I bought a HF 1" belt sander last year on sale for $29, also bought some belts at HF. The HF belts kept flipping off, so I went to Lowes and bought a couple of belts to try. The sander works fine with a better quality belt.
The pull out shelf in the sharpening station cabinet just gets the grinder or Tormek out where it's easier to get and put up on the cabinet top. But - if the floor were cleaner, and with the proper adjustable padding, sharpening while reclining has a certain appeal.
As for going just a wee bit over the top with projects - they're just shop furniture. What better low risk way to try things. The top is a piece of 3/4" cherry ply.remnant I had. The grain begged for a finish to show off the wood. Horizontal, flat surfaces are easy to shellac, though I probably shouldn't have tried french polishing this much area the first time. If the finish gets scratched up
- I learned some about french polishing and I can always do some sanding and put another finish on it.
The choice of shellac was not a good one since shellac doesn't like water and japanese water stones ...
You should see the figure in the honey locust top - of the mortising machine drawer unit. Drilling the four holes needed to bolt the mortiser to it was difficult. Though the mortiser covers up most of the top, I know what's underneath. I'll remember the look of that wood and maybe someday see when it should/could be used or a piece of house furniture.
Madness is not necessarily a bad thing - if channled into something literally constructive. The sharpening center does what it needs to do as do the other things I've made so far.
Using PhotoShop to play with design ideas requires having digital images of stuff to use. A picture of a piece of wood you want to use, a picture of a piece you've making, some cutting and pasting, maybe some rotatating, a bit of scaling to look about the right size, a litle trimming here and there. Each part is on a separate layer, so each can be moved around, tweeked etc., independent of the other layers. You can dodge areas to make highlights and burn in shadows - with a "brush" size of your choice. You can paint in things that don't exist and draw in details. A graphic tablet and pressure sensitive pen are essential though. Trying to draw with a mouse is like trying to draw with a pencil stuck in a potato.
It helps to have someone who knows how to use PhotoShop show you some of the features and some of their uses. But there are on line tutorials on Adobe's site and others and several books on it - with CDs that have mpeg turorials - with sound even.
I've posted another example of using PhotoShop to create varaitions of a turning I did but am not satisfied with the proportions.
When I start with a toothpick and try to turn it into a spindle I'll stop - honest.
charlie b
Charlie.. I sharpen my tools on my wife's 1"x 42" belt grinder... It was made to sharpen saw blades and knives and works well for me on lathe chisels... (the only thing that she'll let me sharpen)
I use the backing plate and angled table for "real" sharpening, but do mostly heavy honing, so that's free hand on the looser section of the belt above the backing plate.. It works great for me, as no matter how hard I try not to be, I'm very heavy handed on the grinding wheels and can't come up with as round or smooth edge as on the belt.. YMMV
mac
Please remove splinters before emailing
I've used them and they are sh*t. The vibrate like h*ll. Also, belt grinders don't grind flat. They have a tendency to grind convex surfaces, and they are prone to sniping. Just like a planer can snipe the leading and trailing edges, so do belts, even if tightened.
Case in point. A pattern making shop I used to do business works in mahogany. Lots of big woodworking machinery including a huge 30" x 8' pattern makers lathe with compound tool carriage. I asked them about belt sanders and they said they tried one and sold it. What they use to grind flat surfaces in wood is 24" and
30" disc sanders.Nonetheless, I do sharpen with belt sanders, a 2" Grizzly knife makers machine. Very nice, very smooth. I also have a Baldor 8" buffer, 6" grinder, and a Darex tool point sharpener. I think you need a variety of grinders to do the job. Dan
PS: Tool Gloat: That pattern shop had a "little" 2HP, 18" disc sander that they didn't use much because it meant they had to stock another size of discs. They GAVE it to me! :)
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