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The knifemaker who was mentoring me used both a belt grinder and a disc sander which he referred to as a lap (lapidary) wheel.
The belt grinder was used to do the initial profiling of the blade and the bulk of the stock removal, usually starting with 36 grit belts and working up to 120. The plunge line and the taper in the tang was done at this stage.
The disc sander was used to to refine and flatten the tang and smooth the blade before the handle scales went went on. He went up to 400 grit on the disc sander and then did the rest by hand. Yes, he usually makes full tang knives.
Now, this was his way of shaping a blade. I hardly use my disc sander, preferring to rely on my belt grinder for most of the shaping and stock removal and then hand finishing to get to where I want to go. It's slower, but I have more control and, at this stage, I'm not yet good enough to do the final finishing with a belt grinder of disc sander.
If you check out opinions on this forum, there is no one way to do things. Do what works for you. If you end up with a quality knife that you're proud of, you're doing something right. Experiment, explore, and have fun learning.
Jim
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