# Sanding flat with a belt sander....tricky?!



## matt1710 (Sep 21, 2010)

Hi

I've just made a large, heavy (40mm thick, 400 x 300mm) chopping board with glued on edges. I made the edges sit about 1mm proud of the chopping surface, and as such need to sand the edges flush with the chopping surface. I've done this a number of times, however always seem to end up with a chopping board that isn't perfectly flat. In bad cases, it 'rocks' ever so slightly when placed on a flat surface such as a granite kitchen bench. 

Any tips on how to sand the board flat with a belt sander? 

Matthew

PS - I finish the sanding with my orbital, progressing up through the grades - however feel I need to use the belt sander to get rid of the 1mm high edges as the orbital is just too slow.


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## paduke (Mar 28, 2010)

I am a klutz My belt sander manages to prove it everytime I use it A sharp hand plane would be my choice. But on the bottom you wont see the cups I would dig with a belt sander.


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## matt1710 (Sep 21, 2010)

I've got 3 nice sharp hand planes (including a low-angle Veritas block plane) however my concern is that as the grain directions on the edging (wood type A) may be different to the actual chopping surface grain (wood type B), I'll chew into one or the other... Are my concerns justified?


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## kp91 (Sep 10, 2004)

Search for "belt sander frame"


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## matt1710 (Sep 21, 2010)

Hmm - just searched the forums and didn't turn up anything that sounds helpful. I like the sound of a belt sander frame though. Perhaps I'll search the web. I do have router skis, but doubt they will help here.


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## woodknots (Mar 7, 2012)

Matt:
I would opt for the hand plane as well. Plane the edging as close as possible to wood type B, then level the two surfaces with an orbital sander. I find belt sanders too aggressive and have a lot more control with a hand plane - and quite frankly, I get a lot of enjoyment using a tool that doesn't have a cord attached.

Vince


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## matt1710 (Sep 21, 2010)

Hi Vince - ok, maybe I'll give that a go. I just hate it when the plane digs in and you know you've done some damage that needs some deep work to remove...


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## kp91 (Sep 10, 2004)

belt sander frame-- check our these images. There may be a premade one for your sander, or you can make one

https://www.google.com/search?q=bel...&ei=DEc2VaTmINDdsASojIDICw&sqi=2&ved=0CCoQ7Ak


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

Unless you can support the belt sander as with skis, possibly using one if Doug's frames, then I wouldn't try it. I've never been able to get a smooth surface with one. 

I would probably go with the router skis and then a ROS. I also like the plane idea. You might try running a strip of tape down one side so that only one side of the blade is making contact. That would put a slight bevel on the edge but would that matter?


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## oldwoodenshoe (Nov 28, 2011)

Matthew,

Because my cutting boards are wider than my thickness planer, I used my router to thickness plane the cutting boards. To do this I ripped two 3/4" thick sacrificial boards that were about 1/2" wider than the thickness of my cutting board. I then put 2-sided masking tape along two opposite edges of my cutting board. I then placed a couple of 1/4" thick strips of wood down on a flat surface (my table saw top) and laid the cutting board across them so that it was spaced 1/4" above my flat surface. I then took one of the sacrificial boards and stood it on edge and slid it across the flat surface and pressed it against the 2-sided masking tape edge of the cutting board. I did the same with the other sacrificial board. I firmly pressed both boards against the 2-sided tape by squeezing them with clamps. I removed my clamps. This results in my cutting board being held off of my flat surface by about 1/4". I then used a dish cutter bit in my router and mounted it into my router table. I raised the bit until it just barely touched the bottom of my cutting board with its taped on skis. I set my fence of the router table so that when one ski was against the fence, the router bit would be beyond the cutting board I was trying to plane but only about 3/8" into the ski leaving about 3/8" of the sacrificial ski intact. I then started the router and planed off a small amount of the thickness of the cutting board moving the cutting board back and forth on the skis. When I had covered the whole surface area, I inspected the result. If there was some portions of the cutting board that had not been planed, I would raise my bit a little and repeat the process. Once one side was planed flat, I flipped the whole assembly over and readjusted the router bit height to barely touch the cutting board and planed the 2nd side. This resulted in a perfectly flat cutting board with both sides parallel to each other. I then removed the skis and 2-sided masking tape from the cutting board and used my ROS sander to sand it perfectly smooth.

Glenn


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

matt1710 said:


> Hi
> 
> I've just made a large, heavy (40mm thick, 400 x 300mm) chopping board with glued on edges. I made the edges sit about 1mm proud of the chopping surface, and as such need to sand the edges flush with the chopping surface. I've done this a number of times, however always seem to end up with a chopping board that isn't perfectly flat. In bad cases, it 'rocks' ever so slightly when placed on a flat surface such as a granite kitchen bench.
> 
> ...


I'd use a hand plane or a router with a bottom bearing trim bit...
then ROS to my happiness.....


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

kp91 said:


> belt sander frame-- check our these images. There may be a premade one for your sander, or you can make one
> 
> https://www.google.com/search?q=bel...&ei=DEc2VaTmINDdsASojIDICw&sqi=2&ved=0CCoQ7Ak


I'd never seen one, Doug. Thanks!! 

Apparently they make one for my Bosch belt sander...
http://www.amazon.com/Bosch-2608005057-Sanding-1276DVS-Sanders/dp/B0000223H7
Actually finding one may be somewhat more difficult.


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## Nickp (Dec 4, 2012)

matt1710 said:


> I've got 3 nice sharp hand planes (including a low-angle Veritas block plane) however my concern is that as the grain directions on the edging (wood type A) may be different to the actual chopping surface grain (wood type B), I'll chew into one or the other... Are my concerns justified?


If your board is flat and level and you only need to plane down the edges, you could try an edge guide clamped to the board to keep the corner of the blade from wood B. Align the edge guide such that the blade just misses the board when the plane's side is against the guide...just thinkin'...


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

Nickp said:


> If your board is flat and level and you only need to plane down the edges, you could try an edge guide clamped to the board to keep the corner of the blade from wood B. Align the edge guide such that the blade just misses the board when the plane's side is against the guide...just thinkin'...


Or the plane away from the main block outward a a slight skew angle after reducing the 1MM to a negligible proudness...
if you set the plane for a few thousandths you'll be fine...
any slight scores will be cake and pie to sand away w/ your ROS...

and your concerns are not justified...
just pay attention to what you are doing...


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## rjconti1 (Sep 29, 2013)

*Flatten a board*

Suggest you check youtube for shop built jig using router. I just made the jig. Perfect!!
Search Youtube for "flatten board with router".
Ron C.


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## matt1710 (Sep 21, 2010)

Hi Glenn

Thanks for the very detailed description - must have taken you some time to write - much appreciated. I'll give this a go! 

A question re the bit : why did you use a dish cutter bit? Couldn't one use any bit that would cut cleanly, and cut flat? I was thinking a spiral bit, although the largest diameter I have is 1/2" - whereas my brand new straight cutter bit is 2" - so would require fewer passes. 

I'm a bit worried about the edges of the board chipping off/splinter. I guess if I always move the bit from the outside of the board towards the centre, then it should minimise the chances of chipping off the edges. 

Matthew


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## matt1710 (Sep 21, 2010)

Here's a picture of a similar board - i.e. the timbers used are the same (rimu for the actual chopping surface, and rewarewa for the edging). The board I'm constructing (and worried about how to 'sand' flat) is the same construction - although it also has rewarewa 'edging' running through the centre of the board, between the 3 pieces of rimu that make up the chopping surface.


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## john60 (Aug 30, 2014)

With the edge triming kit for the following should work 



See it in action:

https://youtu.be/ij58UiJINAM




M-Power CRB7 MK3 Multi-Function Router Base


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

matt1710 said:


> Hi Glenn
> 
> I'm a bit worried about the edges of the board chipping off/splinter. I guess if I always move the bit from the outside of the board towards the centre, then it should minimise the chances of chipping off the edges.
> 
> Matthew


It's not which direction you, the router, and the bit are going Matt. It's which direction the cutter on the bit is going. If the cutter is moving 90* to the edging where it is cutting there is a chance of tear out- less if the direction is inward, more if it is outward. You will be less likely to cause tear out if the cutter is cutting parallel to the grain. In other words you can't just look at it as a router with a bit but need to focus on what is happening at the point of cut.


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## oldwoodenshoe (Nov 28, 2011)

> A question re the bit : why did you use a dish cutter bit? Couldn't one use any bit that would cut cleanly, and cut flat? I was thinking a spiral bit, although the largest diameter I have is 1/2" - whereas my brand new straight cutter bit is 2" - so would require fewer passes.


Matthew,

I used it because it has a large flat bottom (1-1/4") and it was a bit I already had. The draw back is that it also has a 1/4" radius. You can obviously use a strait cutter bit like you suggested also. 

Glenn


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## bryansong (Mar 4, 2015)

kp91 said:


> belt sander frame-- check our these images. There may be a premade one for your sander, or you can make one
> 
> https://www.google.com/search?q=bel...&ei=DEc2VaTmINDdsASojIDICw&sqi=2&ved=0CCoQ7Ak



I know I'm a newby but I hadn't ever seen any of these before.

Brilliant!


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