Sharpening Made Easy
Knife and Cutlery Sharpening Information and Equipment
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  I no longer make Belt Knife Sharpeners.
This page will explain alternatives including how to make your own.
field sharpenerOur belt sharpeners were modified 1" x 30" belt sanders.  They were designed to be used horizontally so that the belt moves away from the user for added safety.  They may also be used in the conventional vertical position.  The sharpener has a straight section for flat bevels and a slack belt section for convex bevels.  Belts are easily changed in seconds, and are available in grits from 40 to 1200.  An efficient setup is a belt sharpener with a 120 grit belt to make your primary bevels and paper wheels for the final sharpening.

The 12 volt Knife Sharpener was developed for use in produce harvesting where a cutter may be making 12 to 15,000 cuts a day. See www.geocities.com/stevebottorff/Salinas/Salinas.htm 

The 110 Volt AC model is identical except for having the original 110V motor and pulley.  This results in a higher belt speed and faster grinding, but care must be used to prevent over heating when using this sharpener. 

ALTERNATIVES:

First Choice:
Buy the only low speed 110V AC belt sharpener available, Grampa Ray's LORAY unit grampaloray.com

Second Choice:
Buy a Viel Tools sander from Lee Valley and add your own motor. http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=44884&cat=1,43072

Third Choice:
Make you own using these photos as your guide.  This is your basic high speed system.  The sander is a 1"x30" belt sander such as the Harbor Freight 2485 http://www.harborfreight.com/ They sell for $40 but go on sale for $30.  The base can be made of wood; the one in the photo is plastic cutting board material.  Cut about a 2" hole for the adjustment knob, a doorknob holesaw works well.  Bolt base to the sander with two 1/4" bolts into the frame (visible in the last photo) and one small angle bracket (visible in first photo).  If you are handy you can change the motor and/or the pulley to make a low speed unit.
2 3 4

Another Choice:
Buy one readymade from EdgeMaster in Oregon.  http://edgemasteroforegon.com/

If you want to make a 12 VDC model you can use a Dayton 4Z144 1/14 hp DC motor from WW Grainger or the equivalent motor from Rae Motors. I might upgrade to 1/10 hp if I had it to do again. Make sure your wire and fuse are big enough to carry the current.  You will have to have a machinist make a 2" pulley to fit the motor.  These are all 12 VDC machines pictured.

For additional belts we recommend Lee Valley Tools http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=48040&cat=1,43072

Please contact me by e-mail for more details.
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March 28, 2008
Description: Sharpening made easy. How to sharpen a knife. All about knife sharpening technique and equipment - how to select a sharpening system and sharpen a knife to a razor sharp shaving edge, consulting.  Related terms: knife sharpening consultant, knife sharpening made easy, how to sharpen, cutlery, technique, equipment, knives, honing, razor, sharp, shaving, stropping, steels, machines, ceramic, abrasive, grits, blade, scissors, sharpeners, stone, stones, tool, system, steel, service, instructions, kitchen, professional, method, machine, angle, guide, tip, industrial, wheels, supply, lansky, pocket, self, electric, sharpness testing, tester, best way to sharpen