Harbor Freight 1 Inch Belt Sander Review
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- Опубліковано 7 вер 2024
- My review of the Harbor Freight 1 inch belt sander.
Amazon link: amzn.to/2CpFotL
Harbor Freight link: www.harborfrei...
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Before buying this sander I would use a rotary sander ua-cam.com/users/postUgkx3Pc2vLXfcgM5oIpF1iYcIWyFhHUC-G6v and didn't see the need for a belt sander. Boy was I wrong. this belt sander does the job quickly and gives a professional finish to the wood work.
Agreed!
*This is exactly what I needed for trimming the edge of oak boards **MyBest.Tools** I also used the disk to round edges while building an oak - walnut cabinet.*
I've had one of these about 10 yrs, very happy with it, its perfect for what I use it for, light hobby use, that's really what its designed for. I saw the tip about the belts from Home Depot, I'll be trying those.
I'm still enjoying mine as well. Thanks for the comment!
I never put the side cover back on. Took off the top clear plastic cover and tossed it away also. Did some sanding and cleaning in the area around belt tension. Belt changes are quick and easy now. Love my little 1x30.
one of my favorite tools in the garage , i use the heck out of it. probably had it 4 -5 years now.
Good to hear. I have already used it multiple times. Glad I bought it. Thanks for the comment!
I have one of these from HF. I use it with a quality belt to sharpen tungsten for welding. I keep it for tungsten only. For everything else I have a JET 6x48. So far the HF has done what I want, its three years old. I consider anything from HF with an electrical cord a roll of the dice.
It's a great tool for the price. I've had one for three years now and used it on wood, metal, leather and kydex projects. Funny thing is that I learned a couple of things about it from your video. Thanks for sharing.
I had never seen Kydex, looked it up. I'll have to get some and play with it.
HF belts are junk, get the diablo 1" belts from home depot and take the clear plastic guard on the top off so you can do inside curves, it's a great little sander been using mine for 3 years....
I'm getting into knife-making thank you for the good feedback bro!
Thanks!
Yes, Thank You! I was looking into buying one for myself, Diablo belts. Thanks again for your feedback. 👍👍
I used my HF sander for 5 years. When it went out I bought another one,
@@baldeagle5297 I'm REALLY leaning towards going to HF tomorrow and using 20% off coupon and paying like $42 for the 1× 30. Mr. Eagle, I think you just sold me, my friend!😁👍👍
I bought one of these a couple of years ago and first thing i did was change out the belt with a real good one. Nice little sander in my opinion, still going strong. I use it almost every day.
I agree! Thanks for the comment!
The greatest knife sharpener known to mankind. For final edge I flip worn out belts and load them with polishing compound. Scary sharp edges in a few passes.
That's a great idea to reuse belts. I'll have to give it a try.
Flipping belts great idea. Good to know other folks doing that too.
That's a great idea on flipping the belts. One question though, is there a jig that you can buy or make to maintain the cutting edge angle on the knife?
@Joe H best for a non blade guy that just wants a quick sharp edge and doesnt care about looks
I picked up one of these at my local flea market for $15 ,it works great.
Awesome!
Thanks for the advice I’m a teen just got into knife making and this was a huge step because I saved up for this for a month instead of a year for a really good one a Lowe’s
You're welcome. I hope your knives work out great!
It went great
I found a video on UA-cam of a guy sharpening cheap knives so I followed his idea but I bought a pack of belts from Amazon. I think they're about $20 for 600,800,1000 grit and I bought a separate leather belt on Amazon for maybe $25. Now all my knives have mirror edges. That's an awesome sander. There are also some guys selling an adjustable bed for that specific sander for sharpening knives, however, I'm not to keen on trusting it because you feed the edge of the blade facing up into the belt which is sketchy.
I have not used it to sharpen knives but I bet it works really well. Thanks for all the info, I'll have to check it out.
@@SoatMon
Definitely check it out. Just search 1x30 belts on Amazon and sort by average customer reviews, you'll see all sorts of belts.
HF is definitely hit or miss. But I have this one and use it all the time. I ordered nice belts online, and this thing works like a champ.
Agreed. Thanks for the comment!
Got one somewhere around 1996 or 97. Be nice to have one a bit larger, but mine is still working fine, and won't replace it until it dies. HF rules.
For the cost, they have a lot of great stuff. Thanks for the comment!
for diyers, hf is a good place to get your feet wet.
Just got one of these for Christmas and absolutely love it after some adjustments.
I use mine all the time for knocking off burrs, sharpening, shaping metal, etc. etc....
Greatest little knife sharpener I own. I can do 8 kitchen knives in about 8 minutes flat. Get some really fine abrasive belts online, a 1X30 leather belt for a strop along with polishing compound and you are off to the races. I added a sloped guide to the table of my saw using some wood scraps to help maintain the proper angle. No more sharpening stones!
Thanks for the suggestions and sharing your experience.
Thanks for the info!🗡️👍🤠
Just bought one. Seems good, the table was flat and a square. The problem was the kipp handle screw. It was like it was one size too small. Drilled and tapped the hole and put a standard thread screw in it. Also didn't have a spring in the handle. Like I said the rest of it seems fine. Only used it a little bit, but will be using a lot in the next few weeks.
It's interesting the level of quality control or lack there of but a good sander over all. Mine was perfect but I've had others I had to tweak to get them to work as designed. Thanks for sharing.
I've been using it a lot in the last day or so, it is working better than I had hoped. I'm making wooden gears to be used in a clock. The thin backstop is perfect for the finishing the gears. Using 320 grit. I can see how it will be good for sharpening various tools.
I still can't believe I went as long as I did without one of these. I love mine.
Me too!
Butt joint and taped belts are best, run smooth, and it can travel in either direction no problem
Overlap & glue joints suck, and you must also observe the arrow in the direction of travel.
I agree. Thanks for the comment!
Great review thank you I was thinking about getting one of these I recently started making knives and this will be good and inexpensive machine to start out with thanks again 👍
These are great little machines, however, you may find it a little lacking in power for making knives. I don't think it has enough horsepower to grind the profiles, it can do it but it will take a while a more powerful machine would probably be a better option. Good luck with your knife making.
I was googling this thing last night an now your vid pops up, it's a sign. I'm gettn one!
It's great for the money, I think you will like it.
@@SoatMon I just have to talk my wife into letting me buy another tool. In her defense I do buy a lot of tools and she always says "this is the last one", yeah right hahaha
I tell my wife I don't complain about your corn ware bowls do I?... Then harbor freight it is lol works every time
I got the same sander years back , and it's works great ,👍👍👍don't be afraid to get one
I was in my west Houston (TX) Harbor Freight this afternoon and they didn't have any of these units! I'm so bummed-out! (Of course, it's a year after this review...) Great review! Ty.
They should have one, if not they can order you one. They still sell them, here is a link www.harborfreight.com/1-in-x-30-in-belt-sander-61728.html
Amazon has the same thing but different brand (ex electronix express). It has done me well for what I've needed. Yes get better belts though.
I have been looking at it for a long time but I was afraid that the small motor would stall too easily. Thank you for the review!
I had the same concerns. Thanks for the comment!
Let the sanding belt do the deed jamming material into any cutting tool is a mistake. Before all the safety guards came out tools driven by a belt were often left on the slack side deliberately to avoid kick back ect. The motor is on the light side but not insufficient since the friction surface area is limited to 1" width. Take the motor binding down as a signal to back off with the pressure....Again this type of sander is NOT about hogging off material. In the end any tool has pretty specific reasons and the design is geared to those purposed...
It does, its a piece of shit. Motor has no power at all. Maybe if your sanding balsa wood
I've been needing but putting off buying a belt sander. You may have sold me on making a trip to Harbor Freight.
I use mine all the time when making projects.
You have just convinced me to get one of these
I think you will really like it.
You may also want to check the drive wheel for knock. I've found that the set screw can loosen occasionally and cause a knock like that, too.
Best knife sharpener I ever owned. Can put an edge better that a razor blade.
Thanks!
WHAT GRIT DO YOU USE FOR BLADES ? TKS
Make a video! Would like to see the examples of different types of blade sharpening!🗡️🗡️🗡️
Come back in one year. Hopefully you will still have a working machine. Great work brother. Keep em coming.
Thanks!
I've had the same one for over 2 years and it does the deed. Like any sander they're only as good as the belts...Like I said it works well but that 1/3hp claim is just that..Not that it matters much because it's for fine sanding and with leather belts to final sharped tools.
I agree with you. Thanks for the comment!
good stuff, I was thinking about this small sander. This helps my decision. Thanks for sharing
You're welcome!
I’ve had one for 5 years and made my first knife on it! Great tool for the money!
Agreed!
Appreciate this, thanks.
I think it's a great little tool for the price, and I'm really looking fwd to putting a new shop together...
That's great. I use my shop everyday I am home. Love it. Good luck with your new shop!
If you use it for wood, hook it up to a vacuum or open it up and blast it out with some air once in a while. I had one of the pulley bearing seize up from too much dust.
Good suggestion. Thanks!
I have one of those. You will at sometime be grinding a part above the bed holding it in your hand and when you touch a metal part, you will get a static shock.
It acts like a Van de Graaff generator and will build up a really good static charge to your body then piss you off when you unknowingly touch a piece of metal. Lol
I've never had that happen but it sounds exhilarating!
I also saw a You Tuber that trued his wheels with a sharp lathe tool and quietened it down a lot, as well as the belt runs with much less vibration. I plan to do that with mine.
Thanks for the idea!
just a heads up mine stopped working so i took the cover off below the switch and there is a small capacitor in there , i really thought it was the switch but i use this sander almost every time i'm in the garage so i ordered a new capacitor and a pack of switches - they came three to a pack off amazon . i should have stuck to my gut as i replaced the capacitor first and nothing so i replaced the switch and 😀and my sander ran like a charm again and hopefully will give me years of service as it is really made good imo.
Thanks for sharing your experience!
I had one from Menards and it was weak, took it back..... I was hoping it would be good
Wish you showed how to put the table on. For some reason me and my whole family are confused. Its likely very simple.
I have one. Love it after making pocket tools with a file and homemade jig
What kind of tools do you make?
@@SoatMon I'm just getting started but they are about 2.5 inches by 5/8 and there is a blade on side and bottle top opener on the other side and chisle on the end.
Some comments are very funy to me ....my son works in a company that repair large yachts and megayachts engines (cat, cummins, volvo, ,deutz, MAN) .. any tool, wrench, socket, etc even small ones cost 40 to 400 dollars. Each mechanic carry easily 3000 to 5000 dollars of tools on any visit. A large repair may need 20K on tools. All is snapon, hilti, and ton of brands (many american/german and some japanese) i never heard of ..!! But for the common guy doing weekenders many of HF stuff is more than enough. Sometimes is a matter of luck , I know ... Quality is not consistent as happen to a Dewalt or a BOSH. I would say the effectiveness of HF tool is 70%. If you are a professional mechanic or an aviation technician I guess you HAVE to play safe on tool quality side ... I have this small machine and works fine to me. I have a green water pump, a sump pump and i have emptied 2 times a 9000 gallon pool and the sucker still works perfectly !! HOURS working in a row .. !!
Clear plastic cover is just for directing chips and dust and protection for the eyes. The machine is better for casual home user, but in the long run just save up and get a better model with a higher horse power meter to reduce stalling.
My HF loses power when I use the strop belt to finish. Barely touch the belt and it stops turning.
its hard to believe they can build them and ship them overseas to sell for 40 something dollars and sure they may not be the highest quality tool but it works for that amount of money that looks like a winner to me
I agree, it's amazing how cheap you can get some things.
The larger 6” belts have the same problem. Looks like a decent tool with a good belt. Thanks for posting.
You're welcome, thank for the comment!
Thanks for posting. I've been planning on picking one up to make a few knives. Maybe you could do a follow up after you've used it for awhile.
That's a good idea. I use it almost everyday that I'm in the shop to clean an end of a piece of steel, remove a burr, etc.
You too ? I need one to sharpen the knives I want to make, good luck to you too in your forge colleague !
Nice handy little sander thanks for sharing. Maybe I'll get me one...
You're welcome!
I recently purchased one for personal use. My only issue at this point was the lack of variable grits for tte belts.
Harbor Freight has a couple of different grits and you can get others on Amazon. I use mine all the time. Great tool for the price.
Hi, how can I make my belt to be straight with the black metal because my belt is like not touching the black straight metal, do the belts. Red to have a direction?thanks
Is their enough room to put a strip of leather for knife buffing instead of sand paper on it ,just curios
I haven't done it but had several people tell me they sharpen knives using a leather strop on it.
Great idea!🗡️🗡️🗡️🗡️👍
I purchased one of these sanders a couple years ago and it worked fine until I tried to change the belt. I purchased a couple new belts from HF that were sized for this unit. I spent a whole day trying to get them to fit over the rollers. I ended up dismantling the sander's tracking adjuster to remove all the tension possible but never could get the belt to fit. I guess this is a case where one gets what one pays for,
it's not bad for the price. it is what it is. under powered but useful if you're in a jam. that damn table doesn't stay put ....
Exactly the video I needed! Thanks for posting!
You're welcome!
What does it mean when you sand for a minute, smell something funny, and the machine dies and won’t turn on again? This happened on my HF belt sander I’ve only use 3 times in the last 10 years.
I picked up one couple years back. I use it almost on a daily basis, good little unit! BTW, I agree, HF belts are junk, I also use the diablo belts at home depot.
Thanks!
Mine shocks the crap out of me and its just a static shock, any idea? it only happens when I am sanding metal then touch my scrollsaw table next to it.
I think you have a grounding problem. Make sure the housing of the machine is actually connected to the ground pin on the plug and then make sure that the outlet you are using is grounded. I think that will take care of it.
I bought one of these a week ago, been using it and I keep getting shocked when I sharpen or fix a knife blade! Has anyone gone thru this? Is it static shock? Do I have a faulty device? Any help would mean a lot!! I have messed up on some blades because I get shocked and jolt and mess the blade up!
Make sure the machine is grounded though the grounding pin on the plug. If you are plugging the ground pin into the outlet check to make sure the outlet ground is actually connected. If that doesn't work you might try connecting an additional ground from the housing to something that is grounded in your shop. Good luck, I know that's frustrating.
Question how can you adjust the belt to center it. Mine keep moving toward the side of of the motor
There is a knob on the back that you turn one way or the other to adjust it. It is explained in the manual. If you don't have the manual you can download it on their website.
Nice vid! I’ve had pretty good luck with Harbor Freight but I’ll keep my fingers crossed 😁
Thanks!
I would like to have a belt sander, but I can’t decide if I should buy this $50 one, or if I should just spend 25 more dollars and get the 4x36 inch grinder that also has a disc sander. Which one do you think I should buy? Should I pay 25 more dollars for a better one? By the way, I would like to make some knives. Thank you.
For knives I would buy the bigger one.
Soat Mon got it. Thank you very much
I have mine for 2 years and been working great. I use my for wood working.
Awesome. Thanks!
Will it work for beveling for a beginner knife makers right now I’m just useing files
It would work great for knives.
Yes, it works great and you can get belts all the way up to 2000 grit. Maybe even finer but I never used any finer than that.
@@boatingman11 I was thinking of buying one for knife sharpening, Ed if you don't mind, what grit belts would I need to use for sharpening a blade from beginning to end for the best edge. I understand it may depend on the type of metal the knife blade is made from, I guess.
Thanks in advance. ▪Jay▪
get a leather belt and some green compound, 2 mins. a side and you can shave hair easily...
@@silvergrizzly316 ... Sorry. For some reason, I just now got your inquiry. For cheap, yard machetes, I start at 220g to get my profile, go to 320g, then 400g, and finally, a quick strop to remove burrs.
For good knives that have never been sharpened, I start at 320g for profile, go to 500g to start removing scratches, 800g, 1,200g, then 2000g for polish. Then, depending on the blade, I do a leather strop on the machine, or a hand strop pon canvas covered boards that I make. I get a better result from the canvas strops but it takes a little longer. The strops are charged with varying degrees of compound for polish. I still use the measurement of grit but you can download free conversion charts for other abrasion counts.
Also, Curry Custom Cutlery has some great videos on reviews for different brands of belts. It's well worth the time to watch.
Good luck with your knife making, my friend.
Hi
I have exactly the same machine but mine is yellow but it's got a different name on it which I can't remember off top of my head but mine whines when I turn it on.
I'm not sure how to tension belt properly but I think that's the problem I think it's a bit tight.
Cheers
Tim from Wood 4 Nothing
Very Cool Super Informative Thank you 💪❤️🎥
You're welcome!
Can you use this tool for wood I’m a beginner and need something to start out.
Yes it will work for wood.
Thank you so much I will be looking forward to possibly getting one of these
I’m on my second sander just like the one you have. Both shock me so bad I don’t use them. Everything else I have plugged into the same plug doesn’t shock me. How would I remedy this problem. I’ve already grounded it to a GFCI and it still shocks and shocks bad.
Someone else made that same complaint. I would think that the sander body is not grounded and would check to make sure that your wall outlet is properly grounded and that the ground wire on the sander is actually connected to the sander body. Not an electrician but that is what I would check first.
Good deal, i want one now..😀👍
I think you will really like it.
I have no idea how you got that belt on and off so easy.
Be sure you are taking the tension off first.
What Grit Sander Belts do you want to purchase extra for Aluminum/Metal?
Usually a 80 grit. Coarser grits are better on aluminum as it tends to clog the belt with fine grits.
@@SoatMon Thank You Kindly. Will make note of your suggestion.
I just purchased similar sander found here: amzn.to/3okbajb
Do you think it is a good sander for making knives?
It's not powerful enough to shape a knife in a reasonable amount of time but would be great for sharpening etc.
Think I'll gonna buy one.
I use mine all the time.
Is it still in market in uk ?? Please message me
Thanks
You're welcome!
I have this exact sander and keep getting shocked, maybe static. Any info of what I'm doing wrong or what I can do?
I would check to make sure it's grounded and that the plug it's in is grounded.
@@SoatMon it is. That's what I don't understand. It's my 2nd harbor freight sander doing the same thing. Must be a friction thing.. been reading up on it.
Do you guys think I can find sum belts in a 500 grit or higher.
Yes and you can get a leather belt to use a strop.
Very nice brother i like it :)
What happen to the tip of your finger
Tablesaw back in the 80's.
Is the vertical plate behind the belt (which you press against) removable so there is more "yield" when sanding round objects, like cow horns for example?
I usually sand round objects above it, there is flex to belt at the top. .
I can't get the belts where I am living
You should be able to order them online. They are available on ebay, amazon, harbor freight, etc.
It’s called the internet
Amazon!
Nice how you did not unplug to change the belt. No wonder you are missing part of a finger.
Same as the Grizzly one. Bought one and it caught on fire wile not turned on. Basically melted. Some sort of electrical short! Buyer beware!
They are pretty crappy. Mine vibrated apart and the on off switch failed. I bypassed the switch and still use it though. I wouldnt buy another one.
they're junk,I used mine 3times the motor burned out. I guess I got a bad one
I got the poor man's grinder, a square of sand paper on a small dremal
Lol. That works pretty good for a lot of things.
belts are junk that spot where there glued is much to thick i had better luck with other brands
Thanks for watching!
I bought one of these and its completely useless for doing any kind of real work.
USE YOUR 25% COUPON GET THE WARRANTY AND GET A NEW ONE EVERY YEAR!
Your missing a finger nail🙀
and part of a finger...
@@SoatMon I think it was done at the same time
getting table on is a pain in the ass and the instructions are terrible
metal made of chinesiam
American scrap metal sent to China for melt down then shipped back to the U.S. as low end products!🇺🇸🤠👍. Corporate America (not some foreign nation) has sold us all out!🤠🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Was that thing plugged in during the belt change wrestle?
Yes....yes it was.
Thumbs down.
Thanks
You're welcome.