Shopsmith Forums

GetterDone,

I have both the Shopsmith 6" Belt Sander and the Shopsmith Strip Sander besides Sanding Disks, Drum Sanders, etc. I do use the Strip Sander with the Chisel Sharpener Attachment to sharpen Lathe Chisels. I have used it on a lot of Chisels and have yet to wear out a set of belts used for that task.

As you said

I try to be very conservative with sandpaper and let it do the work.

I get Lathe Chisels with many of the Shopsmith Tools I buy to restore so a lot of chisels to sharpen. I have also used the Sharpening Guide that uses the 12" Sanding Disk and those last a long time too. The Shopsmith Sandpaper stands up to metal use and is a quality product. You may have noticed that Shopsmith sells Sandpaper in different sizes that do not fit the Shopsmith Belt, Drum and Sanding Disk sizes.

A shopsmith vendor using the shopsmith brand(a mutual agreement I assume). I have my suspicions who the vendor is, but far too speculative to divulge.

chapmanruss wrote: Sun Sep 08, 2024 11:45 am GetterDone,

I have both the Shopsmith 6" Belt Sander and the Shopsmith Strip Sander besides Sanding Disks, Drum Sanders, etc. I do use the Strip Sander with the Chisel Sharpener Attachment to sharpen Lathe Chisels. I have used it on a lot of Chisels and have yet to wear out a set of belts used for that task.

As you said

I try to be very conservative with sandpaper and let it do the work.

I get Lathe Chisels with many of the Shopsmith Tools I buy to restore so a lot of chisels to sharpen. I have also used the Sharpening Guide that uses the 12" Sanding Disk and those last a long time too. The Shopsmith Sandpaper stands up to metal use and is a quality product. You may have noticed that Shopsmith sells Sandpaper in different sizes that do not fit the Shopsmith Belt, Drum and Sanding Disk sizes.

Thanks chapmanruss

I will get SS paper on my next order.
I did notice they carry other sizes, At first thought (Are there attachments I am not aware of?)

I need to fix my signature like you have done.


I have the 6" belt sander and the strip sander is in the scope of things I want.

Since my weekend purchase, I have 2 Sharpening jigs now.
I have several lathe chisel sets also.

Just to be clear, I was referencing SS branded abrasives available apart from SS in the post above.

JPG wrote: Sun Sep 08, 2024 12:14 pm Just to be clear, I was referencing SS branded abrasives available apart from SS in the post above.

Okay
I see.

I use Harbor Freight belts because having a local source for them trumps everything else. When working on a project that must be done on time and the belt breaks or tears, I don't want to wait days for a replacement. I need it now. Harbor Freight is my only local source. I learned the hard way to limit the number of spares I have.

chapmanruss wrote: Sun Sep 08, 2024 11:45 am GetterDone,

I have both the Shopsmith 6" Belt Sander and the Shopsmith Strip Sander besides Sanding Disks, Drum Sanders, etc. I do use the Strip Sander with the Chisel Sharpener Attachment to sharpen Lathe Chisels. I have used it on a lot of Chisels and have yet to wear out a set of belts used for that task.

Russ, to clarify my point, it's not sharpening chisels or other edges that can ruin a belt. I use the belt sander for coarse grinding steel and aluminum, rounding corners, radiusing edges, removing large amounts of metal sometimes. It's very easy to wear a stripe into a belt from heat or aggressive cutting, or catch a rough edge that will cut into the belt. This kind of work also breaks down coarse grit on the belt rapidly. The disk sander is much better for this kind of work because the paper is glued to a solid plate, but it's sometimes easier to work with the belt sander because of the constant speed across the belt.

Also, like rlkeeney mentions, they are available at Harbor Freight all the time, no need to wait for Shopsmith or other vendors to ship belts to me.

Ed,

With what you are sometimes using the Belt Sander for your comment in your previous post below makes good sense.

If you grind metal that could tear or rapidly wear out a section of the belt you might prefer to risk a cheaper Harbor Freight belt instead.

I agree that it is better to use a cheaper belt or sanding disk paper for that kind of work. I have done metal grinding too with the Disk Sander. And yes, I got mine at Harbor Freight.