Belt sander question

[Chaloney]

I've decided a belt sander needs to be on my Christmas list. I will be mainly using it for making scales-- acrylic, horn, maybe wood. Does anyone have any experience using a 1x30 inch vertical belt sander?

this style:


Slash, i know you use a different one, what do you pit it in and how do you keep it from moving around? What do you do for dust collection?

 

[Heespharm]

Get the harbour freight 4x36 with 6 inch disc sander... You won't be disappointed... It's pretty small and will do everything from thinning material to shaping wedges

 

[Chaloney]

That's the other one I'm thinking about, just wanted to know if there were any major limitations to this style other than the size of the belt.

 

[daflorc]

A horizontal belt sander is the best tool in your toolbox for making scales. That being said, the vertical one you're looking at will only make your life difficult. Take it from me...

 

[Heespharm]

That's the other one I'm thinking about, just wanted to know if there were any major limitations to this style other than the size of the belt.

If you Trying to thin out a scale blank and it's not 1 inch, good luck getting that even! I know the 4 inch is almost double the price of the 1 inch but it's 10 times more useful

 

[Soldierdan]

I use one of these (Different brand) for making scales, and its great.

http://www.harborfreight.com/12-inch-direct-drive-bench-top-disc-sander-43468.html

 

[Chaloney]

I'm expecting to need it more for shaping than thinning. as I've found material in 1/8 or 3mm thickness without too much difficulty.

Daflorc, what makes it so much more difficult to work with? I've seen you mention troubles with vertical sanders before, which is what prompted my post. Between an old video where Bill Ellis said it was a useful tool and your comments, I wasn't sure what to do. I'm trying to ease my way into this hobby (restorations) and ease my wife into the idea of my needing some more significant tools.

 

[daflorc]

I'm expecting to need it more for shaping than thinning. as I've found material in 1/8 or 3mm thickness without too much difficulty.
Daflorc, what makes it so much more difficult to work with? I've seen you mention troubles with vertical sanders before, which is what prompted my post. Between an old video where Bill Ellis said it was a useful tool and your comments, I wasn't sure what to do. I'm trying to ease my way into this hobby (restorations) and ease my wife into the idea of my needing some more significant tools.

The smooth curves for the scales are far easier and more natural to do with a horizontal sander. With a horizontal sander, you'll find that the big wheel creates a rounded sanding surface which is invaluable for shaping the upper/top curve of scales. Also - and this is huge - you WILL eventually need to do some thinning of material, in which case a horizontal sander is critical. With the vertical one you posted, you'd have to take the top plastic guard off to use that top wheel to your advantage, but the working area there is tiny and cumbersome. A horizontal sander gives you 4" of working space, which is very helpful.

With a vertical sander, you cannot naturally create the curves of the scales - you essentially have to follow your drawn cut line. I can't really explain what I mean by making "natural" curves very well - its kind of like gliding the entire curved edge back and forth on the belt sander that makes a smooth and natural curve.

Don't get me wrong, Bill Ellis is right in that its a useful tool, but he also has an entire workshop of useful tools. I do all my restorations with nothing more than a belt sander, band saw, scroll saw, dremel, and buffer. Look in my image gallery associated with my profile here for an idea of what you can do with nothing more than those helpful tools.

 

[Chaloney]

The smooth curves for the scales are far easier and more natural to do with a horizontal sander. With a horizontal sander, you'll find that the big wheel creates a rounded sanding surface which is invaluable for shaping the upper/top curve of scales. Also - and this is huge - you WILL eventually need to do some thinning of material, in which case a horizontal sander is critical. With the vertical one you posted, you'd have to take the top plastic guard off to use that top wheel to your advantage, but the working area there is tiny and cumbersome. A horizontal sander gives you 4" of working space, which is very helpful.

With a vertical sander, you cannot naturally create the curves of the scales - you essentially have to follow your drawn cut line. I can't really explain what I mean by making "natural" curves very well - its kind of like gliding the entire curved edge back and forth on the belt sander that makes a smooth and natural curve.

Don't get me wrong, Bill Ellis is right in that its a useful tool, but he also has an entire workshop of useful tools. I do all my restorations with nothing more than a belt sander, band saw, scroll saw, dremel, and buffer. Look in my image gallery associated with my profile here for an idea of what you can do with nothing more than those helpful tools.

Thanks for the detailed answer. That's exactly what I was looking for. That smooth curves are what's been troubling me using my dremel and hand sanding. I've seen some of your work which is why I was hounding you for this information

 

[Heespharm]

The old adage buy once cry once comes to mind