If I was a novice at club repair and building, that is probably something that I would look into. I would consider myself intermediate/advanced in club repair and building.
Most setups, wheel and belt combos aren't "freehand" per se. In the setups that I have seen and used with a cutting wheel on one side and a belt on the other, the cutting wheel has a small platform that you put the shaft on as you push towards the wheel.
RedBear90 got a reaction from Bobbers in Bench cutter/sander question