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Custom Miter for grinding HSS Tooling.

Aidan Weber

Plastic
Joined
Apr 30, 2019
I bought a Small 42" JET Belt Sander to grind tooling on for lathe work. It came with what was called a "Deluxe Miter" which pretty much meant that the "rest" was taller than usual.(JET(R) 2" x 42" Belt Grinder - Disc Sander Combo | JET(R) Metalworking Tools) I

Problems with Miter:

The miter is made of plastic mostly, and the angle adjustment isn't secured very well. It has a small bolt that has a plastic knob fitted to the top; meaning it can only be hand tightened. It's likely meant solely for wood work, and is fine for small wood grinding applications. But do to the pressure I have to apply in order to keep my blank in-place it likes to work its way out and I lose the angle that I have set. It also doesn't have a long enough supporting face for when grinding the left edge of the blank at a severe angle (45 degree grind for a Neutral 45 tool). Also because its made of plastic, its getting pretty worn after only some light use.

This is my idea for a custom Miter-esque fixture for my Belt Sander.
Custom Miter RD.jpg

Apologies for the rough drawing, going to CAD it soon.

Pretty much make my own miter, laser cut a angle guide out of acrylic, attach to a slotted block... it's a miter. Tap it and add a bolt, or some all-thread and a jam nut, or a... to fix the angle slip.
Then attach a 1"x2"x1/8" aluminum tube to use as my support. Mill an extension that fits inside of the tube, to be flush with both the supporting edge of the tube stock and the face of the "table". Attach via set screws through the top of the tube. That fixes the support problem, when at a severe angle. Another idea I had was to make it function as a vice as well. With a built in clamp.

Has anyone had to do this? What did ya'll come up with? Or thoughts on my design? Sorry that this was lengthy.
 
I bought a Small 42" JET Belt Sander to grind tooling on for lathe work. It came with what was called a "Deluxe Miter" which pretty much meant that the "rest" was taller than usual.(JET(R) 2" x 42" Belt Grinder - Disc Sander Combo | JET(R) Metalworking Tools) I

Problems with Miter:

The miter is made of plastic mostly, and the angle adjustment isn't secured very well. It has a small bolt that has a plastic knob fitted to the top; meaning it can only be hand tightened. It's likely meant solely for wood work, and is fine for small wood grinding applications. But do to the pressure I have to apply in order to keep my blank in-place it likes to work its way out and I lose the angle that I have set. It also doesn't have a long enough supporting face for when grinding the left edge of the blank at a severe angle (45 degree grind for a Neutral 45 tool). Also because its made of plastic, its getting pretty worn after only some light use.

This is my idea for a custom Miter-esque fixture for my Belt Sander.
View attachment 259150

Apologies for the rough drawing, going to CAD it soon.

Pretty much make my own miter, laser cut a angle guide out of acrylic, attach to a slotted block... it's a miter. Tap it and add a bolt, or some all-thread and a jam nut, or a... to fix the angle slip.
Then attach a 1"x2"x1/8" aluminum tube to use as my support. Mill an extension that fits inside of the tube, to be flush with both the supporting edge of the tube stock and the face of the "table". Attach via set screws through the top of the tube. That fixes the support problem, when at a severe angle. Another idea I had was to make it function as a vice as well. With a built in clamp.

Has anyone had to do this? What did ya'll come up with? Or thoughts on my design? Sorry that this was lengthy.

Waste of time?

Had all sorts of belt sanders. Useful critters. Very.

But never met one that could suit me for shaping, let alone sharpening, tooling - HSS or otherwise - as well as a proper grinding wheel.

You want to make a grinding jig, make it for the more appropriate device. A grinder.
 
Waste of time?

Had all sorts of belt sanders. Useful critters. Very.

But never met one that could suit me for shaping, let alone sharpening, tooling - HSS or otherwise - as well as a proper grinding wheel.

You want to make a grinding jig, make it for the more appropriate device. A grinder.

Dumb Question, by how do you overcome the gradual rounding of your grind? I find it takes a sec, but on a belt I get straight lines and a good finish.
 
Dumb Question, by how do you overcome the gradual rounding of your grind?
Move the tool as you grind to offset that.

Use a cup or "face" wheel if the edge isn't to be allowed any curve in the relief area. That's not even important for a lathe tool, but some other tools it can be.

Flexible-belt carried abrasives - certainly not off the back of cheap-ass goods (you did say "Jet?") - OTOH, can't generate the sort of sharp edges any serious cutting tool needs.

Just look at your belt-shaped edges under decent magnification. Proper HSS grinds don't just make chips well. As with a razor, they are meant to slice, not push, can easily draw blood.

Edge goes rounded or breaks-down, cutting-tool produces more heat and damage than useful results.
 
Apparently the OP is simply mashing the toolbit straight into the 2" wide belt sander face ?
 
Just look at your belt-shaped edges under decent magnification. Proper HSS grinds don't just make chips well. As with a razor, they are meant to slice, not push,s.

Not true. They cut by exactly the same mechanical means as any other cutting tool in metal, the force of the tool on the work sets up a shear plane ahead of it.

Dumb Question, by how do you overcome the gradual rounding of your grind? I find it takes a sec, but on a belt I get straight lines and a good finish.

I think a wheel is best, I can see how a belt could create some slight rounding in the wrong direction. The rounding you're talking about from the wheel can be handy though, after bench grinding you should stone the tool and with the slight hollow grind it makes stoning quick work as the hollow means the stone action is concentrated on the edge. If you don't want that hollow, do them on a T&GC until spark out, that's a great way to a great edge. Add a mist cooler and you can really have at it, that's how I do the bits that need the angles right, because its faster than bench grinder/stone
 
I bought a Small 42" JET Belt Sander to grind tooling on for lathe work. It came with what was called a "Deluxe Miter" which pretty much meant that the "rest" was taller than usual.(JET(R) 2" x 42" Belt Grinder - Disc Sander Combo | JET(R) Metalworking Tools) I

Problems with Miter:

The miter is made of plastic mostly, and the angle adjustment isn't secured very well. It has a small bolt that has a plastic knob fitted to the top; meaning it can only be hand tightened. It's likely meant solely for wood work, and is fine for small wood grinding applications. But do to the pressure I have to apply in order to keep my blank in-place it likes to work its way out and I lose the angle that I have set. It also doesn't have a long enough supporting face for when grinding the left edge of the blank at a severe angle (45 degree grind for a Neutral 45 tool). Also because its made of plastic, its getting pretty worn after only some light use.

This is my idea for a custom Miter-esque fixture for my Belt Sander.
View attachment 259150

Apologies for the rough drawing, going to CAD it soon.

Pretty much make my own miter, laser cut a angle guide out of acrylic, attach to a slotted block... it's a miter. Tap it and add a bolt, or some all-thread and a jam nut, or a... to fix the angle slip.
Then attach a 1"x2"x1/8" aluminum tube to use as my support. Mill an extension that fits inside of the tube, to be flush with both the supporting edge of the tube stock and the face of the "table". Attach via set screws through the top of the tube. That fixes the support problem, when at a severe angle. Another idea I had was to make it function as a vice as well. With a built in clamp.

Has anyone had to do this? What did ya'll come up with? Or thoughts on my design? Sorry that this was lengthy.

Aidan,
This is a professional forum. Belt grinders do not sharpen HSS tooling. You have bought the wrong tool. There is no inexpensive, read cheap, way to sharpen tools. Eventually you will learn this and all the money you spent to save money will have been wasted. There is no substitute for correct. If you stay in this trade long enough, you will end up with a Baldor 500 series grinder or equivalent with a 60 grit aluminum oxide wheel, dressed with a diamond. That's how you sharpen HSS lathe tools.
 








 
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