You can do a surprising amount with the harbor freight 1" x 30" sander.

I was looking at sharpening equipment from a local supplier and found this.
As I'm a real noob when it comes to sharpening, could I get some advice from
people about the usefulness of this? I think it's more for sharpening chisels
and such.
Thanks all.

It's a Delta Sharpening Center.
This is the write-up for it:
Model 23-710 Delta Industrial Model 23-710 Sharpening Center 1/5HP, 120V motor;
5" diameter, 120-grit aluminum oxide dry wheel, 8" dia., 1000-grit wet wheel,
tool rest base, sliding tool holder, water tank, tool rest, eye shield, wrench
and instruction manual. THE DELTA DIFFERENCE • Powerful 1/5HP 120V induction
motor for a variety of sharpening jobs. • Standard-equipped sliding tool holder
secures lathe turning tools, carving chisels and plane irons; may be used on
wet or dry wheel. • Cast-iron construction minimizes operating vibration for
increased accuracy. • Tool rest base supports the sliding tool holder for
steadier, safer sharpening; adjusts for height and tool angle, and may be
mounted to either the wet or dry wheel. • Dry wheel tool rest adjusts to
compensate for wheel wear; protective eye shield deflects sparks. • Water tank
has adjustment knob for regulating water flow. • Wet wheel has front and rear
splash guards for retaining water spray during operation.. • Base holes for
mounting machine to work bench. • On/off rocker switch has clear plastic, water-
resistant cover. • Balanced 8" dia., 1-000 grit wet wheel for fine grinding; 5"
dia. dry wheel grinds nicked, scratched and pitted tools without damaging
temper. Motor • 1/5 HP Wheel Diameter • 5", 8" MOTOR • 1/5 HP MOTOR CONTROL •
On/off rocker switch WHEELS • Diameter: 10"(254 mm), 5"(127 mm) • Type:
Aluminum Oxide Dry, Wet • Face: 2"(51 mm), 1"(25 mm) • Hole: 1/2", 0.70" •
Speeds: 3450 rpm, 400 rpm OVERALL DIMENSIONS • Width: 16"(406 mm) • Depth:
21"(533 mm) • Height: 13"(330 mm) WEIGHT • 42 1/2 lbs. (19 kg)

how hard is SR77 steel? i think all i'm doing is polishing it....hahhaha

DOTD, nice machine, but as my old pops pointed out to me, more suited for grinding chisel and planer blades. I would get a belt sander myself......

keep in mind i suck at sharpening so i dont know what im talking about in that regard...ahahahaha '

About the only belt grinders I can find here are the 1" X 30" belts. Only
problem: Can't get anything finer than 230 grit belts.

I thought that because this stone was 2 speed, with the slowest being about
400 rpm and a nice fine grit, that it might be ok. I can get one of these
locally for about $200.

I guess i'm just not seeing how you would sharpen a knife on that? looks like a jig fixture to me (is it removable?)

dont get me wrong, thats a nice setup, but i'm not sure (please someone with more experience correct me here) its useful for knives?

again, i could be wrong..... lol

CHEERS!

It's used primarily for chisels and woodcarving tools that have rounded
bevels. The sales guy that was showing it to me said that the jig could
be removed so that it could be used free hand.

I'm not sure about it, but like I said, my choices are limited to what's
available locally unless I go to out of town to find one.

See here: Lee Valley Tools

Thanks Andy.
I found a belt grinder (without motor) for about $90 on there, and
belts up to 9 microns. That is really cool.
I'm going to order that from them next week.

$90 seems high for one without a motor.

Hey Dave, can you not get a Delta SA180 belt sander up there? They usually have them on Amazon or some of the other websites for reasonable prices. I'll be more than happy to handle the shipping for you if that's the problem.

I am going to send you a PM about belt sanders, belts and what not...

In the U.S. it might be, but not up here in Canada my friend.
That's actually pretty reasonable.

Cheers.

Hey Dave, I just sent you a PM with a bunch of info concerning belts and what not.