Harbor Freight 1x30 Belt Sander Mod That Makes it Awesome

[@pratumpornchuanlom185]

*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.*

[@billjarvis5853]

Thank you so much! Finally tried this and it’s like having a new machine in my shop, great for handle shaping also!

[@MrKeenSharpeningService]

its amazing to me the number of people that dont understand that the black knob is the tracking adjustment. the whole part that holds the tracking adjustment wheel is movable and spring loaded. you move that forward which releases the belt tension!!!! change the belt and release and belt is retensioned!!! they come tight and you may have to loosen the bolt and lock nut to get ti to move freeley

[@dennisnichols8970]

I thought the same thing, why is he turning the nob to take belt off?

[@jamesbarton3691]

this is fantastic, works very well for people who eyeball it, doesnt take long to get a feel for the proper angle, bravo

[@LawnMowerProductions]

Do you or your friends like to make some sweet jams they wanna share? Lemme know and I'll slap em in the next video!

[@sirdanielsmalley9657]

So helpful!! I have this sander and I've been having all these same problems, and this is the first video with such minor and efficient modifications!

[@LawnMowerProductions]

Glad it could help ;>

[@sirdanielsmalley9657]

@@LawnMowerProductions 😁👍

[@roughroosterknifesharpenin5531]

That's how I mount mine also. If you'll take the piece behind the belt off also it'll give you a true convex.

[@jordancoleman714]

What piece are you talking about?

[@Boyntonstu]

Lay it down at a 15 degree angle to the table. Hold the blade parallel to the floor for a perfect angle. Now a mod for variable speed?

[@KevsGuide]

I bought a speed controller on Amazon

[@Afterburner]

I'm liking that setup. I'd bet you could drill a hole in the case to secure it to a bench with a bolt and lesson any chance of the clamp failing to hold the entire machine. Great video!

[@LawnMowerProductions]

I've never had it fall before but that's a great idea

[@MrKeenSharpeningService]

why cant you stand directly in front of the belt sander with the work table remover??? i do it all the time!!!

[@colinreekie6261]

Alright so I like the idea, I have a HF 1x30, made my first knife on it and noticed the same rattling sound I heard on yours. Assuming it’s the vibration from the platen… I tried everything to fix it, smoothed out the drive wheel, upgraded belts, put a ceramic glass insert over the existing platen…. Anyone out there have any ideas on how to stop it?

[@armyca]

Strange way to change the belt... Why not just press on the wheel to squeeze spring?

[@LawnMowerProductions]

Yah that was before I knew how 🤭

[@armyca]

@@LawnMowerProductions oh, sometimes happened to me too😂

[@jameshoskins6726]

Thank you for this video. I had stopped using it because of all the issues you’d mentioned.

[@LawnMowerProductions]

Glad it could help👌

[@idlepickups]

Great video! I was thinking about buying this sander for polishing the plastic bobbins I use when making guitar pickups but was worried I wouldn’t be able to change belts fast enough to make it worth upgrading from hand sanding. I’ll definitely do this mod!

[@joef1551]

Laying the sander down on its back has really made it a lot easier to sharpen a knife and not to mention much better results You see the angle you’re holding much better With this method. Well done

[@apocalypsepyro]

This is actually really smart. Outstanding move!

[@robertblalock5009]

I took apart a HF 1x30 belt sander cleaned and putting back together. Put new 1x30 belt back on and the belt was a bit tight..the motor hums and wont spin the belt. What will fix this please.

[@JamesJackson-uu3dc]

Loosen the tension pulley

[@brandonwilliams9956]

Bruh, your table is at your knees....of course you gotta bend over to use it, raise your work space up to just above your waist, you'd be surprised how much it helps

[@michaelwalling8281]

Yes it was helpful. I like your idea of running it horizontal.

[@Gregorybridgewater]

Just what i needed to see

[@tchin6553]

but how do you a perfect angle grind ? say 10-15%? I 'm not good at holding the blade at a propper angle.

[@LawnMowerProductions]

I'm more of a free hand kinda guy but if you plan on using a jig for bevels I'd definitely recommend putting the plate back on so you have something to rest the jig on.

[@beecee6196]

@@LawnMowerProductions I'm also wondering about the bevel jig because I don't trust my ability to maintain the correct angle. If you put the plate back and use the sander as you've demonstrated won't the jig be upside down?

[@str8tfromtexas]

Do you know if this laying the sander down method will work with the 1x30 that has the 5” round sander on the side?

[@LawnMowerProductions]

I assume it would as long as the round sander part doesn't hit the table? Probably have to hang it off a edge for best results.

[@8ank3r]

just got one of these and that's a GREAT idea, can't wait to try it out.

[@broderickblocker7106]

Me too, awesome video!

[@passwordistaco507]

When you start to see the burr, what do you do next? I have the same setup as you. Sharpen axes. I see the burr forming and can feel it but not sure the next step.

[@LawnMowerProductions]

I like to sharpen one side till I see a light bur, then flip the blade on the other side and repeat, effectively grinding off the previous bur. Do that about three times for each side, and change to a higher grit belt. Some high grit "polishing" belts are definitely worth the investment. (Ebay has a pack of 15 for like $8) I usually sharpen by using the slack of my belt, just depends on what you like. I use a 120, then 600, then 800, then 1000. As you sharpen you should check the blade for the bur by running your finger nails over it, if it catches it means the bur is on that side. Once you get done with the 1000 grit or higher do a very light pass on the belt on both sides of the blade to reset the bur in a sense. After that I use a polishing wheel in a drill press to polish the edge, pretty much a faster strop block. Boom, mirror shaving edge. This method is SOOOO much faster than the traditional stone way if you're sharpening a sword or hard steel. Does take some practice, but if you're just using it on axes its a breeze.

[@gregmeeks2753]

@@LawnMowerProductions got a video of that polishing ? thanks.

[@MrKeenSharpeningService]

oh look! he finally figured out he CAN stand in front of the sander! YAAAAAAAA

[@sgsheff]

Genius and so simple. I'll have to try it

[@mikenorris6769]

Yes, I would agree that is a better way to grind but with that method you wouldn't be able to get perfect grind lines that you can get using a grinding jig, in other words you wouldn't be able to use a grinding jig so therefore your knife bevels could be a bit amateurish, I notice you did'nt really show the bevels that you did??

[@pedrobarrios2419]

Huh????? Always wondered about doing that but thought it unsafe.....the clamp sold me though......gracias amigo

[@chadatha5560]

I like this idea except it would make any jig difficult to use without a reference surface

[@LawnMowerProductions]

I was thinking about that, you could probably weld a jig holder to the piece of metal where the belt is and slap on a jig to make it similar to a wetstone. Like a wedge thing.

[@chadatha5560]

Lawn Mower Productions yea that's similar to what came to my mind. Attach to the platen and have a wedge that surrounds the belt. It could be c shaped but hangs just a fuzz over the belt at whatever angle you needed. A mag switch on the bottom may be strong enough to hold it up then it could be removable or interchangeable.....

[@LawnMowerProductions]

@@chadatha5560 I wanted to get better at freehanding but yeah, that does sound like a good idea.

[@rmg6884]

Harbor Freight 1x30 Belt Sander but AWESOME!!!!!!1!!1!!

[@livylemon7827]

Very glorious

[@davejoseph5615]

Yeah, I like this idea. Also I want one with a big added platen and one without a platen.

[@usernamemykel]

Smartass!!!! This was great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks!!!!

[@telwood15]

All the best ideas are simple.

[@xxthewarwithinxxo4946]

This is a neat trick.

[@bilbo_gamers6417]

wow this seems good

[@Amadeus135]

OMG lol me too , thankyou for the MOD

[@stepbro4978]

Thanks for this tip,I’m gonna try it out soon.

[@lenhowl]

Well done.

[@clinttorres2508]

Beautiful, dude 👍👍

[@keithhill8735]

That's a real good idea. Unless you are not good at free hand grinding. Then it may be a issue.

[@LawnMowerProductions]

Oh definitely, completely sucks to use a jig this way.

[@craigmac1516]

grinding a blade with the belt coming into the blade is asking for trouble. A) its dangerous AF if the blade happens to bite into the belt your knife making days will most likely be over ..B) its not the correct direction for stock removal as it erodes the apex faster than "drawn" dose .. C) it dos not take much effort to step to the other side of the sander and draw the blade right.... I mean to each his own and all but new knife makers are going to get very bad habits if the techniques you display are considered proper . not to mention a trip to the ER

[@LawnMowerProductions]

wait the blade can CATCH?!? bruh 💀

[@robertbrandywine]

I believe the belt moves from the small wheel to the large one, so the belt is *not* coming into the blade.

[@RA-dc5qp]

The direction of the sparks makes the direction of the belt obvious.

[@swampk9]

I'm not certain you and I watched the same video.

[@MrRdmiller]

Until the belt breaks😤

[@NORTHBROOK1978]

Another guy did this with two of them facing each other And made a hollow grind .

[@LawnMowerProductions]

I mean shoot, that's a great idea ngl.

[@dexplaysgolf]

I man love you.

[@osbaldohernandez9174]

Can I sharpen a machete on it asking for a friend

[@LawnMowerProductions]

Totally can, definitely recommend spending 8-10 bucks on some 600-1000 grit belts on ebay doe. Those bad boys take it to the next level.

[@osbaldohernandez9174]

@@LawnMowerProductions can i get some belts from harbor freight and can I also use the leather sanding belt with the stropping compound

[@LawnMowerProductions]

@@osbaldohernandez9174 Harbor freight ones kinda trash ngl, better luck on ebay for half the price. I haven't found a leather belt so i just flip a really used 1000 grit one around and put the compound on that, works a charm.

[@moonolyth]

sweet!

[@justpassinthrough7]

Trying this in a few hours

[@travispadilla3972]

What grit do you use that help this project out

[@LawnMowerProductions]

60, 80, 120, then hand sand it and sharpen.

[@pratumpornchuanlom185]

been using

[@chefsadventures7849]

I imagine by doing this it would also be simple to upgrade it to a 2in wide belt aswell

[@MrSims-ky2ne]

Your name explains it. Absolutely not. The drive rollers are still only 1" lmao. You will destroy a 2" belt immediately.

[@LawnMowerProductions]

I wouldn't recommend it cuz el wheel is only a inch wide BUT if you buy 2" wheels I could see dat. Not sure whyyyyy you'd neeeeeeed it tho.

[@jamesward5721]

Now chuck all them belts in the bin & go buy some 3M Cubitron ones. Voila - best knife sharpening, Fast. Thank me later. :-)

[@Genxisthebest]

I like your idea I did the same thing that be a man and take the gloves off

[@Brealu]

Gloves when using a sander, let alone most power tools, is a very bad idea.

[@travispadilla3972]

Fuck dude thanks this help alot I'm going to try it I been trying to get a good bevel on knife and I pretty much fuck it up by hand and stretching it up but I still want to finish but hopefully this will work 🤘🏼

[@LawnMowerProductions]

Aye lemme know how it works 👌

[@rickfordmorningstar130]

ayyyyyyyyy 420