BELT SANDER (hand held)
What this tool is primarily used for:

The Belt Sander is useful for sanding the surface and edges of pieces of wood that are too large to be sanded on the 6" Belt / 12" Disc Sander. The Belt Sander can be used on flat or curved pieces
 

ALWAYS USE APPROPRIATE PPE WHEN USING THIS MACHINE

SAFETY FOR THIS MACHINE:
  • DO NOT operate while under the influence of drugs, alcohol, or medication
  • SECURE any loose fitting jewelry or clothing, tie back long hair - they can get caught in moving parts
  • DISCONNECT the plug from the power source before making any adjustments, changing accessories, or storing the sander
  • DO NOT sand metal of any kind with the belt sander. Sparks may be generated by sanding screws, nails, or other metals which may ignite dust particles.
  • DO NOT wet sand with this sander. Liquids may enter the motor housing and cause electric shock
  • REFER to instruction manual for further information (see Studio Technician)

Personal Protection Equipment while working with the Belt Sander

Head/Face or Eye

Clothing
Hands
Feet
 Ears
Respirator

REQUIRED

long sleeves rolled up

RECOMMENDED

long pants

none needed

REQUIRED

shoes

or

boots

RECOMMENDED

ear plugs

or

ear muffs

RECOMMENDED

N95

do not wear clothing that may get caught in moving parts, such as neck ties or dangling jewelry
do not wear gloves as they can get caught in moving parts

NO open toed shoes

or

slip-on- types in the woodshop

recommended if using for prolonged periods of time

large amounts of dust are created

 

OTHER THINGS TO REMEMBER WHEN USING THIS MACHINE:

  • Belt sanding should be done outside in the courtyard as this tool will generate large amounts of dust
  • Start the sander above the material, then lower the sander so the back end makes contact first. Move the sander back and forth in a straight lihe for best results
  • Make sure the dust collection bag is securely attached before sanding
  • Make sure the dust collection valve is open to allow dust particles to be blown into the collection bag
  • After long periods of sanding, or when first using the tool, check to see if the dust collection bag needs to be emptied
  • "Work through the grits". This is the process of sanding a workpiece by using progressively finer pieces of sandpaper to get a smooth finish. Each progressive piece of sandpaper removes the scratches from the previous sanding. Skipping grits to save time is not necessarily a good idea. You will often end up sanding longer just to remove the scratches left by the previous grit. This is more important with harder woods like maple than it is with softer woods like pine
  • For better-looking results, always sand with the grain of the wood, especially with coarse sandpaper
 
Sand paper types
Grit Common Name Uses
40-60 Coarse Heavy sanding and stripping, roughing up the surface
80-120 Medium Smoothing of the surface, removing smaller imperfections and marks
150-180 Fine Final sanding pass before finishing the wood
220-240 Very Fine Sanding between coats of stain or sealer
280-320 Extra Fine Removing dust spots or marks between finish coats
360-600 Super Fine Fine sanding of the finish to remove some luster or surface blemishes and scratches
 
Last modified May 23, 2007