Well I finally made a decision on a belt sander. I studied Ebay and looked at just about everything out there. I determined that I wanted something that handled the 1" x 42" belts and I did not want to pay much over $200, which eliminated the Grizzly at nearly twice the price and 2" belts. I played with a custom made item on Ebay made by a machinist who copied the Kalamazoo design and tried to add some enhancements. I decided he wanted too much money for something with no warranty or guarantees.

I went with a Grainger belt sander that I believe is made by Dayton, at least it has a Dayton motor. I liked the options this sander offered:

1) will use 1" x 42" or 2" x 42" belts
2) the belt adjusts to any position between horizontal and vertical
3) it has a 6' disc sander
4) the belt has an enclosure to capture dust
5) the disc sander has a vaccum attachment that fits my Festool vaccum
6) I have had good experiences with Dayton motors
7) there is a Grainger's a couple miles from the house, they let me look, touch, feel & no freight bill
8) has a good/simple mechanism for adjusting tracking
9) big removable, adjustable tables, also has a simple tool stop that can replace the belt table
10) simple/solid system for changing belts
11) the whole rig appears to be solid enough to handle some hard use
12) fits into my cabinet/work table plans for my shop

http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/items/6Y945

So now I am attempting to locate and purchase some good belts and discs. My old buddies at Lee Valley seem to have a good selection. I was hoping to get some guidance from those who do blade grinding and sharpening in regard to type and grits. I will also be using this bad boy to sharpen bushhog and finishing mower blades for my tractor. Then there are chisels, plane blades, cutting tools, digging tools.... Will grind some wood for cabinets etc. too.

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=48040&cat=1,43072

grind on,

Mick