This is based on a rig that was detailed in AAW's publication (American Woodturner, December 2012, Vol. 27 - No. 6).
It is a Harbor Freight 4" x 36" belt sander that sells for around $70. With a 20% off coupon, I paid under $60 for it … considering the cost of all of the other parts I have a total investment of under $100 in this little project.
LJ HorizontalMike did a review ( http://lumberjocks.com/reviews/3179 ) that is spot on, so this post is just a different view of what he did and his observations.
I am always in search of a way to get sharper tools and faster results, so this caught my attention. I can sharpen and hone most of the tools in my kit in under 10 seconds.
I'll be using this with my existing OneWay Vari-Grind …
... set in a 'pocket' that I turned and mounted on hardware salvaged from the HF sander
The 1st tool holder I made for the T-track is designed to use with my skews …
... and is loosely based on the skew jig that OneWay produces.
The roughing gouge can either be used in the tool holder I made for skews …
, or in a smaller holder …
One of the most attractive features (to me) is the onboard buffing wheel. Takes just a few seconds to buff the freshly ground edge to a mirror shine.
One area of concern I have is the drive belt. To get the sanding belt to move away from the tool instead of into it, you need to twist the belt into a figure-8, and reset the motor at an angle to provide some relief on the belt.
Despite this, the belt rubs on itself, and will wear so it will be interesting to see how long the belt lasts.
A word of caution to anyone building this … unless the 1/2" arbor you use to secure the buffing wheel to the machine had left-handed threads, make sure you either double-nut it or use a lock nut. My arbor is a right-handed thread, and while I was buffing my first tool, the nut came off and various parts became airborne (still haven't found one of the fender washers that went sailing).
One shortcoming that I need to address is the lack of platform for grinding scrapers, etc. For now, I'll continue to use my 8" grinder and figure out a way to mount a platform on the T-track, or perhaps adapt HorizontalMike's tool-holder design. Stay tuned.
-Gerry
It is a Harbor Freight 4" x 36" belt sander that sells for around $70. With a 20% off coupon, I paid under $60 for it … considering the cost of all of the other parts I have a total investment of under $100 in this little project.
LJ HorizontalMike did a review ( http://lumberjocks.com/reviews/3179 ) that is spot on, so this post is just a different view of what he did and his observations.
I am always in search of a way to get sharper tools and faster results, so this caught my attention. I can sharpen and hone most of the tools in my kit in under 10 seconds.
I'll be using this with my existing OneWay Vari-Grind …
... set in a 'pocket' that I turned and mounted on hardware salvaged from the HF sander
The 1st tool holder I made for the T-track is designed to use with my skews …
... and is loosely based on the skew jig that OneWay produces.
The roughing gouge can either be used in the tool holder I made for skews …
, or in a smaller holder …
One of the most attractive features (to me) is the onboard buffing wheel. Takes just a few seconds to buff the freshly ground edge to a mirror shine.
One area of concern I have is the drive belt. To get the sanding belt to move away from the tool instead of into it, you need to twist the belt into a figure-8, and reset the motor at an angle to provide some relief on the belt.
Despite this, the belt rubs on itself, and will wear so it will be interesting to see how long the belt lasts.
A word of caution to anyone building this … unless the 1/2" arbor you use to secure the buffing wheel to the machine had left-handed threads, make sure you either double-nut it or use a lock nut. My arbor is a right-handed thread, and while I was buffing my first tool, the nut came off and various parts became airborne (still haven't found one of the fender washers that went sailing).
One shortcoming that I need to address is the lack of platform for grinding scrapers, etc. For now, I'll continue to use my 8" grinder and figure out a way to mount a platform on the T-track, or perhaps adapt HorizontalMike's tool-holder design. Stay tuned.
-Gerry