Carol, in an earlier thread on adapting a 1" belt sander made me think to post this on the use of a hand belt sander for sharpening. This may give you some ideas, Carol.
I have been teaching turning to junior high school youngsters, It has become tough to avoid teaching sharpening. I was not comfortable with them working with a wheeled grinder and the metal jigs. John Williams in the last issue of "Woodturning Design" #25 described his use of old belt sanders for lathe tool sharpening. So I picked up on his idea and came up with a variation that can sharpen most all tools.
Slide show HERE.
I used an old Black and Decker 3x21 belt sander attached to a hinged fixture with an Ellsworth style jig system and sharpening platform. I use a 100 grit belt which works well for modest shaping of tools and also produces a decent edge. I plan to try higher grits to dress the edges to a higher standard.
So far the system works great. The flexible platen has not been a problem. In fact it seems to make it easier to match the bevel angle without any fuss. The wooden fingernail jig is much safer, and can be shaped to be less intrusive in the sharpening process.
For my purposes, youth turning instruction, this teaches the principles of sharpening in a safe way, works well, and is low cost. If you don't count the hours of fiddling. Also if someone has an old sander, and more time than money this will do the job.
I have been teaching turning to junior high school youngsters, It has become tough to avoid teaching sharpening. I was not comfortable with them working with a wheeled grinder and the metal jigs. John Williams in the last issue of "Woodturning Design" #25 described his use of old belt sanders for lathe tool sharpening. So I picked up on his idea and came up with a variation that can sharpen most all tools.
Slide show HERE.
I used an old Black and Decker 3x21 belt sander attached to a hinged fixture with an Ellsworth style jig system and sharpening platform. I use a 100 grit belt which works well for modest shaping of tools and also produces a decent edge. I plan to try higher grits to dress the edges to a higher standard.
So far the system works great. The flexible platen has not been a problem. In fact it seems to make it easier to match the bevel angle without any fuss. The wooden fingernail jig is much safer, and can be shaped to be less intrusive in the sharpening process.
For my purposes, youth turning instruction, this teaches the principles of sharpening in a safe way, works well, and is low cost. If you don't count the hours of fiddling. Also if someone has an old sander, and more time than money this will do the job.
