Home Made Belt Grinder/Honer.

[Retired]

Hi,

Just a quick update. I was very pleased when both the new compression spring and the leather honing belt arrived together at dinner time today. I was lucky with the belt as it slipped under customs radar so I didn't end up paying anything other than purchase price and shipping.

All I now need is a bit of better weather; last night I thought there was a Lancaster bomber in the valley on full song due to the deep drone of the terrific wind; the wind and rain has battered the bungalow for days but last night I was very concerned that I might have got up this morning to find the roof missing. Fortunately all is well and for the first time in days we went out this afternoon in sunshine.

The instructions state the leather belt is suitable for all cutting tools (knives; chisels; turning tools; hand planes; carving tools etc). Not recommended for large tools as the leather may become stretched. Grinding to 600 grit is recommended before using the honing belt and the belt is usually fitted with the rough side out. Now that I have finally got the belt I might try to find a supplier of similar leather as I'd like to experiment in making a new belt from scratch; assuming I can find a supplier for the leather I doubt it will cost much but as I found previously finding a supplier is very difficult indeed.

Kind regards, Col.

[pwdrive]

Won't be long now Col.
I saw on telly that Yorkshire took a bit of a battering with the wind.

Lawrence.

[Joe]

You could try asking at an industrial museum as some of those use leather belts for line-shafting and may have off-cuts.

- Joe

[Retired]

Hi,

Thanks Lawrence; I'm still sulking about the weather as it is still quite windy with rain and too cold to pay around in comfort in the garage today. Had the weather been better I would have easily finished and painted this grinder by now.

Many thanks for your suggestion Joe; I'm sure you are correct and such places are sure to use leather belting. Many of the places I worked at had their own belt stores which is making it so frustrating for me having previously had full access to leather belting but now when I actually want a short length it has become rarer than gold locally.

Only yesterday we visited a place locally that I thought to be a cobblers but it turned out to be a barbers so I'm also losing the plot as well. I've surfed the web for suppliers and for such a simple task it is becoming increasingly difficult; the more I find out the less I know. A bit of leather is a bit of leather? Well I used to think so but how many could actually tell me what kind of leather is suitable for making a honing belt from. Please have a look at the following website just to give an idea of what a novice is up against whilst delving into something new.

http://www.holmes-halls.co.uk/Range%20of%20Products.htm

I now have a correct honing belt but still can't find a local supplier I could visit taking along the new belt for advice and to match. There used to be a cobbler in Holmfirth and a tannery in Horbury Bridge but driving around in these weather conditions doesn't appeal to me. I'm not in a hurry as I now have the honing belt but I'm curious as to just how hard it will be to obtain suitable leather to make my own belts from.

I've still plenty of work to do on the grinder once I stop moaning and finally get into the garage.

Its interesting to learn that the honing belt supplier recommends a 600 grit abrasive belt be used just prior to the honing belt so I'll obtain some 600 grit belts.

Kind regards, Col.

[Yorkie]

Well bless my soul - Holmes Hall Tannery is about 100 yards from the office where I used to work in Hull. (You need a peg on your nose if you get in close proximity to the tannery!). I knew the manager quite well as they were a very good customer of British Gas, where I was then General Manager. It's a strange business to be in, because at one end, they're buying hides from abbatoirs, and at the other end on the spectrum, supplying the finest hides to Rolls Royce, Bentley et al for upholstery, and to fashion houses in the UK and countries such as Italy for shoes and clothing. The clientelle who they buy from are very different from those to whom they sell! There's no such thing as a 'perfect' hide because cattle scratch up against fences, trees etc to scratch themselves. It's why car seats are panelled so that the hides can be cut to exclude any any defects.

All of which is irrelvant waffle, of no help at all to Colin's quest for honing belt leather!

[Retired]

Hi,

Thanks for the story of Holmes Hall Tannery David; it's a small world.

At last I've finally experimented with the new leather honing belt. The belt slipped onto the grinder easily and the spring adjuster automatically adjusted tension; the tracking didn't require adjusting.

I tried dressing the new belt under power with "white honing compound" but the belt didn't want to pick it up in fact the belt behaved more like an abrasive belt and was rubbing the compound away. With the belt stationary it was rubbed with the compound and now it began to retain some. At first the belt tended to round edges on the tools but it did improve as it bedded in a bit and the surface lost it's roughness; As the belt surface smoothed out more compound was added with the belt at rest; I only spent about half an hour playing around but the resulting mirror finish was most impressive as can be seen in the pictures. The grinder still needs an adjustable tool rest making and attaching so these tools were honed freehand. For a machine made from scrap and the only cost being consumables I'm pleased with its performance and I'm sure with practice I can obtain even better results. It was difficult taking the pictures due to the mirror finish reflecting light.

Kind regards, Col.

           
First attempts at power honing using leather belt and compound.

[Yorkie]

Great result Colin!

Robert Sorby make a similar sharpener called the 'Pro-Edge'. You wouldn't get much change out of £300 for one:

http://www.charnwood.net/shop/product/pr...tem?cid=82

So, apart from the sense of achievement from designing and making your own system, you have the added satisfaction of saving a tidy sum!

Can't get any better can it?

[olliesnook]

Thankyou for posting this project. I signed up here just to see your pictures. I'm thinking of building something like this to grind knife blades on, and your design is by far the most accessible and sensible I've seen.
Also your enthusiasm is amazing, and I'm all geared up to get started.
Cheers.

[Retired]

Hi,

Many thanks olliesnook for your kind words. I'm pleased you like the design which is easy to copy. Similar machines to mine can be bought brand new in the states but at a price. In the states many of these machines are indeed used for knife grinding/honing.

If you can obtain a suitable motor at little cost or for nothing the machine is quite cheap to build. The major cost with my machine was the abrasive belts and the honing belt but these are consumables anyway.

Good luck if you decide to go ahead and please keep us posted on progress.

Kind regards, Col.

[Retired]

Hi,

Here's the video which gave me the belt tensioning method using a spring.

http://www.chippingaway.com/VideoDemos/D...ner-In_Use

Kind regards, Col.