Be sure to comment below with a question about knife or tool sharpening on a Harbor Freight 1X30 Belt Sander. Conveniently, the Harbor Freight is always on my Bench and Plugged in, ready to sharpen a blade in the amount of time it takes to change a belt on the Harbor Freight 1X30. The availability of 1X30 inch Sharpening Belts has grown in recent years. I prefer to sharpen knives on my Harbor Freight 1X30 Belt Sander with the table removed and the platen adjusted away from the belt as far as it will go.
I think an assortment of belts come in handy: 80 grit for heavy sanding on lawnmower blades; 400 grit for very dull knife blades, pruners or hatchets for example; 600-800 grit for dull thinner blades such as filet knives; a 1000 grit for fine polishing and touchups on knife blades; and a leather stropping belt with compound to take the curled over metal off after fine sanding and to polish the blade. 2) Use very light pressure when you are putting the knife to the belt.3) Heavy pressure on the sanding belt will cause you to overheat your blade, affecting the blade’s temper. As you move the blade along the sanding belt you will need to raise or lower the butt end so that the belt remains perpendicular to the blade edge as you approach the curved tip of the knife.
While sharpening using a belt sander, the probability of your knife being overheated is always high. If you are familiar with sharpening knives using a sander, a 50-grit belt can easily give you the desired sharpness level after which you can tune the edge using a 200 to 300-grit belt. To sharpen a knife with belt sander means to get the sharpest possible edge faster than most other sharpening devices.
how to sharpening a knife with 1×30 belt sander Related Question:
How do you sharpen a knife with a sander?
To sharpen yours, start with a 150-grit belt. Slowly run one side of the blade across the belt a few times using light pressure (the sharp edge should point down at an acute angle to the belt). Next, sand the other side. Turn off the sander, swap in a 240-grit belt, and sharpen again.
What is the best grit sandpaper for sharpening knives?
You may want to use 800, 1000, and 2000 grit sand paper at least. 200-400 grit sand paper is good for sharpening knife that is really dull and dinged up. If you want to sharpen you knife to help you shave hairs off, 2000 grit sand paper is the way to go.