2 x 42 belts for shaping and finishing a blade.

Cameron Wilcox

Well-Known Member
I just bought a craftsman 2x42 1 hp belt grinder and I want to know what kinds of belts at what grits for hogging to finishing a basic knife.

I know some materials are better for finishing and others are better for removing a lot of steel.

any advice is much appreciated.
thanks
-bubba
 
between 36 and 60 for profiling the blank
between 60 and 120 for roughing the flat grinds before heat treat.
between 120 and 220 for a final satin finish after heat treat. MAYBE more if I want a little more polish.
 
I hog with 50 or 60 grit Gators or similar "ceramic" belts. Save old belts for profiling, use fresh ones for beveling.

I get things clean and flat with 160 zirc or ceramic, then jump to 400 Gators pre-HT to make hand-sanding easier later. I get my 2x42 belts from Trugrit, they have a nice selection. Forget the low-cost AO belts for steel, the extra $1 per belt will pay for itself quickly because they cut cleaner and last a lot longer. In fact I've found that if I order a dozen or more at a time, the high-quality belts come out cheaper than the Craftsman AO ones, even with shipping.
 
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