# Unexpected belt sander hazard - blood warning!!



## dbur (Apr 10, 2010)

I've used this belt sander for 30 years will no problem, but my son found the hazard. Photos show the issue and my solution. The metal ribs inside the drum are just little guillotines flying around waiting for a finger to get close. Also watch the video (no flying fingers, just the end of a chopstick)

Video: https://www.flickr.com/photos/dbur971/13889200874/

I guess I'm not allowed to post urls or upload videos so you need to search flickr for "BeltSanderHazard" or google that string above to see it.

You may want to check your belt sanders for this hazard.

It was near Halloween. What can I say?


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Does 'Bloody Hell' cover it? That's seriously nasty! Just about lost my cookies with those pics.
:bad:


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## kp91 (Sep 10, 2004)

Good to see his sense of humor is intact... 

Thanks for sharing the Hazzard


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## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

And you stuck your finger in there, while it was running?


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

I don't know where my belt sander is anymore. I find it almost impossible to use withough gouging something, but at least not me.


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## Biagio (Mar 2, 2013)

When I bought my Makita belt sander over 40 years back, a more pecunious friend bought an Elu. Apart from using a broader belt, it came with a rectangular frame that fitted around the base of the machine, and limited the tendency to gouge. If the sander was turned upside down and table-mounted (the design facilitated such use), the frame served as a ledge on which to register the workpiece, and a fence could be attached at one end. 
I am not sure whether DeWalt continued this idea after the takeover, but have not seen it as an option for other popular brands. Elu had a lot of thoughtful add-ons in those days. A pox on limited budgets.


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## Wildwood (Aug 14, 2010)

@Biagio - my Triton belt sander has a detachable frame, which works very well.


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## sreilly (May 22, 2018)

Few tools don't have hazards but I seriously never have seen or thought of that one. My old Sears belt sander hasn't been used in a very long time but it warrants a look for sure as it's easy enough to correct as is pointed out in the pictures. Thanks for posting the warning.


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## Knothead47 (Feb 10, 2010)

Any tool can be dangerous. A carpenter was installing a stair tread on a deck stair. He caught the edge of the nail's head. It flipped up and hit him in the eye...no safety glasses. No eye.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

I inserted a working link into your post David. Good warning. I would have never thought about that hazard.

One of the first belt sanders I used was short and narrow and terrible for gouging. So when I bought a good one I opted for a 4 x 24" PC. It's much better for not gouging but the sucker is heavy as hell. Which may be a safety plus as I don't like trying to start it with all of it's own weight on the wood which means both hands are on handles and I usually keep my left hand on the front knob to keep it from getting away from me. An odd fact was that the 4" was cheaper than the 3" at the time.


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## RainMan 2.0 (May 6, 2014)

It seems odd to me how a person could get his finger in there ,but apparently it happens.
I’ve had two of those sanders . Lent them both out and they both came back broken.
I finally bought a General belt sander that weighs over 400 pounds . Great thing about is it’s in perfect condition,cause it’s too big to lend out


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## JFPNCM (Dec 13, 2009)

I’ve been fortunate in never having an issue/accident with my belt sander so when a friend asked to borrow it to refinish his deck I spent an hour with him running through the ins and outs of the beast. One of the first thing I showed him was how to load the belt. When he saw the wheel SNAP back in place he paid very close attention to everything and used it very successfully, I.e., no injuries and a reasonable finish on his deck. 

They have their place and they are vicious. Fore warned is fore armed.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

I removed my fingerprints accidentally. I grabbed the belt sander by the front knob while it was running, and my finger tips dropped down and made contact...


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## RTR (Mar 20, 2019)

That sounds like how the OP's son's finger got nabbed.

Holding a piece against the stationary belt sander, with the unneeded pinky finger dangling off to the side, and nearing the edge, it got caught in the vanes of the platen wheel.

VERY informative post and mind searing insight on how to avoid injury. Thank you for sharing your son's story, and your solution.


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## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

RTR said:


> That sounds like how the OP's son's finger got nabbed.
> 
> Holding a piece against the stationary belt sander, with the unneeded pinky finger dangling off to the side, and nearing the edge, it got caught in the vanes of the platen wheel.


I must be doing it wrong. Because if my pinky finger is not needed to hold the wood, I do not dangle it, I curl it up and tuck it in behind the other fingers. Because I am always wary of any power tool I am using. If you're not afraid, you aren't cautious. If you're afraid, you're always cautious. Hell, I even make bridges on any saw sled I make - you would have to lay your hand flat, then slide it under the bridge about 2 inches before you contact the blade - I would have to be a lot stupider than I am to get hurt using a saw sled.


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## RainMan 2.0 (May 6, 2014)

DaninVan said:


> I removed my fingerprints accidentally. I grabbed the belt sander by the front knob while it was running, and my finger tips dropped down and made contact...


My huge General belt sander was going ,and for some unknown reason I wanted to touch it . Kind of like putting your tongue on a 9V battery , you know you shouldn’t but you do .
Well I had my finger pointed in the direction of the way the belt was feeding . All of the sudden I hear this crack in my knuckle as my finger gets pushed away at high speed lol.
Didn’t do it twice


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

"...Didn’t do it twice"
Roger that! Same here.


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## papasombre (Sep 22, 2011)

That hurt, David
Is that your finger or your son's?
Anyway, sorry about that.


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## thomas1389 (Jan 4, 2012)

RainMan 2.0 said:


> My huge General belt sander was going ,and for some unknown reason I wanted to touch it . Kind of like putting your tongue on a 9V battery , you know you shouldn’t but you do .
> Well I had my finger pointed in the direction of the way the belt was feeding . All of the sudden I hear this crack in my knuckle as my finger gets pushed away at high speed lol.
> Didn’t do it twice


Rick, you can get that same feeling (wanting to touch it) when standing at Niagara Falls. There is one viewing position of the Horseshoe Falls (the Canadian falls) where you are standing on a sidewalk behind a stone wall a little less than chest high. 
The water is about ten feet down on the other side and you're about ten to fifteen feet upstream of the brink. The feeling of wanting to step in is very compelling to a lot of people. Most linger much less than a minute. It's very compelling. When I go I never take my barrel.


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## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

RainMan 2.0 said:


> I’ve had two of those sanders . Lent them both out and they both came back broken.


Rick, you're doing it all wrong. You need to watch more Red Green videos. You don't lend out anything, unless it is already broken.


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## RainMan 2.0 (May 6, 2014)

JOAT said:


> Rick, you're doing it all wrong. You need to watch more Red Green videos. You don't lend out anything, unless it is already broken.


I have terrible luck lending things out . Recently , well this summer , I lost my car charger .
Lent it out to my friend, then he thought it was his . Should have put my name on it .
So I guess the good news is I never got it back broken ,just never got it back period


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## Biagio (Mar 2, 2013)

Anybody on theForum participated in belt sander racing? I remember some guy asking how he could fit a second motor, rotating in the opposite direction, to get more horsepower out of his racing machine.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

I thought they were supposed to be stock machines Biagio but maybe there different classes.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

*X2*



Biagio said:


> Anybody on theForum participated in belt sander racing? I remember some guy asking how he could fit a second motor, rotating in the opposite direction, to get more horsepower out of his racing machine.


Just run your 110V machine at 220V...same result.


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## Biagio (Mar 2, 2013)

I would have thought so Charles, but I suppose there is a Super Modified category, as in auto racing. I cannot remember the thread now, but I seem to remember you or Herb responding to the guy. I thought he was taking the mickey, but looked it up, and sure enough there are regional leagues and championships.
On YouTube, some of those sanders really took off.


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## dbur (Apr 10, 2010)

JOAT said:


> And you stuck your finger in there, while it was running?


Not me, but somebody.


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## dbur (Apr 10, 2010)

papasombre said:


> That hurt, David
> Is that your finger or your son's?
> Anyway, sorry about that.


Son's.


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## st8yd (May 10, 2011)

Nice looking shield, but wasn't necessary as I would hope he wouldn't let it happen again, not to mention his finger is probably too short to get there now.

If there is an awkward way to operate a tool I assure you I have done it, and still have all my digits. (I may loose all 10 tomorrow) It's all about educating yourself about what is going on.
Education is far better than shields.

Late friend was a gunsmith and used to make octagon barrels for muzzle loaders, the planer to do this had a large leather belt that ran on a app 16" dia. wooden pulley at knee height up to another pulley a little over head height, with no shields. Due to other equipment you had to walk right next to it which he did dozens of times a day and people were always over visiting him and around it. I could see somebody's clothing just a little loose and getting wrapped up in it, or loosing balance next to it. It would not have been a pretty sight.
But it was like that for decades and nobody got bit that I heard of.


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## thomas1389 (Jan 4, 2012)

RainMan 2.0 said:


> I have terrible luck lending things out . Recently , well this summer , I lost my car charger .
> Lent it out to my friend, then he thought it was his . Should have put my name on it .
> So I guess the good news is I never got it back broken ,just never got it back period


Attaboy, Rick!


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## RainMan 2.0 (May 6, 2014)

thomas1389 said:


> Attaboy, Rick!


Ya I know some really dandy people


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## radios (Sep 30, 2009)

another hazard that's very dangerous is if you put your fingers in a blender that's running, don't do that either!..


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

My Aunt did that*. She was never able to satisfactorily explain why. 
I think it had jammed and she tried to clear it without unplugging it. You'd think it would automatically turn of in a jammed situation?

*Yep. A trip to the ER ensued.


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## RainMan 2.0 (May 6, 2014)

DaninVan said:


> My Aunt did that*. She was never able to satisfactorily explain why.
> I think it had jammed and she tried to clear it without unplugging it. You'd think it would automatically turn of in a jammed situation?
> 
> *Yep. A trip to the ER ensued.


My fingers are actually stinging reading this lol. :fie:


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Like I mentioned earlier 'losing cookies' worthy. Good news was that after everything was put back together, and healed, she didn't lose anything that mattered.


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## Dejure (Jul 27, 2009)

Good to know about. Mine his covered, but it's worth watching for on other people's.


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## radios (Sep 30, 2009)

a belt sander has 2 handles, and you are supposed to have one hand on each handle when using it. and unplug it when you can't do that, like for adjustments..


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Martin; _now_ you tell me... 
Seriously, in hindsight, I agree completely.


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## RainMan 2.0 (May 6, 2014)

radios said:


> a belt sander has 2 handles, and you are supposed to have one hand on each handle when using it. and unplug it when you can't do that, like for adjustments..


Unplugging is a great practice . A few times I got lazy and didn’t unplug my tablesaw when I installed the dado blades . 
But that’s playing with fire imo


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## Dejure (Jul 27, 2009)

Of course, there are exceptions. More than once, I've had to terminate a job or run a belt one handed. If nothing else, it'll get you in good shape.

I have the small Porter Cable sander designed for single hand use now. It is about the best tool I ever used for scribing to the line on a counter back. It made it so easy to sand to the line and move on.

From all this comes the another hazard. A more stealthy one - dust.


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