Kalamazoo 2FSM 2" W/Motor Kalamazoo Belt Sander Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This is the 2"x48" Kalamazoo belt sander. It's made of sheared, folded and welded steel. It is of medium quality and medium power.
I have this sander and have been running it for about 6 months. The thing works great when you want to do a lot of consistent grinding -- as the setup of the machine is somewhat cumbersome. For instance, the same bolt that adjusts the platen position also adjust the position of the guard. You'll find you need either four (4) hands or some tricks to adjust _only_ the platen but not the guard as well. This is a real design compromise done in favor of saving the cost of a few bolts and a few extra punch-outs.
The only other complaint I have is that the platen doesn't appear to be hardened. My machine has concave sections worn into the platen in the areas I use most frequently for grinding. Count on fabricating (and heat treating) your own platen if you want to make nice flat grinds with this machine. Perhaps there is a backer plate material that can be used.
Also, the platen is painted, so plan on breathing the paint dust for the first few weeks you use the machine.
Otherwise, this is a great tool that uses the cheap 2x48 belts that come in every imagineable grit and material. I love the tool, I hate the corner cutting.
--chicago, il

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Sanders Belt Disc Combo - SandingMachine Type: BeltBelt Length: 48Belt Width: 2

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Kalamazoo 1SM 1x42" 1/3hp 1ph Kalamazoo Belt Sander Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)After having 2 chinese belt sanders give up the ghost, I finally bought one of these (from another vendor). I wish I had bought this first. The quality of this sander is dramatically better than those other sanders.
This sander is as basic as it can get. It is solid and should last for years and years. You have to mount it to something to use it. It comes fully assembled.
The Baldor motor is American made, and is fully sealed against the abrasive dust thrown off by the belt. It is fan cooled, and is plenty powerful enough for my needs.
You can change a belt in about 15 seconds including getting the belt to track where you want it. My sander has a cover for the top pulley that is not shown in the picture. The cover flips up so you can change the belt.
The belt tension is provided by a spring in the column that holds up the top pulley. Tension is not adjustable.
I use the belt sander for sharpening. It would be nicer if the belt went the other way so I can sharpen the knives edge up and rest my hands on the tool rest. Having said that, when I sharpen lawnmower blades and other big items it is nice that the sparks go downwards. I'll probably build my own tool rest since holding the angle is critical for maximum sharpness. I haven't used the provided tool rest. It is adjustable with a wrench. I don't imagine that it would be convenient to adjust frequently.
You can see video on sharpening at kosterknives.com under 'how to sharpen a convex microbevel'. It isn't as easy as it looks, but after some practice you should end up with really sharp tools. Our pruning shears, scissors, axe, kitchen knives, etc are all much easier to use now. I got my sanding belts (down to 9 micron) from leevalley.com. It looks like trugrit.com might be cheaper though.
'The Complete Guide to Sharpening' by Leonard Lee recommends using a belt sander for sharpening chisels and knives and such. The book 'Sharpening' by Nick Engler shows a chisel sharpening jig setup - but you would have to reverse the direction the belt travels.


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Sanders Belt Disc Combo - SandingMachine Type: BeltBelt Length: 42Belt Width: 1

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