Knife Sharpening Angle Guide for 1 x 30 Sander

This is safer, the belts last longer, and the blades are sharper than the sister product that sharpens INTO the belt. I have achieved the sharpest blades, consistently, than any other method/product that I have tried.

The best part of this design is the way it slips over the platen and is held by a strong springIt works pretty well to get a nice edgeA few odd or inconvenient features that I had to correct…. YouTube videos explain all of these- It’s backwards for a Harbor Freight 1x30. To avoid kinking a 3M micron finishing belt (on thin plastic backing) you have to slide it off the platen-it doesn’t work perfectly for small knives (e.g. Leatherman) because the gap between it and the belt is too large-the angle markings seem way off so I just used a protractor and cut some cardboard templates-the guide isn’t at a perfect right angle an I had to bend/grind/file to straighten it-it interferes with a large knife bolster and you have to freehand the last inch or soBut I knew about all of those things in advance and bought it anyway—would have taken me longer to design/build one on my own than it did to modify this one

These "Knife Sharpening Angle Guide for 1 x 30 Belt Sander (Combo Pack - 1 of Each Angle Guide)" fit perfectly on my Harbor Freight Central Machinery cheapo belt grinder. If you're especially concerned about getting an exact degree angle, check it with some other equipment, e.g. angle gauge, protractor, like you would doing any other kind of precision work. For instance if you set one of the guides I got at 10 degrees indicator, it is actually more like 13.65 degrees. So if I needed a 10 degree angle, I'd have to lengthen the slot with a dremmel drill or something. The degree indicators are just stamped into the metal, and not intended to be super accurate. My only other comment would be that they come with some rough edges, that need to be ground smooth, that could scratch the side of your work as you press it against the guide. Buy hey, your standing in front of a grinder right? I couldn't make these for $30 bucks worth of time and they are easily cleaned up to fit my purpose.

Did not work for me. This was not the 'end all' solution I thought it would be.Problem 1. As some others have mentioned doing smaller knives is practically impossible because the angle guide sits far off the belt. This is hard to tell just by looking at the item, but once you have this installed it is very difficult to have the blade edge reach the belt without the knife coming off the edge of the guide or dangling to the point where the angle changes. The distance from the belt could be decreased to increase usability.Problem 2. The surface area to keep the blade flat is quite small. This is by design as it has to work on a 1 inch wide area. Making it wider would further restrict how much of the blades edge could reach the belt for sharpening. But it could be made taller to increase the surface area.In practice,I found myself focusing on trying to balance the knife to keep it flat on such a small area. This is important to maintain the same angle. Seems simple, but it's harder in use when the belt wants to pull the blade from you. There was a lot of shifting around happening which was counterproductive.Three things need to happen for it all to work. The knife needs to be kept perfectly flat, all the while your pressure or distance from the belt has to be kept consistent to avoid burning the edge. The speed you move the blade across must also be consistent or else you risk burning or wearing out the edge more depending on your belts grit.I found myself focusing on one but ignoring the others and flatspotting the edge several times. I got better results from freehanding it without using the angle guide. If you put in the time and practice a lot I could see this working. I wanted something that required less effort. This wasn't it.

Just what is needed to put a razor sharp edge on your knives. Strongly suggest that some kind of angle measuring device is used to check the angle guides setting. I set my belt sander on its side and this allows the belt to spin away from me horizontally. With angle guide mounted, I lay my knife blade on it with the edge just making contact with the belt. I then pull the edge across the moving belt, flipping the blade after each pass. I usually use several different grades of belts and finish off with a leather strop for a razor sharp finish.

This angle guide was purchased for my 1x30 belt grinder. installation was simple and quick. Spring steel on the back of the guide holds it to the platen. I used my digital angle guide to confirm my desired angle is correct. The screws that hold the angle are of good size for tightening by hand and have not come loose.

Good product Good price

Mounted this on my Harbor Freight 1"x30 sander. It has entirely too much play in multiple directions. It freely moves up, down and angles from left to right at will. Also as other reviews noted, small bladed knives are almost impossible to use with this item. It tends to allow the belt to pull the blade downward and into the rest. I have tried several improvised fixes but I can't find a way to make it steady and useful.