Thread: 20" Disc Sander runout

well...had a bit of a SnR and it looks as if .2mm is not bad for these.

So, I will maybe try to true it up, but this afternoon I went out there and the glue/velcro had lifted a bit and was way beyond 0.2mm out of true.

I will treat this machine as a hand-guided shaper and not try to make it a precision machine.

That sits well with me, actually.

I had the same problem with a 12" machine, as I was using it as a sharpening machine is was way too much, I pulled the disk and mounted it in my mates metal lathe ( mine is not big enough) on a shaft between centres. I trued it up to .001mm. I don't use velcro for precsion work it has too much give.

Yeah well I can't see using this massive $$ machine for such limited use! I will use Velcro and as a carving tool I guess.

It does have a lot of power as a shaper.....runout or not.

My issue with velcro is that glued on discs would be such a pita to take off if I wanted different grits, or wore one out. However as you say, it has a lot of give and will in no way allow for precision.

I have to say I was awed when I ran some wood across it! It just slurps up the wood.

Yes that's the good thing about disc sanders that take a lot of work out of shaping

I have to admit that I am of the "shaper" variety of WW, rather than the "slice" version. So BS over TS, sander over Thiscknesser, etc.....maybe I am of the mad crowd that uses enormous machines to get away from manual work?

We have a 32" diameter disc sander at work...and the precision of this machine is awesome..u can easily split a stanely knife scribe line..The machine would weigh many 100's of kilos..But without a doubt the most accurate machine we own.
Ask any pattern maker and they will tell you the same story. The disc itself is fully machined all over and balanced,,i'm guessing it would be 25mm thick.
Our machine also has Valro and to change the disc is very quick and easy.
But the tables are on fully machined beds. So you can wind them right out of the way to remove or fit the velcro discs.
The speed these huge disc sanders rotate at can be quite frightening for people when we first start them up..which takes at least 30 sec to get up to speed.