A Less Expensive Option for a 2” Belt Sander
Posted: Sat May 23, 2015 5:12 pm
I ran across a new piece of equipment that I thought might be of interest to some of you.
It's called the Jiffy Sander Conversion and it is sold through USA Knifemaker Supply.
One of the first sanders I purchased was a 4" X 36" Craftsman belt sander with a 6" disk sander built into it.
I used the 6” disk sander quite a bit but the 4 x 36 belt sander I used mainly for fixed blade knives with large wooden handles, like kitchen knives.
For knife making and especially knife repair a 4"belt sander is not optimal; it's better than nothing, but certainly not ideal.
The Jiffy Sander Conversion adds the option of running 1 X 42, 2 X 42 & 2 X 48 belts on your 4" X 36" belt sander.
Jiffy Conversion- "The Rest of the Story"
https://youtu.be/UvBb2PpqF8Y
"Jiffy Installation"
https://youtu.be/3I3sjtYYQaE
Here is the link to USA KnifeMaker where the Jiffy is listed. It’s a new product, and apparently the demand is greater than the company’s ability to produce these at the moment. I had to wait two weeks while the Jiffy manufacturer moved into a larger facility.
http://usaknifemaker.com/jiffy-belt-san ... nders.html
The Jiffy Conversion will use my 1 x 42 belts as well as the 2 x 42 belts I had left over from a woefully underpowered sander, and it also gives the option of using the larger 2 x 48 belts. Tru-Grit and Jantz Supply both have a number of belts in the 2 x 48 size.
Speaking of underpowered here, the 2 x 42 craftsman belt sander/6” disk sander was only 1/3 hp. It was so underpowered that more than light pressure would stop the belt. With the Jiffy Conversion installed on my Craftsman 4 x 36 I have plenty of power with the 2/3 hp motor for 2 x 42 and 2 x 48 belts.
I did have a bit of trouble getting the tracking adjusted after I installed my Jiffy Conversion. I emailed USA KnifeMakers and I promptly got an email from Justin with this cell phone number enclosed. I called Justin and he walked me through a couple of things I did wrong and now the tracking on my Jiffy is excellent!
One of the big selling points to me about the Jiffy is that it adds 2 contact wheels that are a composite material, similar to skateboard wheels I am told, and I can grind on those wheels themselves without the work chattering like it does on metal wheels.
The Jiffy has a metal platen between the two contact wheels, but it can be removed if you wish to do slack belt grinding.
I have not done too much on the Jiffy yet; I have done a couple of knife repairs and so far I am quite impressed with. For the guy who has a 4 x 36 belt sander, or knows where he can pick one up cheaply, the Jiffy is an excellent tool! It will allow you to use 1 x 42 belts, 2 x 42 and 2 x 48 belts. For the hobbyist I think the Jiffy is an excellent investment. It gives you a 1 x 42 belt sander for detailed work and for knife sharpening, and a 2” x 42” (or 48”) belt sander with two different size contact wheels for knife grinding. The fact that you can also do slack belt grinding is a big plus. The Jiffy Conversion would make a great knife grinder for someone who wanted to make a few knives or for the beginning knife maker.
If a person was planning on doing production knife work, I think they would want a more powerful more versatile unit. But for the hobbyist who likes to make a few knives or repair a few knives, I think the Jiffy is a very viable option at a reasonable price.
There are some pictures of the Jiffy set up in my shop on my old 4 x 36 Craftsman belt sander.
In these pictures I had it set up for slack belt grinding. Note the platen is not behind the belt between the two wheels.
In these last two pictures I have reinstalled the platen.
It's called the Jiffy Sander Conversion and it is sold through USA Knifemaker Supply.
One of the first sanders I purchased was a 4" X 36" Craftsman belt sander with a 6" disk sander built into it.
I used the 6” disk sander quite a bit but the 4 x 36 belt sander I used mainly for fixed blade knives with large wooden handles, like kitchen knives.
For knife making and especially knife repair a 4"belt sander is not optimal; it's better than nothing, but certainly not ideal.
The Jiffy Sander Conversion adds the option of running 1 X 42, 2 X 42 & 2 X 48 belts on your 4" X 36" belt sander.
Jiffy Conversion- "The Rest of the Story"
https://youtu.be/UvBb2PpqF8Y
"Jiffy Installation"
https://youtu.be/3I3sjtYYQaE
Here is the link to USA KnifeMaker where the Jiffy is listed. It’s a new product, and apparently the demand is greater than the company’s ability to produce these at the moment. I had to wait two weeks while the Jiffy manufacturer moved into a larger facility.
http://usaknifemaker.com/jiffy-belt-san ... nders.html
The Jiffy Conversion will use my 1 x 42 belts as well as the 2 x 42 belts I had left over from a woefully underpowered sander, and it also gives the option of using the larger 2 x 48 belts. Tru-Grit and Jantz Supply both have a number of belts in the 2 x 48 size.
Speaking of underpowered here, the 2 x 42 craftsman belt sander/6” disk sander was only 1/3 hp. It was so underpowered that more than light pressure would stop the belt. With the Jiffy Conversion installed on my Craftsman 4 x 36 I have plenty of power with the 2/3 hp motor for 2 x 42 and 2 x 48 belts.
I did have a bit of trouble getting the tracking adjusted after I installed my Jiffy Conversion. I emailed USA KnifeMakers and I promptly got an email from Justin with this cell phone number enclosed. I called Justin and he walked me through a couple of things I did wrong and now the tracking on my Jiffy is excellent!
One of the big selling points to me about the Jiffy is that it adds 2 contact wheels that are a composite material, similar to skateboard wheels I am told, and I can grind on those wheels themselves without the work chattering like it does on metal wheels.
The Jiffy has a metal platen between the two contact wheels, but it can be removed if you wish to do slack belt grinding.
I have not done too much on the Jiffy yet; I have done a couple of knife repairs and so far I am quite impressed with. For the guy who has a 4 x 36 belt sander, or knows where he can pick one up cheaply, the Jiffy is an excellent tool! It will allow you to use 1 x 42 belts, 2 x 42 and 2 x 48 belts. For the hobbyist I think the Jiffy is an excellent investment. It gives you a 1 x 42 belt sander for detailed work and for knife sharpening, and a 2” x 42” (or 48”) belt sander with two different size contact wheels for knife grinding. The fact that you can also do slack belt grinding is a big plus. The Jiffy Conversion would make a great knife grinder for someone who wanted to make a few knives or for the beginning knife maker.
If a person was planning on doing production knife work, I think they would want a more powerful more versatile unit. But for the hobbyist who likes to make a few knives or repair a few knives, I think the Jiffy is a very viable option at a reasonable price.
There are some pictures of the Jiffy set up in my shop on my old 4 x 36 Craftsman belt sander.
In these pictures I had it set up for slack belt grinding. Note the platen is not behind the belt between the two wheels.