Hey guys,

Just got a new belt sander and was wondering if anyone had any tips on how to best sharpen knives with it. I bought a cheap Ontario machete to practice with. I also got several different belts from 80 on down to 9 micron, and a leather belt w/ honing compound for finish work. I did a quick and dirty job on the machete, using 120, 320, and 500 grit belts, then finishing with the leather belt. Managed to get it to rough shave hair, but I think it could do better. Do I just need to run it on the leather belt some more, and maybe introduce some honing compound? How about blade angles? What's the best angle for a given task? I took the back plate off my sander so I could use it as a slack belt; was that a good idea or should I put it back on?

Thanks for any tips and/or suggestions.