I've been sharpening my own knives since the early 80's. I was probably under 10 at the time. I remember a mobile sharpening service that came by once a week while I cooked in restaurants in the early 2000s. It was a series of belts driven by an electric motor in the back of a cargo van. Really cool setup! If I wasn't so busy with a kitchen and bath diy remodel, the day job, and shuttling the boys to school, sports practice and games, and parent-teaching driver's Ed, I'd consider it as a side hustle. I've got a work-sharp, a cheapo 30"x1" belt sander, and cheapo diamond "stones". My first stone was a combined Arkansas soft/hard.

I could turn it on at will.

As the wife just showed me some of the kitchen estimate, I'll probably have to start sooner than I'm ready, like as soon as the older son gets his license this summer!

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I was at Grizzly today in Springfield Missouri checking out a 2-in belt sander that's on sale. It didn't have great workholding capabilities, but it looked like it could take off a wicked amount of material. The guy said some people use it for making knives. It also had a mandrel on it he said was typically used for a buffing wheel.

I'm not sure it's something I want to get into, but it's got me thinking.

I have one of their little 1x30 belt sanders. It's not enough for knife making, but pretty handy for sharpening.

I was kind of eyeing those too. They had a little bench top unit that with the right belt probably would have got my job done.