Thread: Which Sander?

First off, if you must sand without extraction, why are you not using a respirator??

Belt sander is the way to go for levelling tops, but it does require good technique to avoid leaving hollows. The Makita 9924 is one of the best out there and I did many tables with it before we got a wide-belt sander at work. You will need to make/buy a vacuum adapter for it, see here for ideas: Makita Belt Sander

Alternatively, find a joinery with a big sander to run them for you. It might cost you $100 per top, but how many hours would it take you by hand?

Thanjs elanjacobs, I did have a Fein dust extractor connected to it however it proved to be mostly pointless.

I have read good things about the 9924 however nothing about it's support for dust extraction

The built-in fan and bag does a passable job (mask still recommended) if the sander is fully on the work; edges still get messy. If you can rig up a vacuum it does quite a good job of keeping things clean.

Hi elanjacobs, I have just bought a belt sander to use on a table top. I have never used one before so can you steer me in the right direction as to the right technique to use?

Thanks.

You would be better off to find a local joinery shop who has a wide belt sander to do your table top, pay them, for their time and machinery setup cost, it takes literally seconds to sand a table top and guaranteed flat.

The setup cost is next to nothing if no belt changing is required.

Originally Posted by safari

Hi elanjacobs, I have just bought a belt sander to use on a table top. I have never used one before so can you steer me in the right direction as to the right technique to use?

Thanks.

I agree that using a wide belt sander is the best option.

EJ will have more experience than I do but here is how I do mine.

Firstly I assume the table top is already level? if not I doubt you will ever get it flat with a half held belt sander. If not you have to deal with that first.

Next, if the wood has dings and marks on it that may require quite a coarse belt to start with - I start with a 40 grit for rough cut timber or 60 grit unless its DAR and then probably start with 80.

Run the sander 45º to the grain one way and then 45º the other and then parallel to the grain to remove the marks.
The repeat with the next grit up making sure you remove all the marks from the previous grit.
If yo start with grit X and then move to grit Y it will result in a lot more work moving to grit Z until all the marks from X have been removed by using Y.
I've found it pointless to go above 100 or 120 grit then you can move to an ROS if you desire.

For a heavy sander like the Makita it's best to let the sander do the work - don't push down just pull it backwards and let the sander go forwards under its own steam with you just preventing it from going too fast. Steady even strokes with about half belt width coverage at each pass.

Don's stop or start the sander with it resting on the wood - take it off the wood to stop/start. Checked the trigger is NOT LOCKED if you turned it off at the GPO. If you accidentally turn it back on again with the trigger locked it will take of. There is an incident reported in the WW accident register of a bloke who shattered his jaw and eye socket from an impact by flying sander.

Belt sander races are fun.

Thanks BobL, that gives me a bit more confidence to have a go. I had read some reports that table tops can end up worse than before the use of a belt sander!

For goodness sake, practice on some other timber first. Those sanders can really take some meat out if you are not careful. Even with careful light working.
And yes, care with lowering on to the work.

Hooroo.

John.

Have been toying with the ideal of getting a belt sander for some time, as my aging ROS is definitely wearing my patience and not really up for tasks other than finish sanding.

After reading your post Bob re WW incident it really does reiterate the importance of proper training or at a minimum being informed of potential pitfalls. I'm always careful with tools such as saws,lathes and chisels but it goes to so that even tasks that don't involve sharp implements can still cause some pretty serious injuries.

Originally Posted by Albert

You would be better off to find a local joinery shop who has a wide belt sander to do your table top, pay them, for their time and machinery setup cost, it takes literally seconds to sand a table top and guaranteed flat.

The setup cost is next to nothing if no belt changing is required.

I now don't post often but this one got me. A commercial wide belt sander is no different to thicknessing boards. What you put in, you get out. That is, a banana in and a banana out. A commercial belt sander will not hide any jointing/gluing mistakes just because it's a commercial machine.

I frequently dress a slab or a jointed table top on my Woodwizz. Guaranteed perfect flat results. It will do what a drum or belt sander cannot.

If you use the hand held Makita, which is capable of doing an excellent job, mind the lead is free of obstructions, especially shoes. The heel of the sander will dig quite a hole very quickly. This I know from practical experience. I have just finished a 1200mm round table top with one.

Jim

Getting my thread focused on the actual question, I hear one vote for the Makita.

Any other thoughts?

I have worn out one Makita belt sander 9924db, and now using another Makita belt sander 9924db. However I do have a trade back ground and used a Record No. 6 to dress the top of the table flat first, then used the sander to finish off. If I live long enough, I will buy another one.

Jim