FAQ – Selecting a Belt

Material Selection for Sanding Belts

For the knifemaker, there are several options that make sense for abrasive sandpaper belts. To break this question down further we should understand that there are different dimensions to consider. Those are:

• The abrasive grain material
• The backing material
• The coarseness of the material (most often grit)

Abrasive Grain Materials

For the knifemaker, the most common abrasive grain materials are aluminum oxide, ceramic, non-woven surface conditioning

The condensed version is aluminum oxide is a great general purpose material for wood, soft nonferrous metal, and synthetic materials. It’s the best value for grinding everything but hardened or thick steel. Ceramic is more costly in material, but has significant longevity in life greater than aluminum oxide when grinding steel. Generally, between the lifespan of a ceramic belt vs an aluminum oxide for heavy stock removal, you’ll find you get greater life out of selecting ceramic for stock removal, have less belts needed to store or stock, and can easily differentiate for different purposes.

Backing Materials for Sanding Belts

The backing material for belts is selected primarily for its flexibility and secondarily for things like water resistance.

• Backings go from an incredible flexible paper A-weight to super-stiff polyester Y-Weight backing material
• For heavy stock removal and grinding steel, a stiff y-weight backing is preferred likely with a flat platen on a 2″ x 72″ belt grinder
• Backing materials are largely made from actual paper, polyester, polycotton blends, synthetic film, or nonwoven substances