Thread: hand plane v belt sander

Actually, winding sticks can be useful even if you have a multi-$100 jointing machine.

Adam,
I use a 45mm cutter in my router to flatten table tops. The router sits in a jig and will easily flatten a large slab well before you've finished mucking around with winding sticks and a scrub plane. I usually go from the router straight to a ROS with 220 grit paper. Oh, and I'd prefer a belt sander, not a hand held one though, a big bastard wide belt machine that will do 900 wide tops or slabs

Mick

Hi Robert34, I see zenwood (thanks!) got you answered before I got back here.

MikeW

I was surprised that, until Mick referred to them just now, no-one had mentioned a random-orbit sander, which is my tool of choice for table tops and the tops of cabinets. A belt-sander, I find, is liable to dig in and be altogether too agressive, but a ROS does the job nicely. IMO, you need to have perfectly tuned high-quality planes and a great deal of skill to be able to do the job entirely by Dark-side methods, particularly if you are dealing with a timber with reversing interlocked grain, like quarter-sawn silver ash.

If the boards for a table top have been properly flattened on a jointer and then glued up, using biscuits to aid in alignment, it should not be necessary to use scrub planes or routers to flatten the top. I have occasionally used a belt sander on table-tops made from wild-grained jarrah, where the thicknesser has caused a lot of tear-out, but normally the ROS is all that I use.

Rocker
Rocker

own both. use both. use the one that feels right for the job - the belt sander can be agressive but i use mine heaps . of course they are noisy and messy however... whatever gets the job done. if your old and arthritic its easier on the hands too.

bloody dark side!

what about air ROS...

My take on it......

Beltsander
- too much noise.
- Hate dust getting up my nose. So don't use it for general woodwork.
- Have it screwed down on its back fixed to table. Find it handy for small jobs where accuracy isn't really an issue. Like rounding end grain on a tool handle or some kind of jig. ie. taking small work to it rather than the other way around.
- Good for metalwork as well as woodwork. But never any good for making a tool surface flat. Just too inaccurate. But, you can round cast iron plane soles to make rocker bottom planes quickly with one
- Generally its accomidating. Which is what makes it appealing I guess. Like any tool that uses sandpaper, you don't have to worry about grain direction etc. But means you will probably always churn out work with softened edges.
- Awkward to use I find. Bloody heavy tempermental things. To me its akin to taking a great dane for a walk.

Hand planes
- Lovely things. That in general are less favourable to some because they require far more practise to use successfully. But its definetly worth it.
- Despite all the speed that a belt sander seems to bring, hand planing is definetly not necessarily slower, because you can reach a final finishing surface almost immediately, where as a sanding process has many grits to go through to get to the same result..
- Generally hand planes don't require ongoing costs. Beltsanders continually need new belts.
- There so much more pleasing to use.

Use the right tool for the job.
A belt sander is not a finishing tool and should not be expected to perform as one.
A belt sander is great for removing material very quickly.
If you ever use reclaimed/recycled timber, you will probably find grit embeded in the surface, a belt sander will remove this surface easily and quickly. Using you hand plane or any other blade will quickly bring tears.
Belt sanders and nails do not mix, use your metal detector and remove any nails first.

A belt sander is not a finishing tool

That very much depends on the situation. Having made probably a kilometre or so of stair treads from meranti in a staircase joinery a few years ago, I can tell you that a belt sander (a large table sander in this case) is the only way to fly.

I've also used my belt sander to shape rounded ends on things, strip paint and other crap, smooth a coopered panel, etc. etc.

In my mind, it's like asking do you prefer a hammer to screwdriver or vice versa. They are totally different tools that have their own suited applications. I have no hesitation in reaching for the belt sander when I believe it's called for - but like I said before, that's when I want to sand something.

Originally Posted by Sprog

Use the right tool for the job.

If you ever use reclaimed/recycled timber, you will probably find grit embeded in the surface, a belt sander will remove this surface easily and quickly.

I use heaps of recycled timber, its the cheapest way to go. I dont use a beltsander though, I have a $15 Indian made #4 with a radiused blade in it. It chatters a bit, but it digs through the outer 2-3mm of weathered crud much quicker than a beltsander, then comes the scrub, then the #5, then the HNT jack, Then the ECE smoother, then the mini-muji palm smoother for trouble spots, then the scraper.

Of course, I'm still working on the same piece that I started 2 years ago

Originally Posted by LineLefty

Of course, I'm still working on the same piece that I started 2 years ago

lol: at least it should've stabilised by now.

Originally Posted by silentC

Having made probably a kilometre or so of stair treads from meranti in a staircase joinery a few years ago, I can tell you that a belt sander (a large table sander in this case) is the only way to fly..

As the original post was comparing a hand plane to a belt sander I think most replies presumed it was a hand held belt sander, not a table sander.

Use whatever you wish makes no difference to my projects

Originally Posted by Sprog

Use whatever you wish makes no difference to my projects

Sprog,

You sound like one of those.....people....who go to the trouble of ringing up a talkback radio show only to meekly say that they dont really have an opinion. :confused:

G'day Stuart,

Do you feel the Dark Side coming on?

Soon you'll be making M&Ts, DTs and whatnot without an electon being burned!

Cheers!