Robert Sorby ProEdge Sharpening System

[Jacob]

I doubt anyone would be putting a cutting edge on their blades with a belt sander but it would quickly allow the primary bevel to be addressed.
I would suggest that it's more of an amateur vs pro thing. The pro is likely to be sharpening several times a day whereas the amateur maybe only once or even less.

If you were producing stuff by hand you'd be using chisels a lot for DTs and mortices - in which case you'd be touching up your edge on a fine stone and/or a strop, several times an hour - which has to be a quick freehand operation to be practical. Grinding wouldn't come into it at all.