Convex Sharpening on Belt Sander

Demoing for one of my subscribers how I use a belt sander to put a convex edge on my knives. I get great results using this method. Very clean refined edges IMO. As always, I appreciate you watching.

[@belly996]

*This is exactly what I needed for trimming the edge of oak boards **MyBest.Tools** I also used the disk to round edges while building an oak - walnut cabinet.*

[@glytch5]

nice job, finally someone who doesn't try to use like 5 different belts and 3 strops. You only need one, maybe 2 belts, and one, maybe two strops, or buffing wheels. I like it man.

[@labrat7357]

Hi, Thanks for the video. I used to sharpen using a similar process to you, removing the burr on end grain of hard wood until a toolmaker at my work explained that when you rip off the burr you leave a small flat/jagged section on your edge. He said the way to proceed was to use finer and finer belts to form new burrs at each grit. the burrs get smaller and smaller as the grits get finer until you are honing the edge. I believe it helps. Also Lee Valley mylar honing belts are very special.Bye.

[@brianchester2122]

I recently bought a similar unit from HF. Waiting for belts I ordered online. I am anxiously waiting to get started on making knives from blank stock my father in law gave me many years ago before his death. He was a Ball Brothers aerospace machinist. I believe the stock he gave me was from scraps at work. I appreciate your time in making the video. Mountain Bubba

[@edgedweapon88]

Very simple but effective system you have there! Thanks for sharing this with us Christian!

[@richardkicklighter1202]

Thanks for the video. I had real interest in the belt you made. I was pointed to you by somebody else using exactly the same machine. The wheels will probably crap out before long due to normal wear. You can keep the crown in the lead wheel by beveling the center approx 1.5 degrees each side on a lathe, or use electrical tape to raise center.There are lots of places to get belts. Norton seems the best. I really like the Triax. I use those to finish with Super sharp video, dude Thanks a million

[@bigbubba5037]

Thank you! I am always open to trying new sharpening methods. My sharpening style always changes. For example, I use a spyderco ultrafine benchstone and a strop as my preferred sharpening method now. The belt sander is still ideal for larger blades. I always find sharpening very relaxing haha

[@bigbubba5037]

Well, the "proper" angle is all preference as to what you use you knives for. Since I have been sharpening for quite a few years now, it is very easy to maintain a *constant* angle, and it is easy to know what angle works best for each specific knife. Sharpening is just something that you have to develop a feel for.

[@samurai165]

You're really skilled at sharpening!! Thanks for the great vid

[@bigbubba5037]

@knivesandstuff Thanks. After doing the initial sharpening, stropping is all I've had to do for maintenance so I'm sure your blade will be no different. Cant wait to test it out!

[@virtuovice]

It's neat! I need a place like yours. Thank you for sharing!

[@amirdepaz888]

i must compliment you on your keep it simple method, with such great results.Shapo !

[@LiveLoveTry]

Razor sharp! I could never do that. Thanks for sharing.

[@ewtoutdoors]

Cool, thanks for sharing. Take care.

[@cadrician]

Really nice, love your method, thanks for sharing!

[@jacksnotty2318]

FYI. A belt sander only gives one result. A convex edge. They’re not capable of anything else. Good video. Nice job.

[@moonolyth]

I'll be upgrading mine soon have had for 3 yrs now. The sander that is. You may try turning it on its side you get lots of control.

[@TheLazySpoiledKitty]

I need to get a little sander like that :), would help alot with some knife projects and sharpening like you did!! Great job btw!!!

[@bigbubba5037]

It is all leather. I measured the appropriate length and skived the ends of the leather down to the appropriate thickness and glued them together for a seamless fit. I am still using this same belt had held up amazing.

[@bigbubba5037]

@gavkoo Hell yeah! Its super fun to just go around cutting stuff once your done. Its great to actually use a sharp kitchen knife. Unfortunately everyone in my house is scared to use the kitchen knives I sharpened. Oh well more fun for me :)

[@flashgordon6238]

I've started to convert my knives to convex edge as well. Good video! The leather belts are on Amazon, but I see that you made your own...

[@troy5690]

Great info. Thanks for sharing.

[@RockinRedneck09]

2 things...one, Lee Valley Tools has AMAZING belts FOR KNIFE SHARPENING! All I use...love love them. 2nd, it seems, at least from the video, you dont hold the same angle throughout the whole pull through. which causes different angles through the length of the blade. This Video was posted a while ago, so you may not do that anymore. I've been using a convex edge for a couple years now, with the same machine from harbor freight I might add. Just some thoughts, again I highly recommend those belts from lee valley. Good Demo as well, Good Luck man, Stay Sharp!

[@bigbubba5037]

I currently use bark river white stropping compound on the belt, and I have used this for sharpening 1095 and it turned out excellent! As good, if not better results than this with the 1095.

[@bigbubba5037]

Consistent angles, light pressure and proper burr removal. Don't hog off more material than you need to. I rarely sharpen on a sander any more because it is just convenient to touch up on a stone in a few seconds. Sander does work great though.

[@monabo1]

Good stuff

[@ArtistBlade1972]

Very sharp bro. Good job.

[@Idle_Koala]

Great video! I used to LOVE knife sharpening on whetstones and such. But ive been out of the sharpening world for a while now and dont have enough time to use whetstones anymore. This looks like a great method! Saves time and you still get a very sharp edge! Do you have any compound on the belt strop?

[@bigbubba5037]

You technically don't have to use any compound, but if you do, it will certainly help refine the edge. I was using Bark river white stropping compound on this belt.

[@bigbubba5037]

@aHippieWithKnives Thanks! I have a Razor Sharp edgemaking system, and it produces some awesome edges! I got it used and the grit wheel is well. . . out of grit. I always find sharpening somewhat therapeutic. Fun to see what type of edges you can get. I just saw that you make videos. . . Subbed! Thanks for stopping by!

[@bigbubba5037]

@themediocrepirate They do rock! This model was the more expensive of the two, but I had a coupon so it came to around the same price as the standard model which I think was around $50. Has tons of uses!

[@4909125049]

I appreciate your video and especially the reply to 101skindog..Maybe there was a full moon !

[@gravediggermaxvabeachva]

just bought one today bubba. orders some fine grit belts from supergrit thanks for the nice video

[@bigbubba5037]

There was no bulge because I skived the leather to shave off layers as to make the whole belt seem as though it is just one continuous seamless belt. Essentially it would be exactly as you mentioned in your last statement. . . assuming we are thinking on the same level right now.

[@bigbubba5037]

@knivesfishwild Yepp, this model was normally $75 but I got it cheeper with a coupon. They had a cheeper model that was $50. Still looked pretty decent.

[@ChinookOutdoors]

Nice system, Harbor Freight rocks. I need to look and see how much a sander like that costs...

[@bigbubba5037]

Yeah haha I have no idea on a hoof rasp. For my de-burring stick I like just a medium hardness wood. You can even take a simple branch off of a tree, peel the bark and let it dry, and it makes a perfect stick for de-burring.

[@bigbubba5037]

Yes. In a very general sense convex is like an apple seed shape and concave is like a dish/bowl(hollow).

[@bigbubba5037]

@knivesfishwild Thanks, buddy! This machine was only around $50 US and the belts were super cheep as well. If you ever have the chance to pick one up I really recommend it! Thanks for watching!

[@bigbubba5037]

@sleek555 If you don't know what your doing and don't have the appropriate grit belts, then I wouldn't recommend it at all. This thing removes metal so fast that I wouldn't use any grit below say a 600 if you are just convexing an edge. Very light pressure and a constant angle and you have a razor sharp knife. If you do it right you won't heat up the edge either. I 100% recommend it to the competent user.

[@bigbubba5037]

@aHippieWithKnives I personally don't think that the concave edge created from the grit wheel holds an edge as long as the convex. Deburring wheel works great though! What's better than getting paid to sharpen knives :)

[@bigbubba5037]

@dakdak88 Well worth it IMO! Tons of uses besides sharpening knives.

[@bigbubba5037]

@TheLazySpoiledKitty Thanks Casper! This thing has tons of uses! Great investment if you ask me. Thanks for watching, buddy!

[@bigbubba5037]

@LiveLoveTry Of course you could, it just takes practice :) Thank you for watching Hillary!

[@tueulator]

Great Vid!

[@bigbubba5037]

Hi. I have made some leather 1x30" belts for someone in the past, but don't remember what I charged. If you want to send me a PM I may consider selling them again for a reasonable price. I actually use 4-5oz leather for my 1x30" belts. . . . minimal stretch and fairly stiff. Much cheeper for me to make my own than buy surgi sharp belts.

[@bigbubba5037]

Actually, leather belts for sanders have to be made differently. Sections of the leather belts have to be skived (thinned) overlapped and glued in order to create a seamless belt. So no fiberglass tape used as it would cause a large gap in the leather when it stretches.

[@bigbubba5037]

@edgedweapon88 Works great! Plus the belt sander itself has tons of uses. Thanks for watching Keelen!

[@bigbubba5037]

@auradud3 This model (the more expensive of the two) I got with a coupon. A great machine! Awesome power and well made. I removed the compound with a felt/cotton buffing wheel that I mounted in my drill press. You can buy 1X30" belts for sharpening online. I got mine from usaknifemaker. H.F. sells belts but they are only 80 and 120 grit. The sander comes with those two grits as well. If you need some assistance on what to look for Just shoot me a PM and I'll help you find what your looking for.

[@bigbubba5037]

I purchase my belts from usaknifemaker. I purchase the NORAX belts. As an FYI the grit size is measured in X increments. The lower the number the less abrasive.

[@bigbubba5037]

@gravediggermax Glad you enjoyed it!

[@knifeman1122]

That's a good sharping

[@southernfryedyankee]

Great video, how much would you charge to make 2 or 3 1x30 leather belts? Or could you explain how to do it. I would imagine by making the leather belts yourself its cheaper that buying the surgi-sharp belts. What OZ leather do you use for your belts.

[@bigbubba5037]

@ignemV thanks. A little boring, but hopefully some people got something useful out of it. I appreciate you watching.

[@bigbubba5037]

I got it from Tandy Leather Factory. Their vegetable tanned leather is perfect for strops.

[@Thoma59]

Any assitance where you purchase your belts would be very helpful...thanks!

[@dominicanrepublic2549]

Thank you gracias amigo

[@bigbubba5037]

@millsdixon I think I forgot to mention. I shot this video once before so I may have forgot a thing or two. I made the belt myself. Pretty darn easy and it was better than paying $15+ for one pre made.

[@Laszlomtl]

Cool!

[@bigbubba5037]

@traderjoes Sorry I forgot to mention in the video. I actually made this belt myself.

[@knivesandstuff]

good results.. you shouldnt have any trouble with my blade.. although I doubt you'll need to do more than strop on the bat.

[@bigbubba5037]

Thanks. Just type in "knivesandstuff" in the search bar. You'll see his videos right away with that.

[@bigbubba5037]

I made my own leather 1x30" belt, and if by "wax" you mean compound, then i use bark river stropping compound.

[@bigbubba5037]

@ewtoutdoors Thanks. I appreciate you taking the time to watch!

[@Simplicity165]

Where can you get the large pieces of leather that you used to make the wood handled strop..?? Great video.. Thanks

[@bigbubba5037]

@cam131313cam Tons of ways! My methods change constantly too :)

[@wrongmower]

great vid, thanks for posting, saw the belt sander at harbor freight, where can you pic up extra belt and that leather belt strop at ? :)

[@bigbubba5037]

@troy5690 Thank you for watching!

[@essexmirageknives1989]

Also would like to know that type of machine that is please ? Good video and interesting too !

[@gorodph]

What glue did you use for a leather belt? Is it a special leather for strops? And which side of the leather do you use for stropping?

[@gorodph]

How did you make teh leather belt? Is it just leather or a leather glued on top of old sanding belt? I am thinking of making one or two for my small beltsander.

[@gqixkaes]

with practice comes perfection go with a lanky or smiths or gatco guided sharpening systems they are cheap and help with the learning curve (pun intended) and my tip would be to take it slow sharpening takes alot of time when your first start

[@KyleLeeWoyote]

I have a little 1x30 belt sander and belts on the way. Any tips for a beginner in the belt sander sharpening world?

[@Greggg57]

I need a system that has a jig to hold the blade at precisely the same angle all the way through the sharpening process. The Lansky system is what I use. I just don't know of a powered jig-like setup. Don't waste any money on a powered sharpener called the ChefsChoice. It only makes a mediocre sharp edge.

[@bigbubba5037]

@virtuovice Thanks! I appreciate you watching, Wako!

[@gqixkaes]

also when i place the knife on a stone or anything i check if my edge is touching by sliding my fingernail towards the blade and if it catches the edge its to shallow

[@bigbubba5037]

@samurai165 Just have to know the important parts like removing any burr and you can get some amazing edges. Thank you for watching!

[@wrongmower]

just got the same sander, how did you rig up that spring action on the pully at the back, not the large on or the one with the black knob, thanks for your help :)

[@gravediggermaxvabeachva]

question i sharpened 3 knives today.....worked fine.....got shocked a few times. used 220....400...600...600 and cork polish, now i have a question. i see you reach back on right side and push something to release spring pressure to replace belts, mine has big spring loaded screw with handle i have to unloosen each time please advise thanks

[@bigbubba5037]

Read through the comments for more info, but I made it myself.

[@bigbubba5037]

Who said *concave* edge!?!?!?! It clearly says *convex* which is the exact opposite of *concave*! Thank you very much for pointing out how much you don't pay attention.

[@brianb.2894]

Nice job Bubba. I think you could probably shave with that blade.

[@wrongmower]

odd, I have that spring but I cant move it as easaly as you do, guess I got to check it out a little better, do you use the belt tension on the other side ?

[@TheStormReef]

how do you maintain the proper angle

[@EDDYJM00]

Could tell the name of machine you are using? Thanks a lot.

[@surehello]

does this method take the temper off the blades

[@millsdixon]

Where did you pick up the leather belt?

[@bigbubba5037]

@tyronebiggums3 Thanks!

[@outdoorzone]

Do you use any honing compound on the leather strop belt?

[@outdoorzone]

have you sharpened and blades with 1095 steel? If so how did it turn out?

[@williamgillespie2392]

Where did you get the leather belt to go on the sander?

[@bigbubba5037]

@fishercz20 Thanks for watching!

[@bigbubba5037]

I certainly appreciate you watching :)

[@tonywright5510]

Can you tell me about that sander? It looks like one of those Harbor Freight Sanders, but it's not green, the motor looks way bigger, and those are some nice looking idler pulleys. Flat and not radius like the plastic ones on the HF sander. Does it have a disk on the opposite end of the motor?

[@roughroosterknifesharpenin5531]

did he not say at the beginning of the video that it was from harbor freight?

[@brianminkc]

that deburring stick... did you buy that? or is it just a piece of lumber or something?

[@BillRodgers2]

Love his quick reply

[@BryanColliver]

where did you get the sanding belt, leather belt and the deburring stick thank you

[@bigbubba5037]

+Bryan Colliver knifemaking.com for the abrasive belts, I made the leather belt, and the deburring stick is just a piece of soft scrap wood.

[@bigbubba5037]

Yepp. Just busy

[@Mr.56Goldtop]

Is there green compound on the leather belt?

[@robertbrandywine]

+seattwa He says in the video that he removed it.

[@bigbubba5037]

It is already spring loaded. . . I just pulled it towards me

[@bigbubba5037]

What do you mean by the belt tension on the other side? The tracking knob?

[@SuperVaporman]

Isn't convex a curved outwards edge? a concaved is curved inward such as a hollow ground edge, I believe. Potato, potatto it's all confusing before I have my morning coffee.