1" x 42" Sanding Belts, 12 PACK

The 1" x 42" bench belt sander is the most common knife-sharpening machine in small shops, and it is also the size on the Kalamazoo 1SM that machinists and fabricators use for deburring and small-parts work. We convert these belts on a poly-cotton cloth backing with heat-treated grain so they hold their edge on the platen and track true around the small idler wheels of a bench machine.

Two grains cover the work this size actually does. Cloth A/O handles wood, brass, aluminum and every sharpening and finishing grit from 150 to 600. Ceramic is the coarse-grit choice for profiling and setting bevels on hardened blade steel and for grinding stainless and tool steel. Twelve belts per pack, 24 through 600 grit.

• Fits the Kalamazoo 1SM and 1 x 42 bench belt sanders and belt/disc combos
• Cloth A/O from 24 to 600 grit: one belt family from profiling to pre-polish
• Ceramic option for hardened blade steel, stainless and tool steel
• Poly-cotton cloth backing runs wet or dry and survives the small idler wheels
• 12 belts per pack, enough for a full grit progression plus spares
• Converted in Anaheim, California; custom lengths in about 3 days

Ceramic or Cloth A/O: which 1" x 42" belt do you need?

The grain question on a 1" x 42" is really a pressure question. A bench belt sander is a light-duty machine, so the grain has to work with the pressure you can actually apply over a 1" wide platen.

• Cloth A/O (aluminum oxide): the right belt for most 1" x 42" work. It cuts wood, plastics, brass, copper and aluminum cleanly, sharpens carbon and stainless kitchen and pocket knives at light pressure without overheating the edge, and is the only grain we stock in this size above the coarse grits. If you are buying a sharpening progression, buy Cloth A/O in 120, 220, 400 and 600.
• Ceramic: a sol-gel grain that keeps cutting at a steady rate on hardened steel, stainless and high-alloy tool steel where aluminum oxide dulls quickly. It only does that under firm pressure against the platen; used with a light sharpening touch it glazes and heats the blade. Buy ceramic for coarse profiling, re-grinding a chipped edge, setting a new bevel, or deburring steel on a Kalamazoo 1SM. Finish the edge with Cloth A/O.

The previous version of this page also discussed zirconia and grinding-aid zirconia. Those grains are not stocked in 1" x 42"; if you want them in this length we can convert them as a custom belt.

Grit guide for knife sharpening and small-parts work

For wood on a 1" x 42", 80 grit shapes, 120 to 150 smooths, and 220 is the stopping point before finish. For deburring machined aluminum and steel, 80 to 120 removes the burr without rounding the edge.

What machines take a 1" x 42" belt?

• Kalamazoo Industries 1SM: the industrial 1" x 42" bench sander found in machine shops and fab shops for deburring, chamfering and small-parts finishing.
• 1" x 42" bench belt sanders and belt/disc combination machines from the hobby and woodworking brands. These are the machines most knife sharpeners and woodturners own; check your manual for the belt size and you will usually find it printed on the belt tension cover as well.
• Sharpening stations built around a 1" x 42" belt, including machines with an adjustable tool rest or angle guide for consistent bevels.

Fitting: back off the tracking knob, hang the belt over both wheels, tension it, then rotate by hand and adjust tracking until the belt runs centred on the platen. Check the inside of the belt for a direction arrow before mounting and run it that way. If your machine specifies a slightly different length, we can make it; small length differences matter on a 42" belt because most bench machines have limited tension travel.

How to sharpen a knife on a 1" x 42" belt

1. Start with a Cloth A/O belt no coarser than the edge needs. A dull but undamaged edge starts at 220 or 320; a chipped edge starts at 80 or 120; only a re-profile needs ceramic in the coarse grits.
2. Run the machine at its slowest speed if it is variable speed. Heat is the enemy of a thin edge.
3. Hold a consistent angle and draw the blade across the belt from heel to tip with light pressure. Let the belt do the cutting.
4. Dip the blade in water after every pass or two. If the edge feels warm to your fingers it is close to too hot; if it changes colour, the temper is gone in that spot.
5. Raise a burr along the full length on one side, flip, and repeat. Then step up a grit and repeat with lighter pressure.
6. Finish at 400 or 600 grit and strop or use a leather belt on a larger grinder to remove the wire edge.

How to get the most out of it

1. Use the platen for flat work and the slack section for curves. Bevels, small parts and edges belong on the platen; convex grinds and contoured handles use the slack belt between wheels.
2. Give ceramic pressure, give Cloth A/O a light touch. Ceramic must be worked hard to self-sharpen; aluminum oxide cuts best when you let it.
3. Keep the work moving across the belt width so you do not wear a groove in the centre of a 1" belt.
4. Clean loaded belts with a crepe rubber belt eraser. Wood resin and aluminum pack the grain fast on fine grits; the eraser brings the belt back.
5. Use a grease stick on aluminum and brass if the belt starts to squeal or load.
6. Store belts hanging, not folded in a drawer; a set in the cloth shows up as a bump on the platen.

Use it for / don't use it for

Use it for

• Sharpening kitchen, hunting and pocket knives, chisels, plane irons and lathe tools
• Profiling and bevelling small knife blanks (ceramic in coarse grits)
• Deburring, chamfering and finishing small machined steel and aluminum parts
• Shaping and smoothing small wood parts, pen blanks, handles and turnings
• Fitting and finishing brass and copper hardware

Don't use it for

• Heavy stock removal on large blades or thick plate; that is a 2" x 72" grinder's job
• Ceramic at light sharpening pressure; it glazes and overheats the edge
• Running a fine-grit belt at full speed on a thin edge without cooling
• Machines that call for a different belt length; a belt that will not tension properly will not track

Specifications

Frequently asked questions

Related products and guides

• Knife making belts and supplies
• 1" x 42" Surface Conditioning Belts for a satin finish
• 1" x 30" Belt Starter Kit for smaller bench sanders
• Belt eraser for cleaning loaded belts
• Custom sanding belts made to order in about 3 days