# sharpening jigs for belt sanders



## Karda

Hi, I have a HF belt and I want to use it to sharpen my turning tools. I looked at the article about it that was reviewed here but it is not much help because I can't get the nplans. I have found lots of plan to make jigs but they are for grinding wheels. My main concern is I can make one from a oicture but how do you get the right angle for your tool. I'm not to mechanicaly inclined


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## hairy

I made one. I quit using it because the sander I put on it was junk. I think I used 45 degree angle.

If I was to make another, the angle would be adjustable and not fixed.

http://lumberjocks.com/projects/29424


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## HorizontalMike

Here is my review/how-to of what you are wanting to do with your HF sander:
http://lumberjocks.com/reviews/3179

As far as getting the correct angle, that is pretty much set by eye. If you are off by a degree or two, that really is not going to be much an issue. You will need to eventually buy or make a jig, like the tru-grind bandsaw gouge jig:









Trial and error practice will help improve here, so you may go through some steel edges learning, but it works… Good luck!


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## MrUnix

The one I made can be adjusted for angle, as I posted in your other thread about the sander :










Maybe a better picture of the jig itself:










It's not rocket science. You can visually match the grind angle that is on the tool and lock it in. it also allows you to change the angle if desired, depending on your preference. As mentioned, a few degrees (or more) one way or the other isn't all that critical. There are a ton of different ways to go about it, just get creative. I didn't use any plans, just looked at what was out there and came up with my own out of what I had handy (few bolts, t-nut, scrap 2×4…).

Cheers,
Brad


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## Lazyman

You can see in my belt sander build blog another option that I fashioned after the Sorby pro Edge design. This might be a little more difficult to add to a "store bought" version but works very well. I built a belt sander partly because I wanted to use it to sharpen my lathe chisels after seeing youtube demos of the Sorby sharpening system.

Here is another one by Dutchy that I added to may favorites a while ago.


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## Karda

thanks for your suggestions, the pictures are quite helpful, and the blogs also. I got my tools today but the lathe don't come till next week. I made a wood jig based on the 2.00 jig and am going with that for a while. I appreciate you patience, I tend to over think things and information gets in my way. Too much information and Utubes can be a bad thing Thanks Mike


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## MrUnix

> thanks for your suggestions, the pictures are quite helpful, and the blogs also. I got my tools today but the lathe don t come till next week. I made a wood jig based on the 2.00 jig and am going with that for a while. I appreciate you patience, I tend to over think things and information gets in my way. Too much information and Utubes can be a bad thing Thanks Mike
> - Karda


LOL - don't beat yourself up over it. Sharpening angle is not extremely critical and different people prefer different angles depending on their style of turning and what they are used to. The important part is to be able to produce a consistently repeatable grind each time, which is what the jig gets you… as long as you set it up the same way each time, you will get the same grind each time, and that is 99% of the battle.

Cheers,
Brad


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## Karda

thanks for your encouragement


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## Karda

Hi, I ghot the sander and set uo a jig for it, I can follow the existing bevel but is it sharp, I got a lot of learning. Question HF has some diamond hones but the finest is 600 should I go finer to hone my turning tools thanks Mike


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## maxhall

you don't need any finer than 600 grit. No type of tool is beat up the way turning tools are. Just for reference if you were to use a grinder the cats pajamas are CBN wheels and the grits that are most popular are 80grit (establishing the geometry you want/fixing a real buggered edge) and 180 grit (for maintenance sharpening).


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## Karda

ok thanks I am using a sander with 120 grit ceramic belt


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## MrUnix

I use them right off the belt sander - no honing needed…

Cheers,
Brad


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