone carbide, and ceramic. 2. Is a strop leather honing belt and buffing compound suggested (I don't have a buffing wheel)? 3. Is an angle guide suggested (I'm a beginner and have trouble keeping the correct angle when I have tried sharpening in the past)?
In case you have not guessed, I am trying to keep my initial investment in belts, etc. reasonable until I see how much I use the machine. I look forward to any additional input offered. I'm sure I have overlooked something to consider, I know some areas have already been mentioned, like the belts heating up, etc.

Jerry Johnson
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Meridian_Mike
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Re: Shops, tools, materials and tips

Post by Meridian_Mike »

Jerry....
Be very careful doing any "sharpening" with a belt sander. You can do a lot of damage that can't be undone before you know it.
If you want to do some rough blade shaping with your sander then that is OK but don't try to sharpen a knife on a sander.
Maybe I am out of line here but I am a BIG proponent of filing and sanding.
.
I just posted a thread that shows my sharpening and finishing tools. Have a look.

Mike
:D
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Jerlin
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Re: Shops, tools, materials and tips

Post by Jerlin »

Mike, thank you for the wise advise. I do not consider you being out of line, I believe you are just cautioning me and I appreciate it. I know from past experiences that some tasks are not always as simple to do as they appear when someone else does them, especially with machinery. Obviously they have the experience and can make it look simple. You are absolutely correct that a machine can do a lot of damage before you know it. Thanks again,

Jerry
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glennbad
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Re: Shops, tools, materials and tips

Post by glennbad »

I still use 1 x 30 sanders. In fact, I have 5 of them. They'll do until I get my 2 x 72 built, and then I will still probably use them. They are extremely handy, and you get a lot of bang for the buck, once you get them dialed in.

As for belts, I am currently using the Norton Blaze belt series. They last a fair amount of time.

I also use scotchbrite belts, those are handy for cleaning things up without removing a lot of material.
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orvet
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Re: Shops, tools, materials and tips

Post by orvet »

I was at my brothers this weekend and he had a 1 x 30 Harbor Freight Belt Sander.
I asked him how he liked it and he said it was not very good because there was too much wobble in it that he was not able to adjust out.
The ones I had seen before were made of metal, I think they were green, but his seem to be made of plastic.
I don't know if it was a different model or if they have made changes in the design recently. I believe he got this Sander in the last two or three months.

Has anybody else had experience with the belts not tracking properly or too much vibration and wobble in their 1 x 30 Harbor Freight Sander?
He did turn it on while I was there and I was quite surprised at how loud it was. It was easily twice as loud as my 1 x 42 Delta (which is understandable because the Delta has a cast iron body.) Just the noise that made seem to indicate to me there was something unbalanced in it.

I know a lot of guys if use these quite successfully, and I have seen them in operation before but I've never heard one that was that loud and seemingly unbalanced. I was just wondering if anyone else has experienced this?
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glennbad
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Re: Shops, tools, materials and tips

Post by glennbad »

orvet wrote: Mon Jun 29, 2020 1:31 am I was at my brothers this weekend and he had a 1 x 30 Harbor Freight Belt Sander.
I asked him how he liked it and he said it was not very good because there was too much wobble in it that he was not able to adjust out.
The ones I had seen before were made of metal, I think they were green, but his seem to be made of plastic.
I don't know if it was a different model or if they have made changes in the design recently. I believe he got this Sander in the last two or three months.

Has anybody else had experience with the belts not tracking properly or too much vibration and wobble in their 1 x 30 Harbor Freight Sander?
He did turn it on while I was there and I was quite surprised at how loud it was. It was easily twice as loud as my 1 x 42 Delta (which is understandable because the Delta has a cast iron body.) Just the noise that made seem to indicate to me there was something unbalanced in it.

I know a lot of guys if use these quite successfully, and I have seen them in operation before but I've never heard one that was that loud and seemingly unbalanced. I was just wondering if anyone else has experienced this?
Those HF 1 x 30 can be quite different from one to another. I think I've had maybe one where I wasn't able to get it tweaked to work well. I've had to alter the inner workings on a few (shave wheels, shim things, etc.) but I don't think I've had one overly loud or unbalanced.
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Meridian_Mike
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Re: Shops, tools, materials and tips

Post by Meridian_Mike »

orvet wrote: Mon Jun 29, 2020 1:31 am I was at my brothers this weekend and he had a 1 x 30 Harbor Freight Belt Sander.
I asked him how he liked it and he said it was not very good because there was too much wobble in it that he was not able to adjust out.
The ones I had seen before were made of metal, I think they were green, but his seem to be made of plastic.
I don't know if it was a different model or if they have made changes in the design recently. I believe he got this Sander in the last two or three months.

Has anybody else had experience with the belts not tracking properly or too much vibration and wobble in their 1 x 30 Harbor Freight Sander?
He did turn it on while I was there and I was quite surprised at how loud it was. It was easily twice as loud as my 1 x 42 Delta (which is understandable because the Delta has a cast iron body.) Just the noise that made seem to indicate to me there was something unbalanced in it.
My 1x30 is from a different name brand. I'm not sure if HF had one available when I got mine. Mine has enough instability to it that it wants to walk all over the table top. BUT, I fixed that by nailing his foot to the table top.....LOL. (I screwed the base to the table top).
The only plastic on mine is the side shield that covers the belt and pullies.

NOW... I also have one of the 4x36 HF sanders. It is LOUD!! I use it once in a while but hardly ever.

The one I use most is my Dayton 2x42.. (I like it!).... Good ole Sandy Claws brought it to me last Christmas. It will do nicely until I get my 2x72 built. I have all the parts and my welder is fixed! SO, construction shall start as soon as I finish the remodel on our bathroom.... (a wife is a good thing to have... but... your pocket book might suffer)....conditions may vary....

::super_happy::
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glennbad
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Re: Shops, tools, materials and tips

Post by glennbad »

Due to the excessively hot weekend here, I planned some indoor basement projects. One of them was reworking an area in my shop where I have my drill press. It was sitting on a random bench with metal legs, and was just a gathering spot for junk.

I happened on these plan drawer units which were being tossed from our work. I took the table top from the old bench to put on the units.

The drill press sits a bit higher than I would like, but it's still usable. I now have all my handle materials and some other misc. knife stuff sorted in the drawers, with the bottom unit still left to fill with "stuff".
shop7.jpg
I would have rather used these for knife collection storage, but I won't do that in my basement, and these are too large to put anywhere else in the house.
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Meridian_Mike
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Re: Shops, tools, materials and tips

Post by Meridian_Mike »

I had a chance to get some of those a few months ago. I didn't have a place for them at the time but you are right....
They sure would make a great knife storage.
The ones I passed on were for 24" x 36" drawings. With some dividers in them, they would have been NICE.
Oh well......

::doh::
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orvet
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Re: Shops, tools, materials and tips

Post by orvet »

WOW Glenn, I love those plan drawer units! I think I could get most of my new parts and a lot of the used parts in the unit, that's outstanding.
I'm trying to do a refurbish in my shop also, I bought a double door metal storage unit that I can put a lot of stuff in. I just have to rearrange all the junk in my shop so I can get it in their. I have to get my table saw out of the knife shop and put it in the shed, and make some room. I have a antique jigsaw that belonged to a great uncle from the 1930s, it has a huge cast iron base and must weigh at least 200 pounds. He also wants a lathe that my dad gave me, but I have no place to use it. I'm really anxious for my brother to get all of this stuff so I can get things in my shop rearranged so the space is better utilized.
I love that plan drawer, you can put so much stuff in that would take up so much room otherwise! Nice snag! ::tu::
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glennbad
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Re: Shops, tools, materials and tips

Post by glennbad »

orvet wrote: Mon Jul 20, 2020 4:06 pm WOW Glenn, I love those plan drawer units! I think I could get most of my new parts and a lot of the used parts in the unit, that's outstanding.
I'm trying to do a refurbish in my shop also, I bought a double door metal storage unit that I can put a lot of stuff in. I just have to rearrange all the junk in my shop so I can get it in their. I have to get my table saw out of the knife shop and put it in the shed, and make some room. I have a antique jigsaw that belonged to a great uncle from the 1930s, it has a huge cast iron base and must weigh at least 200 pounds. He also wants a lathe that my dad gave me, but I have no place to use it. I'm really anxious for my brother to get all of this stuff so I can get things in my shop rearranged so the space is better utilized.
I love that plan drawer, you can put so much stuff in that would take up so much room otherwise! Nice snag! ::tu::
Thanks! That's the problem in my shop also, it's not just a knife shop. It's a catch-all for any of my hobbies. I have small tool chests in there, all my wood working and hand power tools, wire, cable, etc. The list goes on and on. I do temporarily have my table saw moved to the shed, as I was using it on my kitchen reno project. Amazing the extra space I have with that not being there!

I also have a blanket chest in my shop that I have been building for the last 15 or so years, LOL. I'm really not too far from completing it, just need to shift gears to work on it (sometime)
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Re: Shops, tools, materials and tips

Post by dlr110 »

Well, here is my new little nitch in the garage. It's not much, but it will do
for what I plan on doing. I do need to install better lighting over the new
bench. Anyway it will get me started. That last pic is an old Richards that
had a beat up tin handle on it, so I removed it and decided this would be
my first experiment with making my own handle. I'm using some old hickory
wood.
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Ripster
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Re: Shops, tools, materials and tips

Post by Ripster »

dlr110 wrote: Fri Jan 15, 2021 4:38 pm Well, here is my new little nitch in the garage. It's not much, but it will do
for what I plan on doing. I do need to install better lighting over the new
bench. Anyway it will get me started. That last pic is an old Richards that
had a beat up tin handle on it, so I removed it and decided this would be
my first experiment with making my own handle. I'm using some old hickory
wood.
Looking great David ,your very organized , and looks like you got your new table top drill press. Have to get one of those myself . You sure have come a long ways since your first kit knive. Please show theRichards when you get done !
Here’s my shop in the basement ,been moving stuff in and really not sure yet where to put everything. Have exhaust fan for buffing, grinding ,etc. So now to get that set up and then get after a few knives.
Take care ,stay warm and safe out there. ::tu::
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cudgee
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Re: Shops, tools, materials and tips

Post by cudgee »

David, and JP, 2 great set ups. Great minds think alike, just yesterday i was thinking there had been no posts on this thread for a while, glad you both posted. I love looking at peoples workshops and tools, wish i was still in a position to have a work shop, but sadly i can't, but love looking at other members set ups, keep em coming, and tools. Have a good weekend gentleman and take care. :D
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cudgee
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Re: Shops, tools, materials and tips

Post by cudgee »

It's Saturday morning over here, just went up the street to do a bit of shopping. Found these at Aldi, bought 2 of them, $6US each, you could not make them for that. It is bamboo wood, but i am going to give them 2 coats of raw linseed oil to bring out the grain a bit. Going to use them as tool boxes for my knife tools and just some of my other tools as i am restricted for space.
IMAG0429.jpg
They are 11 inch x 71/2 inch x 5 inch deep.
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Ripster
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Re: Shops, tools, materials and tips

Post by Ripster »

cudgee wrote: Fri Jan 15, 2021 11:18 pm It's Saturday morning over here, just went up the street to do a bit of shopping. Found these at Aldi, bought 2 of them, $6US each, you could not make them for that. It is bamboo wood, but i am going to give them 2 coats of raw linseed oil to bring out the grain a bit. Going to use them as tool boxes for my knife tools and just some of my other tools as i am restricted for space.
IMAG0429.jpg

They are 11 inch x 71/2 inch x 5 inch deep.
Very nice Cudgee, that’ll be nice to tote tools with . My Grandpa had wood tool boxes like that ,brought em out when needed ,worked great ! Will be very handy .
Take care over there ::handshake:: Stay out of trouble ::tu:: stay safe !
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glennbad
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Re: Shops, tools, materials and tips

Post by glennbad »

Dave, nice shop area, but dang man, WAY too clean!
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cudgee
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Re: Shops, tools, materials and tips

Post by cudgee »

Giving some of my knives a maintenance clean and polish. These kits are really handy, not expensive, and don't need a Dremel tool, can use any drill.
IMAG0428.jpg
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cudgee
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Re: Shops, tools, materials and tips

Post by cudgee »

Сotssey wrote: Tue Feb 09, 2021 7:54 pm Great post. I was always wondering what are the best practices cleaning my knives as some of them really need a polish or two!
Thanks. How are things over in Scotland, very cold i would imagine. :) ::handshake::
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Ripster
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Re: Shops, tools, materials and tips

Post by Ripster »

cudgee wrote: Wed Jan 20, 2021 9:51 pm Giving some of my knives a maintenance clean and polish. These kits are really handy, not expensive, and don't need a Dremel tool, can use any drill.

IMAG0428.jpg
Those are handy little kits, good idea. I’ve used them on a variable speed cordless drill , they work great . Like you said,don’t need a Dremel brand to use them .
Nice piece of Cutlery there as well Sir ::tu::
Take care over there ::handshake::
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Re: Shops, tools, materials and tips

Post by cudgee »

Ripster wrote: Wed Feb 10, 2021 1:20 am
cudgee wrote: Wed Jan 20, 2021 9:51 pm Giving some of my knives a maintenance clean and polish. These kits are really handy, not expensive, and don't need a Dremel tool, can use any drill.

IMAG0428.jpg
Those are handy little kits, good idea. I’ve used them on a variable speed cordless drill , they work great . Like you said,don’t need a Dremel brand to use them .
Nice piece of Cutlery there as well Sir ::tu::
Take care over there ::handshake::
They are great little kits, and not expensive and a lot lot cheaper than trying to buy individual polishing bits. Thanks for the compliment, because of it's provenance it is one of my favorite knives- Charlie Campagna Waynorth Cutlery 2019 Jigged Bone Lambsfoot. The first genuine Lambsfoot production knife made in America. ::tu:: ::handshake::
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