Truth be told most sanding projects cannot be completed with only one of these tools. Bench grinder or belt sander for knife making here we tip the hat to the belt sander.

Best Belt Grinders For Knife Making 2020 Reviews Amp Buyer S
Belt sander vs belt grinder. The belt sander can be utilized as a lightweight belt grinder by buying belts that are meant to be used on metal. But the belt sander can do the fine tuning and really smooth out the metal. The bench grinder may be good for the initial rough work and get the basic shape of the knife. Belt grinder is used for grinding the metals for industrial purposes. In all honesty most sanding projects cant be completed with only one of these tools. You will need a belt sander for aggressive and heavy duty sanding and shaping.
Orbital sander which should you get. The grinder also performs contour sanding dry sharpening and intricate part sanding. Belt grinders are also known as belt sanders. Been looking into a little bench grinder or maybe a freestanding beltdisk sander. Knife makers call it belt grinder instead of belt sander. Youll need a belt sander for heavy duty sanding and shaping.
The best sander to eliminate or at least reduce the visibility of scratches is a random orbital sander. This equipment has a belt of abrasive metal that helps in grinding the metal. Beltdisk sander ive found myself needing to grind steel a lot lately but i cant keep turning the hand held belt sander upside down and using it as a flat surface. However belt sanders are limited when it comes to sharpening efficiency on steel materials and can lead to heat buildup faster due to the sanders higher speeds. There is absolutely no difference between a belt grinder and a belt sander. The grinder product combines the bench top sander with a one inch by 30 inch belt sander.
Orbital sander which to get. A belt sander is used for sanding mostly wooden material. Belt sander has a rotating sander belt that is made up of sandpaper. We have a little 3 bench grinder at work with an abrasive wheel on one side. In either case however sanders are generally more precise and gentle tools than grinders. One example of that would be when trying to remove old paint from a metal surface.
For example while a belt sander is designed for rougher work palm sanders are designed for more precise finishing work. The grizzly h6070 is incredibly versatile. And although an orbital sanders leave considerably fewer scratch marks than belt sanders these marks are still noticeable.