Shop Replenishment Time

[Guest]

I had been whittling my way through shop consumables, especially sanding disks and small belts.

I tend to use sanding belts, especially on the smaller bench sanders, beyond any useful life and needed a new supply of for all of my sanders. Some of those sanding belts are hard to find and mine were pretty much all shot. It was worth a metro trek to Harbor Freight.

All new belts for the table top sanders, 4x36s, 1x4s2, 1x30s.



If I am working on shaping or sanding wood those little 1” table top belt sanders are the bomb, especially two or three at a time prepared with different grit belts, so I can work from 80 to 120 to 220 without stopping. And if you take off the side guard or spark guard you can sand inside curves.

I use the jejeepers out of those little sanders.

A couple of other consumables where Harbor Freight is cheap or had sale specials – a box of three dozen 1” chip brushes, and a bun of minicel puzzle edged exercise flooring.

Time to find a boat project and make some dust.

 

[Philtrum]

Wow ... that looks like a great improvement over wood rasps and hand sanding.

 

[madmike]

If you find it difficult to find sanding belts of a specific size, it is super easy to order them custom made to your specifications, length and width, belt material, type of joint, grit, etc.

 

[sweeper]

Nice setup Mike,

I have the same thing in grinders I hate to change stones.

This is half of them.

 

[Guest]

Wow ... that looks like a great improvement over wood rasps and hand sanding.

Yes and no. I still use a rasp for rough shaping, and one of a half dozen files where appropriate. And, in the final result, nothing beats hand sanding.

If I’m in the right unhurried frame of mind I kind of enjoy hand sanding. If I’m aiming for a near flawless finish I will hand sand through the grits. Twice each.

After the rasp, files and table top sanders I’ll start with 120 or so and sand everything as smooth as seems likely, and then take that piece out in bright sunlight with a sharp pencil and mark inside every ding, dent and scrape. Back to 120 and sand away any pencil mark. Repeat with 220 and move on to finer grits as long as I have patience.

The little 1 inch tabletop sanders are wonderful though. They do take some judgement and experience and you know that comes from mistakes. Those little sanders can make fast work of things, so getting the right grit, amount of pressure and position on the belt is critical.

Now that I’m all re-belted I need to find some wood to play with.

Sweeper, I gotta ask, what is the long tail-like thing hanging from the cabinet handle?

 

[sweeper]

It is a leather strop for final deburring.

 

[latremorej]

Nice set. You two are very organized