Sanders

This belt sander will take a lot of material off a piece of wood. be careful not to gouge the out the wood. Belt sanders will leave small lines if you’re not very careful.

Two handles should be used for getting the best performance from a belt sander. These things can run away from you. Just like a snow mobile.

The belt travels on two rollers. The one in the back of this one is the drive roller. Between the rollers is a flat plate. This plate forces the paper to travel flat against the work.

The sander at the right is a palm sander. It has a vibrating pad the follows a circular, or orbiting, pattern. use this one for finer work. People tend to start with the belt sander and the finish with the palm sander.

You can usually get 4 pieces of sand paper from one standard sheet to fit onto this sander. I prefer the cloth backed wet/dry paper. It lasts longer and can be cleaned more often. To clean sand paper of wood dust, sand the bottom of an old rubber soled sneaker. The rubber dislodges the dust.