1" Belt Sander, What Grit belts?

[Eric Krewson]

I was at a friends house the other day and he was telling me how handy his 1" belt sander was for the variety of crafty things he does.

I went home and a Grizzly sale catalog was in my mailbox with their 1" belt sander on sale. Being a tool guy I had to have one. It is sitting on my dining room table now.

What grits of belts do you guys keep in stock for your similar sanders. I will probably use mine for putting the initial edge on flea market chisels, broadheads and other cutting tools at first.

[Roy from Pa]

I use my 1" belt sander a lot for bows. Smooth's out and shapes the riser and shaping the tips, plus much more.. I use 150 grit..

What's nice is if you sand above the backing bar for the belt, the sanding belt will flex and roll around curves real nicely.

[eflanders]

80, 120 and 180 grit.  80 grit turns a rough, chipped up chisel into something workable in quick order.  Obviously watch out for overheating the edge.  I'm a big fan of super / scary sharp edges.  Once I've hit the rough chisel with all 3 grits I then hand sharpen into a polished surface.

[karrow]

they are a handy tool for sure. great for sharpening things. I would buy the roughest ones I could find.

[bamboo]

I keep a 24 grit on mine for trapping limbs and hogging wood on grips and sight windows--it is handy

[7 Lakes]

For steel working I think 80 grit would be the lowest only then to hog off everything but the chip.  I'd go then move quickly into the 300-400 range.  Finish it off with a leather belt and you can throw away your store bought razor.