Belt sander/grinder

[Timbuck]

After watching a load of "Forged in Fire" episodes i'm fascinated with the belt grinders that they use in blade making ...And me being a bit of a power tool nerd I'm having a bit of a struggle to stop myself from buying one ... have any of you wood working types ever used one ? and if yes! Are they any good for uke building ?

Belt Machine w/ Brushless Motor 762x25MM Belt Sander Polisher Sharpener Grinder | eBay

Belt Machine with Brushless Motor 762x25MM Belt Sander Polisher Sharpener Polishing Grinding Machine Fixed Angle Open. The brushless version of the motor has a powerful torque. Motor: DC brushless motor.

www.ebay.co.uk

 

[Pegasus Guitars]

I've had a couple of similar 1" and 2" wide belt sanders. They are made for sharpening and do work good for putting on a quick edge. If you want a sharp woodworking edge, you still have to do that by hand. IMO not very useful for uke making. I do have your TAS too, and find it difficult to not buy interesting tools. It is a plague!

 

[Pete Howlett]

I built a small belt sander that fits into a pedestal drill...I think I remember reading that Chuck uses the end of a belt sander to shape his necks.

 

[BuzzBD]

That belt grinder is great for knife making, not so good for woodworking. A mainstay in my shop is a 6”x48” belt sander with a 9” sanding disk. I use that and the bandsaw to do the majority of my work. I use it to make bridges, bridge patches, braces, taper fretboards, radius fretboards and rough carve my necks.
Brad

 

[Pete Howlett]

Merlin grinder is supplanting most of my traditional hand tools for neck carving.

 

[Pegasus Guitars]

Pete- I'd love to see a little video of you using that Merlin to carve necks. i've wondered if it would be useful for that.=Bob

 

[Pete Howlett]

Thursday or Friday Bob....

 

[Pegasus Guitars]

Thursday or Friday Bob....

Pete- No hurry. Cool if you can do it. Thanks in advance for your time, At our age, time is very valuable! Take care.

 

[Timbuck]

Merlin grinder is supplanting most of my traditional hand tools for neck carving.

I've considered getting one of those just for volutes and heels Pete ..But ! I was scared of taking off too much material ... Do they do a "putting back on" tool ?
maybe something like this

 

[Pegasus Guitars]

I've considered getting one of those just for volutes and heels Pete ..But ! I was scared of taking off too much material ... Do they do a "putting back on" tool ?
maybe something like this

Pete- No need do an actual neck. Just a mock up that shows it in action would be great. Like Ken, I would be worried about taking off too much wood. I have a similar grinder that I use with carbide burrs, but the RPM's are so high that the tool vibrates and really digs in if it catches endgrain. That add a wood feature from Ken's video would be a really great feature!

 

[Pegasus Guitars]

Pete- I have a chance to get one of those Merlins from a retiring woodworker who has not used it much. He does not have all the accessories that came with the kit. Which of the accessories do you find most useful?-Bob

 

[Uke-alot]

After watching a load of "Forged in Fire" episodes i'm fascinated with the belt grinders that they use in blade making ...And me being a bit of a power tool nerd I'm having a bit of a struggle to stop myself from buying one ... have any of you wood working types ever used one ? and if yes! Are they any good for uke building ?

Belt Machine w/ Brushless Motor 762x25MM Belt Sander Polisher Sharpener Grinder | eBay

Belt Machine with Brushless Motor 762x25MM Belt Sander Polisher Sharpener Polishing Grinding Machine Fixed Angle Open. The brushless version of the motor has a powerful torque. Motor: DC brushless motor.

www.ebay.co.uk

I have a a 1960s-vintage 1" belt sander that I've mostly used for sharpening stuff. I did play around with it a little bit for neck shaping. Without the metal platen that backs up the belt, the belt can conform to a rounded shape. It might be mildly useful for uke making. If I were buying it to try it for that purpose, I wouldn't spend money on the high end version.

 

[Pegasus Guitars]

I was unable to get any response about these little Merlin grinders from the 2 forums I posted on. In doing my own web research, the overall reviews are very negative. Things like junk tool, cheaply made, defective switch, very poor company response to defects, no power and stalls out, heats up quickly, etc. Only a few positive reviews and they look like they come from people who only lightly use the tool. So, buyer beware I guess.