Tool rest on Lee Valley 1" Belt Grinder?

[Jameel Abraham]

I have the Lee Valley 1" belt grinder/sander. Anybody here use it for grinding primary bevels on chisels and plane irons?

What rest are you using? The one that comes with it does not adjust shallow enough, and I'm wondering if Lee Valley's grinder rest would work?

[Jameel Abraham]

Maybe nobody here uses this machine....

Anyways, maybe someone would find this useful.

I pulled out my jointer-knife attachment for this grinder (its made by Viel Tools) and while the clamp for the jointer knife works for chisels and plane irons, its a bit cumbersome since its heavy and very wide.

And while Viel makes an attachment for this grinder to hold chisels and irons, it registers off the flat table and places the chisel point down, with the handle sticking back in your face. Not the handiest orientation.

So I ended up using my Lee Valley grinder rest tool holder along with the stationary portion of the Viel jointer-knife jig. I just added a piece of wood to the tool holder so it registers in the Viel jig. Works great. I can grind away with great ease and the sanding belts are so much nicer to use than a grinding wheel (at least to me).

One advantage here too is the handwheel adjustment that slides the whole works in and out in a horizontal line in very precise increments. So once the angle is set, I can adjusthow close the bevel is to the belt very easily and accurately.

[Will Blick]

Very clever system. But you must change grits constantly? I am surprised a system like this is not commercially available yet. For 12 - 16" planar and jointer blades, there is very few options, other than a round grinding wheel. Like you, I much prefer the flat surface with sand paper....

I also dreamed up a jig to hold the blades horizontal, with blade up. Then, you simply use your sharpening stones, lengthwise.... its manual, but I think it would produce excellent results.

[Bob Noles]

I love that machine and it is high on my want list. The only reason it is not already in my shop is because of their lack of offering a motor to go with it :confused:

[Eddie Darby]

I love that machine and it is high on my want list. The only reason it is not already in my shop is because of their lack of offering a motor to go with it :confused:

Most people have a motor kicking around,and mailing one would be costly. Just find a source locally to save on shipping.

Nice adaption of the planer/jointer blade sharpening jig, and the LV blade holder. Thanks for posting.

I've run across a site that has a special belt for this grinder, to reduce the grinding temperature.

3M Trizact Grinding Belts

http://www.chippingaway.com/WoodCarving/SharpeningTools/UltimatePowerSharpener.htm

How does the 1" x 42" grinder work on planer/jointer blades?

I have a grinder but not the extra attachment that does these blades.

What's the longest blade you can do?

[Loren Hedahl]

I don't have the Veritas sander, but a Craftsman 1 x 42.

With whatever belt brand available, I haven't found heating and burning the edge being a problem. It must be that the length of the belt allows it to cool.

Another bit of info:

The Craftsman motor turns at 3450 RPM. If I had a choice, I would buy a slower turning motor, i.e., a 1750 RPM if one is available.

Another hint:

When the belt gets a bit dull, reverse it. It allows the abrasive to run in the other direction providing a new edge for each crystal.

[Jameel Abraham]

I love that machine and it is high on my want list. The only reason it is not already in my shop is because of their lack of offering a motor to go with it :confused:

I actually have two of these units, one in the shop, and one set up in my furnace room in the house for sharpening kitchen knives. On the one in the shop, I'm using an old Sears motor I scavenged from a bandsaw. It's reversible, and I have it wired to a toggle switch so I can change directions real easy. Great for stropping. On the one in the house I bought a new Dayton 3K771G from Grainger. If I recall, it was about $50. Its' also reversible.


Very clever system. But you must change grits constantly? I am surprised a system like this is not commercially available yet. For 12 - 16" planar and jointer blades, there is very few options, other than a round grinding wheel. Like you, I much prefer the flat surface with sand paper....

I also dreamed up a jig to hold the blades horizontal, with blade up. Then, you simply use your sharpening stones, lengthwise.... its manual, but I think it would produce excellent results.

Nope. Belts last quite a while for me. I'm using this for heavy grinding though. Just plane irons, chisels, knifes, typical woodworking use.


Most people have a motor kicking around,and mailing one would be costly. Just find a source locally to save on shipping.

Nice adaption of the planer/jointer blade sharpening jig, and the LV blade holder. Thanks for posting.

I've run across a site that has a special belt for this grinder, to reduce the grinding temperature.

3M Trizact Grinding Belts

http://www.chippingaway.com/WoodCarving/SharpeningTools/UltimatePowerSharpener.htm

How does the 1" x 42" grinder work on planer/jointer blades?

I have a grinder but not the extra attachment that does these blades.

What's the longest blade you can do?

Nice link. Those belts look nice. I met these guys once at a show and actually won a set of their chip carving knives. The jointer knife jig works pretty good, but you have to have a light touch and it takes some skill. It will do 6" knives.

[Dave Cav]

I just took delivery on one the other day and spent most of yesterday getting it set up. Getting a motor mount made took the most time as my motor didn't have a base. After getting it set up I put primary bevels on a bunch of plane irons from my high school shop using the Veritas grinding jig http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=32974&cat=1,43072,45938

I had to do some minor file work on the grinder table rabbet to get the grinding jig to fit and slide smoothly and after getting it set up I had no trouble putting great 25 or 30 degree bevels on the plane irons. I used a felt wheel with green compound for the final honing and I was able to go from a totally blunt blade to one that is shaving sharp in about 3 minutes if not less. No microbevel, however, so I'll have to see how long the edge lasts. I also put some compound on the side of the hard felt wheel and used that area on the flat backs of the irons. Seems to work fine.

[Scott Brihn]

I love that machine and it is high on my want list. The only reason it is not already in my shop is because of their lack of offering a motor to go with it :confused:

A couple years ago when I bought the Viel S5 I ordered a Dayton motor from Lee Valley; part #3K771G (1/4hp, 1725 RPM). My preference was to wire the motor CCW.

[Bob Noles]

Scott,

Thanks for the tip on the motor. I was not able to find the exact model # at LV, but did find a 1/4 that looks to be the one for the job for $89.

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=50250&cat=1,330,50260

I did not even know LV carried motors. I have now moved the grinder and the motor into my wish list waiting on a new month budget ;):cool:

[Jerry Allen]

Harbor Freight frequently has mini drill presses on sale at the stores for ~$40.
There are a few different models. Some are noticably crappier than others. One model is item 38119 that I have used the motor from for a couple of projects, one of which is an 8" disk sharpener that I use for lathe tools and chisels. Works great and I have used it for over a year with no problems. 1/3HP.