I saw this at Canadian tire and was wondering how it would hold up for knives? Could be a cheap alternative for a casual novice.. http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/mastercraft-4-in-belt-disc-sander-0553559p.html
I'll be picking this up once I get caught up on my bills. No full time job isn't making life easy. https://www.kmstools.com/king-canada-belt-disc-sander-18925
I have the exact model. It's a little under powered, stalls easily with that big platen, but still very useful. They go on sale for around $100 quite often. The problem with the 4"x36" is the selection of belts. A 1"x30" has many more belts available and can be had for around the same price. That's what I recommend for starting out. Dan
ok, thanks for replies. I take it the king is much better although less power? Im not familiar with kmstools. Is this an American sore, ie is the price that Grizz posted american dollars?
The drag caused by the large area of backing riding against the platen is a problem with the 4"x36". The 1"x30" doesn't suffer the same issue. KMS is based out of B.C. but has stores in Alberta. The Home Hardware used to offer King brand. Dan
There is no loss in going with any of the above sanders for knife making because when the time comes for a 2x72 this sander would get moved over to handle duty and only a few grits of belt are needed for wood and composites.
I have a Mastercraft 1"x30"/disc combo as well and used it to make a few knives. I don't think Canadian Tire sells them anymore. The fact that you can get many different belts, ceramics, structured abrasives, polishing belts, even leather stropping belts, makes the 1"x30" attractive. Like John said, you will always find uses for it if you upgrade to a larger unit.
I unfortunately have a Sears 2x whatever and maybe one place in Canada carries the belts. When the belts I have are done it is going to get modified into something more practical like a double disk sander or buffer.
Busy Bee carries Craftex in a 1x30, and Princess Auto has their Powerfist in the same size. But both are pricier. CT has stopped offering a 1x30. Odds are good they're all made in the same factory in China. I opted for a 1x30 because my setup has to be portable, since I live in an apartment, and don't really want to lug something bigger down 3 flights of stairs. My building doesn't have an elevator.
Ya the wife surprised me with the princess auto stone and 2 x 28 belt combo... haven't tried it out yet but planing on it this weekend.
I ran into an annoying problem of a horizontal line in the blade and a scratch that would not go away. First problem was one belt a little longer than the rest so it had a wave when any amount of pressure was applied. Second problem was a belt that was not flat, chunk of steel fed in with lots of pressure flattened the belt. Fixed the sander but still finished the fillet knife by hand, might be odd but the last little bit by hand is fun
my 2x72 grinder. probably should have been more clear but was in dental chair waiting to have a tooth extracted. Several days without sleep is hard on the old body. I have a off brand grinder and the belt tensioner is just a flexible round bar that sits on posts evenly spaced. Unfortunately I never noticed the belt was not tight enough so blade ended up with a wave in it, fixed easily enough but certainly something to watch for. Looking into a 1x30 myself to replace the 2x42. Figure it will be much easier to work smaller radius areas typical around bolsters. Kind of wish there was an abrasive rope sander available, that would be able to get into some very tight spots.
I was thinking about this on the way to work today. Perfected on my coffee break. LOL Graphics are horrible but you should get the idea. Anyone want to do a proof of concept? Doh! Hahahaha! Dan
Something I saw a little while ago I thought would be good for those on a budget: http://www.leevalley.com/en/Wood/page.aspx?p=44884&cat=1,43072 It's a 1x42 for $95
I have seen pictures of the 2x42 I have modified to include a third pulley so it could use the 72" belts
