What is the correct way to use a belt sander, for cleaning up glued up boards prior to final sanding. ?
I seem to get groves in the wood even down the grain.
Do I do it in strips down the grain taking it off and going back to the top of the board, or use a back and forth action with full contact all the time?
Seems a stupid question, but some one must have the some experiences?
Replies
I strongly recommend a sanding shoe. If you've never heard of one, it's a plate that fits on your belt sander to limit the depth and tilt of the belt during the sanding operation - sort of like a router sub-base and plunge base in one. Most manufacturers offer shoes to fit their higher level model sanders.
I used to do a lot of belt sanding, after reading up on planes, putting a hock blade in a stanley jack plane and having it really sharp I scrape excess glue with a chisel and do the work with a plane. it is better for the following reasons, 1. No dust 2. Keeps the work flat 3. better finish. I sometimes have to use a finishing sander on difficult woods, (I do not have a scraper yet)
My workshop and lungs are now cleaner.
If you are in a real hurry and have a lot of work that does not require a really fine finish belt sanding MIGHT be quicker.
Wrong tool for the job. I use a gooseneck chisel to remove most of the glue just as it sets and a scraper after the glue has dried completely.
John W.
Belt sanding without gouging is almost an art. The technique and the balance of the sander are the most important things to consider. You have to be able to feel when you have a tilt to the sander and correct before it goes to far. You want the biggest sander you can physically handle safely, a 4x24, if you can handle it, is better than a 3x24. The panel has to be solid and level, clamped preferably. Also, you want the panel at a comfortable height so you don't have to contort your body to get the job done.
To sand a panel, I'll give what I usually run thru. I start across the grain, trying to make sure the panel is flattened across the joints first. Then I start sanding with the grain, only I sweep the sander from one side to the other, overlapping front to back. After I go across the panel once like this I run the sander up and down the panel with the grain but at a slight angle, as in a bias. Then turn the sander and go in the opposite bias up and down. I finish running straight with the grain just enough to clean up the bias scratches.
Here is my trade secret to belt sanding, I NEVER hold the trigger down all the time, unless I have to do a lot of aggressive sanding. You can use the trigger to control the belt speed giving you a little more control. It takes a lot of practice to get good with a belt sander.
I use one on most all of my veneer panel work, before using my Dynabrade(random orbit sander).
Thankyou for the advice on belt sanding.
This site for some reason attracts a lot of people who seem to be unable to answer the questions asked. I am well versed in using a plane and scraper for instance but the work I was carrying out was very large and time was a factor, it was in situ and could not be moved.
By using the sander as you advised I obtained very good results with no gouging. I finished with the orbital sander.
Thanks once again for the help.
Mike
You can get good results if you're careful not to "ground" the belt. Float it over the work at a slight cross angle.
Joe
Mike, glad you could use the info. Sometimes it's hard to put into words technique and instructions. So much of what we do becomes second nature and we forget how we got there.Furniture...the Art of a FurnitureMaker
"attracts a lot of people who seem to be unable to answer the questions asked." Too funny. Isn't it aggravating? That being said, I think we don't know you as well as we should, Mike, and therefore assumptions might have been made about your experience, what the project was, etc.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
Good info!
One of my first mentors told the that it would take 6 months of daily practice to learn to use a belt sander properly. He wanted me to relalize how difficult this tool is to master so that I'd be paying closer attention to what was going on. I've got it down but have long since gone over to a disc sander with a hard plate to get mirror flat table tops in a fraction of the time and paper cost. If you learn this , you wil never go back.
The only difference in my BS technique is that I lock my switch ON so that I don't even have finger/ trigger tension distractiong the "float" of the sander action. Minor , but worth a try.
Earl-
Disc sander for mirror flat tops? What kind of machine is this? The only disc sanders I know are a part of a stationary machine or used on floors. I often spend lots of time trying to get to tops and sides nice and flat.
SqueezeOutHater
I found it really important to never stop moving the sander. If you try to smooth out a particularly bad spot by holding the sander still for a while, you make a blemish.
Now adays I take great care with the glue up to get things really flat. Then I clean up with hand planes. If I have a huge surface(s), I pay a small fee to get them surfaced at a big mill. The hand planed surface is superior unless you have crazy- grained wood.
Regards,
Frank
I use a 6" Dynabrade ROS It has excellent balance low center of gravity and a very firm pad, not hard but firm. I stopped using vibrator type sanders because of the soft pads, they tend to leave a wavy surface. Dynabrade even has a 11" sander, but it eats air and dics get really expensive. I pay about a $5 premium, by the box, for 6" discs over the 5".I don't use a belt sander for everything. Lots of times I will take large solid panels and have them sanded on a Wide Belt. It's just so much faster and easier. Furniture...the Art of a FurnitureMaker
Oh That was me....
I ws talking about a angle head grinder.... sorry,,,, I use a plywood disc and yes,,,, mirror flat in a fraction of the time.
( not to change the subject)
> Here is my trade secret to belt sanding, I NEVER hold the trigger down all the time, unless I have to do a lot of aggressive sanding. You can use the trigger to control the belt speed giving you a little more control.
Here's another secret: Use a variable speed controller (made for use with routers), slow the BS down till you improve your technique. If you make a mistake, won't be as bad.
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