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Is there some special technique to using a belt sander? Blockhead 04-18-2008
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Posted by Lowell Holmes on April 18, 2008, 6:21 pm

>
> I bought an oak bookcase from Wood You and stained the unit and the
> shelves in Fruitwood. While staining the shelves, I stained one side,
> then turned them over (apparently before the stain had full dried) to
> stain the other side. When returning to side one, there were light
> stripes where the shelves laid across two boards I was using for
> support. I decided to attempt to sand the shelves down to the wood
> using a belt sander, but ended up with gouges and deep scratches
> in the wood. I'm using a B&D belt sander that was right out of the
> box. Is there some technique to using a belt sander so I don't roll
> the unit from side to side to create gouges? ( I didn't feel that I
> was).
>

My technique for using a hand held belt sander is that I don't! :-)

I will use it for sharpening a chisel or a plane iron.



Posted by nailshooter41@aol.com on April 19, 2008, 1:14 am
Blockhead, by now you know you have used the wrong instrument to
correct your error. However, the elephant in the room is what you
have now done to the wood you were sanding.

With ruts, gouges and deep sanding scratches in it, it will never,
ever match the other shelves. Give it up now, no kidding.
Theoretically you could sand all the marks out completely, but then
the actual texture you left behind by so much sanding will not take
the stain the way your other surfaces did.

I would sand it down with a ROS or finishing sander and restain. Then
I would find a way to mount the shelf so that the side in question
would not be seen.

Just my 0.02.

Robert


Posted by Maxwell Lol on April 19, 2008, 7:25 am

>Is there some technique to using a belt sander so I don't roll
> the unit from side to side to create gouges? ( I didn't feel that I
> was).

First of all, use a fine grit. When in doubt, use the finest grit you can.
It cuts slower, but won't wreck wood as fast.

Second, (for large flat surfaces) I let the weight of the sander do
the work. I hold it with only one hand, so the belt lies flat on the
wood, and let the belt pull the sander forward. Then I pull it back,
and let it go forward again.

I guess I start it with two hands, and once it's flat on the wood, I
remove the hand in the front of the belt sander.

Posted by Bob on April 19, 2008, 10:12 am

>
> I bought an oak bookcase from Wood You and stained the unit and
> the
> shelves in Fruitwood. While staining the shelves, I stained one
> side,
> then turned them over (apparently before the stain had full dried)
> to
> stain the other side. When returning to side one, there were light
> stripes where the shelves laid across two boards I was using for
> support. I decided to attempt to sand the shelves down to the wood
> using a belt sander, but ended up with gouges and deep scratches
> in the wood. I'm using a B&D belt sander that was right out of the
> box. Is there some technique to using a belt sander so I don't
> roll
> the unit from side to side to create gouges? ( I didn't feel that
> I
> was).

Wrong tool for the job - should use an orbital sander.
Bob-tx



Posted by PCPaul on April 19, 2008, 11:24 am
On Sat, 19 Apr 2008 13:54:19 +0000, steve robinson wrote:

> Bob wrote:
>
>
>> >
>> > I bought an oak bookcase from Wood You and stained the unit and the
>> > shelves in Fruitwood. While staining the shelves, I stained one side,
>> > then turned them over (apparently before the stain had full dried)
>> > to stain the other side. When returning to side one, there were light
>> > stripes where the shelves laid across two boards I was using for
>> > support. I decided to attempt to sand the shelves down to the wood
>> > using a belt sander, but ended up with gouges and deep scratches in
>> > the wood. I'm using a B&D belt sander that was right out of the box.
>> > Is there some technique to using a belt sander so I don't roll the
>> > unit from side to side to create gouges? ( I didn't feel that I
>> > was).
>>
>> Wrong tool for the job - should use an orbital sander. Bob-tx
>
> No just bad technique


Only in the same sense that you could use a chisel to get a straight edge
instead of a plane...

Yes they fundamentally do the same job, but it's much easier with a ROS
than a belt sander to just take the stain off. The chance of digging in
or making 'surface features' with a belt sander is far higher, just
because it is so much quicker to take stuff off. And it has well defined
edges to it's action, which a ROS doesn't.


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