Home Made angle plate for disk sander

[Tonyg]

Hi Tony,
I think that belt sanders for knife makers are more popular for a few reasons (I would not classify myself as a knife make, but do make my own):
1) Easier to keep long surfaces flat and evenly reduced.
2) Better heat dissipation from the long belt (the more popular sanders seem to 2" x 72"although mine is metric at 50mm by 1830mm)
3 Multiple sized wheels to get easy radii for hollow grinding, concaves etc
4) Quick and easy to change grits between course removal and fine finish
5) Metal tends to clear from the belt easily as opposed to build up that you get on a grinding wheel
6) Easy to grind even convexes using the slack part of the belt
7) Ease of access on both sides of the belt without obstruction from the motor for instance
8) Grinding wheels wear down and change diameter whereas the wheel on the sander remains constant
9) Belts are cheap compared to grinding stone, easier to change and have more grit choices

I am sure that a good knife maker could come up with a few (maybe a lot) more

I tend to use mine for sharpening all sorts of other tool, even my drill bits with an attachment that fits to the platten section.