Using a tool rest with plane irons and chisels, my intuition is to have
the belt running away from rather than into the edge - so the blade
can't dig in. Same thing for sharpening knives freehand. If this isn't
the case, how does one reverse the direction of an AC motor? Just
reverse hot and neutral?

You are correct that the belt should turn away from the edge that you are
sharpening.


"Gordon Airporte" wrote in message
...
Using a tool rest with plane irons and chisels, my intuition is to have
the belt running away from rather than into the edge - so the blade can't
dig in. Same thing for sharpening knives freehand. If this isn't the case,
how does one reverse the direction of an AC motor? Just reverse hot and
neutral?

If this is not a troll, the answer is to simply turn the belt sander 180
degrees.

-j

"Gordon Airporte" wrote in message
...
Using a tool rest with plane irons and chisels, my intuition is to have
the belt running away from rather than into the edge - so the blade
can't dig in. Same thing for sharpening knives freehand. If this isn't
the case, how does one reverse the direction of an AC motor? Just
reverse hot and neutral?

Think about this for a moment. In school, I was taught to sharpen plane
irons on a grinder and the wheel was always turning INTO the work. Wouldn't
the same logic apply to a belt sander?

You cannot reverse the direction of an AC motor by reversing the leads.

"Leon" wrote in message
. com...
You are correct that the belt should turn away from the edge that you are
sharpening.


"Gordon Airporte" wrote in message
...
Using a tool rest with plane irons and chisels, my intuition is to have
the belt running away from rather than into the edge - so the blade
can't
dig in. Same thing for sharpening knives freehand. If this isn't the
case,
how does one reverse the direction of an AC motor? Just reverse hot and
neutral?

"Chuck Hoffman" wrote in message
news
Think about this for a moment. In school, I was taught to sharpen plane
irons on a grinder and the wheel was always turning INTO the work.
Wouldn't
the same logic apply to a belt sander?

You cannot reverse the direction of an AC motor by reversing the leads.

"Leon" wrote in message
. com...
You are correct that the belt should turn away from the edge that you
are
sharpening.



Think about this. The wheel provided you natural protection against a
dig-in, because it was round, and you were sharpening at a tangent. The
belt is flat. Not a good practice.

Depending on the motor, you might find instructions to reverse it, but the
fractional HP types are less likely than the bigger ones to have this
feature.

J wrote:

If this is not a troll, the answer is to simply turn the belt sander 180
degrees.


I hope I could have made it more interesting if it was ;-). I should
have mentioned that I was talking about one of these:
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...84&cat=1,43072
which suggests a motor turning in a 'counterclockwise' direction - but
as viewed from over the motor or straight at the shaft? (Pardon my
mechanical ignorance.) As you can see, you can't really turn the whole
grinder.
Re. the rotation of grinding wheels, I don't see how the arc of the
wheel is any protection against dig-in. The back of the blade is still
going to be ground away at some point and this is where dig-in would
occur... I guess the idea is that the force on the tool created by
friction with the abrasive is directed toward the tool rest so the tool
doesn't threaten to pull up. The abrasives must be uniform enough that
you won't get a lump of something coming along to dig in to.

"Gordon Airporte" wrote in message
...
J wrote:

If this is not a troll, the answer is to simply turn the belt sander 180
degrees.


I hope I could have made it more interesting if it was ;-). I should
have mentioned that I was talking about one of these:
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...84&cat=1,43072
which suggests a motor turning in a 'counterclockwise' direction - but
as viewed from over the motor or straight at the shaft? (Pardon my
mechanical ignorance.) As you can see, you can't really turn the whole
grinder.
Re. the rotation of grinding wheels, I don't see how the arc of the
wheel is any protection against dig-in. The back of the blade is still
going to be ground away at some point and this is where dig-in would
occur... I guess the idea is that the force on the tool created by
friction with the abrasive is directed toward the tool rest so the tool
doesn't threaten to pull up. The abrasives must be uniform enough that
you won't get a lump of something coming along to dig in to.

Must be something I'm missing here. If you're going to buy the motor
separately, just buy one which reverses. Or is there another question
hidden somewhere?

Yes, you _can_ screw up with a grinder, but you'd really have to be
ignorant. Something like setting the rest two inches away so you could dig
in if you let go. Doesn't take much to tip the edge if you're using a
belt.

"Gordon Airporte" wrote in message
...
Using a tool rest with plane irons and chisels, my intuition is to have
the belt running away from rather than into the edge - so the blade
can't dig in. Same thing for sharpening knives freehand. If this isn't
the case, how does one reverse the direction of an AC motor? Just
reverse hot and neutral?

I always sharpen my knives by honing into the edge. Same thing when I
sharpen my chisels and my plane irons. For those I use sandpaper, but I
hone into the edge. If I had to hit it with a belt sander to get it down to
a workable edge, I'd be fine with hitting it from either direction. It does
not take any real amount of effort or concentration to keep the edge from
digging in. Sometimes you can worry too much about these things, and it's
better to just do them. BTW, I keep a coarse wheel and a wire wheel on my
grinder so I don't put my edges against my grinder wheels - it would be
ugly.

Some AC motors can be reversed by changing the brush position, but not all.
No - reversing the hot and the neutral will not reverse the motor direction.
In fact, depending on the motor, that can be quite a hair raising
experience.
--

-Mike-

With this tool you would run the sandpaper into the edge, just like the
planer blade being sharpened in the pic





"Gordon Airporte" wrote in message
...
J wrote:

If this is not a troll, the answer is to simply turn the belt sander 180
degrees.


I hope I could have made it more interesting if it was ;-). I should
have mentioned that I was talking about one of these:
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...84&cat=1,43072
which suggests a motor turning in a 'counterclockwise' direction - but
as viewed from over the motor or straight at the shaft? (Pardon my
mechanical ignorance.) As you can see, you can't really turn the whole
grinder.
Re. the rotation of grinding wheels, I don't see how the arc of the
wheel is any protection against dig-in. The back of the blade is still
going to be ground away at some point and this is where dig-in would
occur... I guess the idea is that the force on the tool created by
friction with the abrasive is directed toward the tool rest so the tool
doesn't threaten to pull up. The abrasives must be uniform enough that
you won't get a lump of something coming along to dig in to.

Check any machine shop in the country. Belt sanders rotate the same way as
grinders, into the cutting edge. I, and everyone I work with, have been
doing it this way for as long as I have been around. Extremely rare to see a
damaged belt. To reverse rotation would require a custom tool and, in any
case, OSHA would have a cow.

"George" george@least wrote in message
...

Think about this. The wheel provided you natural protection against a
dig-in, because it was round, and you were sharpening at a tangent. The
belt is flat. Not a good practice.

Depending on the motor, you might find instructions to reverse it, but the
fractional HP types are less likely than the bigger ones to have this
feature.

Unless they are using a special motor, the belt rotates in the usual
direction. I have seen this machine (but sold elsewhere) and know that it
rotates in the usual direction. BTW, this machine is popular with
knifemakers.

"Gordon Airporte" wrote in message
...
J wrote:

If this is not a troll, the answer is to simply turn the belt sander 180
degrees.


I hope I could have made it more interesting if it was ;-). I should
have mentioned that I was talking about one of these:
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...84&cat=1,43072
which suggests a motor turning in a 'counterclockwise' direction - but
as viewed from over the motor or straight at the shaft? (Pardon my
mechanical ignorance.) As you can see, you can't really turn the whole
grinder.
Re. the rotation of grinding wheels, I don't see how the arc of the
wheel is any protection against dig-in. The back of the blade is still
going to be ground away at some point and this is where dig-in would
occur... I guess the idea is that the force on the tool created by
friction with the abrasive is directed toward the tool rest so the tool
doesn't threaten to pull up. The abrasives must be uniform enough that
you won't get a lump of something coming along to dig in to.

"Chuck Hoffman" wrote in message
news
Think about this for a moment. In school, I was taught to sharpen plane
irons on a grinder and the wheel was always turning INTO the work.
Wouldn't
the same logic apply to a belt sander?

Well think about this Chuck. The OP is talking about a sanding belt. The
sanding belt will cut very easily as opposed to a hard grinding wheel that
will gouge at worst. FWIW the wheel spins in to the cutting edge of my
Tormek when sharpening chisels, turning tools or plane blades.

On Thu, 27 Jan 2005 17:36:23 GMT, "Leon" wrote:

You are correct that the belt should turn away from the edge that you are
sharpening.


beep wrong driving the tool into the rest is the way to go. thousands of plane
irons can't be wrong (G) if the belt is going away it would tend to pull the
tool away and change the angle.

--
Knight-Toolworks & Custom Planes
Custom made wooden planes at reasonable prices
See http://www.knight-toolworks.com For prices and ordering instructions.

Think about this. The wheel provided you natural protection against a
dig-in, because it was round, and you were sharpening at a tangent. The
belt is flat. Not a good practice.

I have never had a problem when using a tool rest and the belt running towards
the too. that's even with a 1/2" gap between rest and belt.
even free hand the only problems I have are letting the tool slip sideways or
down and getting my finger. I don't ever remember steel getting caught by the
belt and causing a problem. I have sharpened and ground many blades this way
over 3000 of them.

--
Knight-Toolworks & Custom Planes
Custom made wooden planes at reasonable prices
See http://www.knight-toolworks.com For prices and ordering instructions.

"Steve Knight" wrote in message
...


Think about this. The wheel provided you natural protection against a
dig-in, because it was round, and you were sharpening at a tangent. The
belt is flat. Not a good practice.

I have never had a problem when using a tool rest and the belt running
towards
the too. that's even with a 1/2" gap between rest and belt.
even free hand the only problems I have are letting the tool slip
sideways or
down and getting my finger. I don't ever remember steel getting caught by
the
belt and causing a problem. I have sharpened and ground many blades this
way
over 3000 of them.


You can't hear it, but I'm applauding.

However, it's the mind, not the hand which is required here. The statement
is true, it's just not the way you do things. Anything which makes the belt
less than flat (even inadequate tension) can take the piece away at worst,
ruin the edge at best if it is running toward you. Not to mention the hot
sparks flaming your hands unnecessarily.

However, it's the mind, not the hand which is required here. The statement
is true, it's just not the way you do things. Anything which makes the belt
less than flat (even inadequate tension) can take the piece away at worst,
ruin the edge at best if it is running toward you. Not to mention the hot
sparks flaming your hands unnecessarily.


well that could be true but if the belt does not have enough tension your going
to have a bad grind anyway. I have a hardened steel plate behind the belt where
the blade hits. it stretches the belt tight too.
the sparks usually hit your belly (G) once I set my apron on fire (G) atleast
burned a hole in it. but that happens when the belt is getting dull.

--
Knight-Toolworks & Custom Planes
Custom made wooden planes at reasonable prices
See http://www.knight-toolworks.com For prices and ordering instructions.

"Steve Knight" wrote in message
...

However, it's the mind, not the hand which is required here. The
statement
is true, it's just not the way you do things. Anything which makes the
belt
less than flat (even inadequate tension) can take the piece away at
worst,
ruin the edge at best if it is running toward you. Not to mention the
hot
sparks flaming your hands unnecessarily.


well that could be true but if the belt does not have enough tension your
going
to have a bad grind anyway. I have a hardened steel plate behind the belt
where
the blade hits. it stretches the belt tight too.
the sparks usually hit your belly (G) once I set my apron on fire (G)
atleast
burned a hole in it. but that happens when the belt is getting dull.


In case you hadn't noticed, the unit he referenced has a light-duty table, a
platen which rarely reaches the belt, and a spring tensioner. All are
disasters in waiting if he uses it toward the edge, tolerable if away. Oh
yes, on a narrow belt it's easier to run off the edge, too.

Now let's rethink the wheels - honing is better in the opposite direction.

Steve Knight wrote:

beep wrong driving the tool into the rest is the way to go. thousands of plane
irons can't be wrong (G) if the belt is going away it would tend to pull the
tool away and change the angle.


Like climb-cutting with a router - requiring extra care if you
absolutely must do it. I'll look into an asbestos apron.

George wrote:

Must be something I'm missing here. If you're going to buy the motor
separately, just buy one which reverses. Or is there another question
hidden somewhere?


I have one already sitting around that turns clockwise looking straight
on at the shaft. I didn't purchase it so I have no idea what the deal is
there - whether it was special because of it rotation, whether it's
reversible.

"Gordon Airporte" wrote in message
...
George wrote:

Must be something I'm missing here. If you're going to buy the motor
separately, just buy one which reverses. Or is there another question
hidden somewhere?


I have one already sitting around that turns clockwise looking straight
on at the shaft. I didn't purchase it so I have no idea what the deal is
there - whether it was special because of it rotation, whether it's
reversible.

Got a nameplate? You're sitting in front of a search engine. Ability to
reverse is usually ascertainable by looking under the wiring plate.

http://www.engin.umich.edu/labs/csdl/ME350/motors/ac/ Will help identify
main features.

http://www.metalwebnews.com/howto/el.../elec-mtr.html May suffice if
there isn't a wiring diagram under the plate.

"George" george@least wrote in message
...
Not to mention the hot
sparks flaming your hands unnecessarily.


Yes, it's far better to have them flying in your face.

Like climb-cutting with a router - requiring extra care if you
absolutely must do it. I'll look into an asbestos apron.

(G) the thing is you get more sparks with a duller belt. they seem to be hotter
too.

--
Knight-Toolworks & Custom Planes
Custom made wooden planes at reasonable prices
See http://www.knight-toolworks.com For prices and ordering instructions.

"CW" wrote in message
...

"George" george@least wrote in message
...
Not to mention the hot
sparks flaming your hands unnecessarily.


Yes, it's far better to have them flying in your face.



Most of us stand in _front_ of the tool, not over it. Perhaps you should
try it.

That's probably why you have so much problem. Try getting close enough so
you can see what you are doing.

"George" george@least wrote in message
...

"CW" wrote in message
...

"George" george@least wrote in message
...
Not to mention the hot
sparks flaming your hands unnecessarily.


Yes, it's far better to have them flying in your face.



Most of us stand in _front_ of the tool, not over it. Perhaps you should
try it.

"Steve Knight" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 27 Jan 2005 17:36:23 GMT, "Leon"
wrote:

You are correct that the belt should turn away from the edge that you are
sharpening.


beep wrong driving the tool into the rest is the way to go. thousands of
plane
irons can't be wrong (G) if the belt is going away it would tend to pull
the
tool away and change the angle.

OK OK Ok ok ok ok ok... Goes against the way of my thinking but I trust
your comments. :~) I thought it would surely make the cutting edge cut
into the belt.