I figured it is about time for me to learn to sharpen my knife. I have read several reviews on BF about the harbour freight 1" belt sanders for $40. I have seen most folks recommend lee valley to buy the extra belts, of differing grit and material. My question is are there any videos , books , articles on how to actually sharpen. Things like what angle to hold the blade, amount of pressure to apply, what direction, how to put on different grinds , what grit and material belts to use etc. I just love it when you pull out a hair shaving Sharp blade. I want all my knives to be this sharp. I know it will take practice to become proficient using a belt sanders. But, it seems like the quickest way to get razor results.

There are plenty of videos (search You-Tube), web sites and articles out there on this and even some posts here on this site dedicated to sharpening. I've had my belt grinder for years and can tell you that what helps the most is PRACTICE. get some old cheap knives and start parcticing on them. I use Lee Valley belts and they are great. Everyone has their own prefernces when it comes to grit, belt order, and other details that will determine the final edge. I change it up every now and then but I usually do the following for touching up blades.

start with 320 for a short time on each side
move to 600 until it is as sharp as I want it
Finish with a leather belt for stropping - use stropping compund

Some things:
Watch out for heat - you don't want to get the edge too hot- I keep a buck of water to dip the blade in nearby

Stop at 400 or 600 or whatever grit depending on the roughness or polish you want on the edge. I primarily do convex polished edges.

Start with 120/200 if you have a very dull knife or want to re-shape the edge.

I could type for pages about sharpening but I won't bore you with it all. Let me know if you have questions. Hope this helps out. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I have one of those harbor freight 1" sanders, great deal. I had to practice on a cheapo knife first; I ground it down quite a bit before I got it right.

You can get a mean, thin profile going on with that belt sander though.

Knotslip, I really appreciate it. I never thought of YouTube, I will look it up. I am heading to the store right now.

What's up p-easy, haven't seen you lately. U going to blade?

Vic (Horn Dog) had some pretty good luck with his first Harbor Freight belt sander, but wasn't impressed with attempts to replace it until he got a Delta. It's definitely your call, but I'd go with the Delta over the Harbor Freight unless money's really tight (although Vic mentions that he still likes his in his "My New Delta Sander Rocks!" thread). Whatever you decide, good luck.

Here's an old sharpening thread -- one of the key tips seems to be that you should buy some inexpensive machetes to practice with before you try sharpening anything nice:
Sharpening Thread

Hey dude what's happenin? I can't make blade this year; bunch of changes going on at work, and my presence is required. I'll miss coming down to Atlanta.

Oh well, there's always next year.

I'll try to jump on Deathchat later tonight. Maybe you guys can critique some of my photos.

I bought this Kalamazoo and have been very happy with it. The 1X42" belts are easy to get in all grits and the sander will last quite some time. It's a little more expensive but probably worth it in the long run. good luck!

http://www.knifekits.com/vcom/product_info.php?cPath=49_115_207&products_id=309

I actually bought it with the two accessories which adds $180 so its considerably more expensive, but i use it to make knives, not just sharpen...You should be good with the HF one if your main use will be sharpening.

I have a HF sander and the only complaint I have is the tension control kinda sucks so when the belts get even a little stretched you cannot get them tight enough for sharpening. At least with mine. I am going to start looking at a 1x42 now that I am better at sharpening.

How many belts do you estimate you could sharpen before the belt gets stretched?

Well I am pretty bad at sharpening belts....<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

They last pretty long. I don't know f I can estimate the number of knives though. They usually last me about 6 months and I sharpen stuff all the time. Friends knives, my knives, lawn mower blades <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />