Wood Sander Video

In this article you will find tips on how to use the wood belt sander more efficiently and safely, and how to choose the right tool for you.

Wood belt sanders are big and powerful monsters in the world of sanding. Few tools can save you time this way and it’s also easy to spoil your work. If you are faced with such a machine for the first time, or have already had negative experience communicating with it, then below you will find all the necessary information for the correct use of all its advantages. The right wood sander will simplify the process of your work.

Benefits of Wood Sanders

Wood sanding machine perfect for fitting

The main field of application of the belt sander is fitting. You can gradually remove layer after layer of wood and ideally fit the cut line to the desired size.

Belt Sanders. tools are quite versatile. The list of the main types of work for which they find application includes accurate trimming under a scribe line, grinding of very rough surfaces, leveling of surfaces, as well as shaping and rounding of various elements. Due to their high power and ability to work with particularly large grain sanding belts, these tools are especially good at quickly removing layers of wood.

In addition, unlike centrifugal and vibration machines, belt machines have a linear effect, which can provide a very neat finish even when working with large grains. And although this machine is far from the most obligatory in the arsenal of a home master, you are unlikely to find many amateur carpenters who do not have it.

The best tool for polishing and choosing a grinder

This tool is exceptionally good in terms of quick chipping wood, which makes it the best in polishing and smoothing bumps. For aggressive processing, start grinding at an angle to the wood fibers, and to give smoothness, proceed along the fibers. You should start with a tape with a grain size of 80, and polish. 120.

Grinder selection

Sanding belt

Both types are good enough, but many prefer more aggressive zirconium ones.

The best machines are designed for use with 7.6 cm wide ribbons. On the market you can find specimens that work with both wider and narrower ribbons, but they are all more narrowly specialized. In the class of cars 7.6 cm, there are smaller ones with ribbons 7.6×45.7 cm, medium ones for ribbons 7.6×53.3 cm and large ones using 7.6×61 cm.

Smaller cars are lighter and simpler to operate, best suited for smoothing and shaping. Large grinders have a wider working surface and greater weight; they are used for grinding large areas. Medium caliber cars are a compromise solution and act as more universal. The choice of a grinder should begin with the formulation of the tasks that have to be solved with its help.

How to choose a grinder depending on the tape

Before choosing a grinder, read the information about the tape. The smallest tools use a 6.3 cm wide tape; they are especially light and suitable for one-handed operation. Sanders with a 10 cm tape are the heaviest and are used by craftsmen working with large pieces of furniture.

Based on experience, most often you have to use tapes with a grain size of 80 grains / inch and 120 grains / inch, a little less often. 50. Grinding surfaces with a grain size of less than 50 leave quite deep scratches, which are difficult to get rid of. And if you think that you require processing with a tape smaller than 120, then we recommend using a centrifugal grinder as a tool. As practice shows, you can easily skip any of the degrees of grinding (read. the grain of the tape), but in time this work will cost you more than an extra tape change. In this case, you should never jump over two levels. For example, a grain pass of 100, that is, a jump from 80 to 120, is quite acceptable, but from 50 to 120 is not suitable.

Alumina is a traditional material for grain. You can choose a cheaper, khaki, ribbon if you need a one-time option, or a stronger and more durable dark brown color. With a grain size of less than 80, many prefer zirconium grains. They are sharper and contribute to more aggressive grinding. Ribbons of this type are usually bright blue or purple. Zirconia tapes are slightly cheaper than premium aluminum.

Video: Wood Sander Video

The main thing is the right technique

Do not press on the grinder too much. Allow the work to be done under its own weight. Circular movements should be slow and do not forcibly immerse the machine in a tree. Work carefully, do not pull the tool, do not change the speed and direction of grinding. If the power cord tries to crawl under your hands, throw it over your shoulder.

Excavations are the main enemy

The painted panel shown in the picture shows the main problem: horseshoe-shaped indentations from touching the work surface at the edge. To avoid cavities, use new, clean tapes and avoid grain sizes greater than 120.

Safe operation with a grinder

Belt Sanders. relatively safe tools, but it will not be superfluous to follow certain rules. Safe operation with a grinder begins with safety precautions.

• Always wear protective headphones. the cars are very loud!
• Watch out for dust. Her inhalation is not just unpleasant. it is dangerous to health. Wear a protective mask and do not remove it until you remove dust from the bag.
• Switch off the power before changing the tape or cleaning the dust bag.
• Using a grinder to process metal can cause sparks. Be aware of flammable substances and materials in the workspace.
• Make sure that the grinder’s power button is in the “off” position before connecting it to the network. All grinders have a lock button on the power button in the working position.

Trimming after grinding

It is very difficult when working with a grinder to avoid notches and scratches at the edges of the workpiece. Therefore, if possible, grind the tree before trimming it to its final size.

How to choose a plywood sander

Belt grinders are capable of cutting a fairly large amount of wood, so they can also easily break down plywood. If you have to grind wood trimmed with plywood, mark with a pencil a fishing line, which you should not go over with a typewriter. If the power tool has a variable speed, it is worth lowering it in such places.

Which grinder to choose and how to configure

If you have already decided which grinder to choose and bought it, then you need to configure the tool before use. First of all, make sure that the tape is installed correctly. Some tapes have a preferred working surface direction, which is usually indicated by an arrow on the back. Omnidirectional tapes can be installed as desired. The only adjustment that should be made in any case is to keep the tape centered on the rollers of the machine. Lift the grinder, turn it on, and see if the tape slides. Having fixed the machine in the operating mode, by manipulating the guide roller, center the working surface. Additional correction will be required directly during operation. If your machine has automatic tracking (centering), then you will not have to waste time on it.

Some grinders have a variable speed. You can safely work at maximum speed all the time, slowing down only in places of delicate processing.

How to work the grinder more efficiently

Belt sanders are a simple tool and usually do not require any additional improvements. However, if you are using it for commercial purposes, you may need the following upgrade to increase productivity. A little manipulation and you will learn how to work the grinder more quickly and efficiently.

Tapes should be clean.

Contaminated tapes can ruin all work. The cleaning strip will help remove contaminants from the tape, especially those characteristic of pine and other succulent wood species. Run the bar against the movement of the tape or (for large machines) fasten it and run a tape over it.

The choice of grinders for sharpening

You can use a belt sander to sharpen tools such as axes, shovels, knives and cutters. Remove the dust bag from the machine. Also, the machine itself should be cleaned of dust (sparks and dust are a bad combination). For sharpening, it is better to use zirconium ribbons.

Which grinder is better?

Best dust collection

The dust bag provides satisfactory particle neutralization. However, with minimal effort, you can attach a long flexible hose to the machine and connect it to a vacuum cleaner. Recoil: no need to empty the bag and really no dust in the air.

Some grinders always come with an integrated dust bag that collects some of the particles produced and, of course, requires regular cleaning. But a fairly large part of the dust still gets into the air. If you do a lot of grinding work, then the best solution would be to find a pipe that connects your machine with a vacuum cleaner. Then, even during the whole day of work, dust will not bother you.

Sometimes it is possible to use a regular hose from a vacuum cleaner for this, but most often it is too wide. An alternative is a special super-flexible tube of small diameter. You can buy it in the same place where the instrument itself.

With a large amount of work, a stand will be a useful accessory that can fix the tool in any convenient position, which will allow you to wield material, and not a heavy machine. The stand is selected individually for a particular machine. It is especially relevant if there are many fairly small wooden parts in the projects.

Now you know which grinder is best for individual work. Next, we consider the main areas of use of grinding machines.