# Belt Sander advise Please



## Bob765 (Feb 25, 2009)

I have been using a Vibrating sander to refinish some cabinets and make some new lumber trim and it seems new lumber has to be sanded good before the stain sets in much. I am wondering if a hand belt sander say 3X18 would be alot quicker as I have alot of refinishing and sanding projects to do?? 
1.Is it a good tool for this kind of work or does it leave groves easily??
2. Do you go through alot of sandpaper with them as it seems kind of spendy at $2-$2.50 per belt??
3 I am considering the Skil 3 X18 for $49.99 is there better choice in my small budget?
Thanks


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## Ghidrah (Oct 21, 2008)

A belt sander would be quicker to rough out but be aware more projects have been wrecked by belt sanders.
It can leave grooves even when you're careful. It takes lots of practice to get good with one. 
I basically use mine when I need to be brutal and remove a lot of surface defects on framing projects. I no longer use on any of finish projects


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## Bob765 (Feb 25, 2009)

Thanks for the reply.
Are you talking me out of spending $ on tools... unheard of ...
I am also considering a craftsman in that range.


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

The best use I ever saw for belt sanders was when about six of them, all with long extension cords plugged into a multi outlet and when switched on they raced each other, it was very exciting!


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## overthehill (Dec 15, 2008)

I almst ruined a dresser top because of gouging. You must be very careful. There are sanding frames you can buy for some sanders that are supposed to solve this problem. I have no experience with them. Dewalt hs one.
overthehill


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## Ghidrah (Oct 21, 2008)

Bob 765,
Absolutely not, I use mine all the time, again mostly for brutal work.
However I also clamp it to my radial saw table and use it upside down. There's much more control holding and moving the piece than the sander, but I only do it for small pieces I can easily control.


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi Harry

I will 2nd that one,,, I can't think of a quicker way to screw up a project than put a belt sander on it...  but then maybe you want the wash board look.

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harrysin said:


> The best use I ever saw for belt sanders was when about six of them, all with long extension cords plugged into a multi outlet and when switched on they raced each other, it was very exciting!


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## Gene Howe (Jul 10, 2007)

Belt sanders are handy gadgets for some work. But, not any where close to a good random orbit sander for finish or refinish work. My wife recommends a chemical stripper and a lot of hand sanding. She's the expert at refinishing in my shop.

The belt sander I reach for most often is the Sand Cat.


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## Ralph Barker (Dec 15, 2008)

Belt sanders, IMHO, are great tools when used for the intended purpose. Like many tools, however, they are often mis-used, and even for the intended purpose, require the development of some usage skills. Absent those skills, using them on large flat surfaces is certainly risky. 

I use mine (an old Rockwell 4x24) quite often for edge sanding, particularly with pieces roughed out on the bandsaw. I made the fixture below to keep the edges square. The sander's handles simply rest in the supports, and there's a carriage bolt under the sander to adjust it square to the support table.


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## reuelt (Dec 29, 2008)

Well-tuned hand planes are better than a belt sander for finishing.

I now use my belt sander mounted upside down for shapening blades only.


Reuel


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

That's a very clever set up Ralph, it is the sort we expect from Bj. However, that is for edge sanding and I don't think that's what this post is about. I attempted to use mine on several occasions with terrible results so one time I needed to strip some paint, what happened, it clogged up in seconds. I now keep it just so that I can say I have one!


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## Thrifty Tool Guy (Aug 23, 2007)

Bob,

You have to be very carefule with a belt sander, especially when attempting to "surface" a panel. In my opinion, it's best to use a belt sander on surfaces that are narrower than the sander belt. Of course, variable speed and selecting the proper belt also helps.

Relative to the Skil sander, I would suggest the Bosch 1274DVS 3x21 unit. I bought mine used on eBay. It has a flat top so you can easily clamp it to a table top for use as stationary belt sander. Mostly, that's how I use mine.


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## Bob N (Oct 12, 2004)

Belt sander racing 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UED6bM8NcRc


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

I'm amazed how you found that Bob, I'd never heard of it before or after the race that I witnessed.


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## Gene Howe (Jul 10, 2007)

*Belt sanders and box bottoms*

I use my big old 4X24 Delta sander to weigh down glued box bottoms.


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## AxlMyk (Jun 13, 2006)

harrysin said:


> The best use I ever saw for belt sanders was when about six of them, all with long extension cords plugged into a multi outlet and when switched on they raced each other, it was very exciting!


Or when Tim Taylor the Tool Man on TV plugged one in when the switch was on. Took off like a dragster.


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## AxlMyk (Jun 13, 2006)

Find a woodworking group or someone that has a drum sander. That's the best way of doing what you want.
Or, buy a drum sander. Yeah, do it that way. See, I'm telling you to buy a tool. Ain't life sweet?


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## Ralph Barker (Dec 15, 2008)

harrysin said:


> That's a very clever set up Ralph, it is the sort we expect from Bj. However, that is for edge sanding and I don't think that's what this post is about. I attempted to use mine on several occasions with terrible results so one time I needed to strip some paint, what happened, it clogged up in seconds. I now keep it just so that I can say I have one!


Thanks, Harry. Relative to the OP's question, I did express my opinion that surface sanding with a belt sander is tricky, and that I use mine most often for edge sanding, hence the fixture.

The trick with surface sanding with a belt sander, I think, is that one really needs to hold the weight of the belt sander with your arms, so the sander only skims the surface, rather than allowing the weight of the sander to dig in. That quickly gets tiring - the likely source of inspiration for drum and stroke sanding machines.


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

Well guys, to summarise, belt sanders suck!


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## curiousgeorge (Nov 6, 2006)

harrysin said:


> Well guys, to summarise, belt sanders suck!


Especially when hooked up to a vacuum...


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## Ghidrah (Oct 21, 2008)

Here's my old craftsman sander for small stuff, normally I don't use a wedge to level it, I just clamp it to the table.

I'm not sure how old this puppy is, I got it from FIL when I was 24, I'm 54 now, Harry had it for I don't know how many yrs before. They were still cast metal casings then.


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