Belt Sander

[bigchaz 157]

Moving off my blending thread I'm curious What belt sanders you guys are using. Not floor sanders but hand stuff. Been using dewalt ROs for a while now but maybe it would be a good idea to keep a belt sander on hand. Dewalt, Makita, Ridgid who makes good stuff? What belt size do you use (3x21 4x24...etc)

[acegot 14]

I have a Portacable big monster, must be 4x24, its heavy but thats what you want for like a deck floor. I also havea rigid 3x21 or 24, alot lighter & less powerful, good sander but not for h-duty sanging like a deck floor. If i'm going to sand a small area with hand sanders, I would use high speed circular, much faster than a belt sander, then go back over real quick with the ro. I mainly use my belt sanders to shave stuff when I'm doing repair work or building a deck.

Whats better & faster for finish sanding over a ro is a 1/2 sheet orbital. I have 3 I like the milwaukee the best.

Milwaukee 6010-6 1/2 Sheet Orbital Sander

Edited June 25, 2009 by acegot
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[plainpainter 217]

my belt sander died ages ago, long before I got into deck restoration - I remember belt sanding painted railings down to bare wood when I worked for other painting companies. I think it would be the bomb for a quick sanding of railings - if they are in really bad shape - but I seem to remember they left messy sanding patterns?

[RPetry 564]

... Dewalt, Makita, Ridgid who makes good stuff? What belt size do you use (3x21 4x24...etc)

Charlie,

I second what Lyle posted above. Porter-Cable makes very good sanders. The 4x24 size will be your best bet for deck work.

[acegot 14]

I have a Portacable big monster, must be 4x24, its heavy but thats what you want for like a deck floor. I also havea rigid 3x21 or 24, alot lighter & less powerful, good sander but not for h-duty sanging like a deck floor. If i'm going to sand a small area with hand sanders, I would use high speed circular, much faster than a belt sander, then go back over real quick with the ro. I mainly use my belt sanders to shave stuff when I'm doing repair work or building a deck.

Whats better & faster for finish sanding over a ro is a 1/2 sheet orbital. I have 3 I like the milwaukee the best.

Milwaukee 6010-6 1/2 Sheet Orbital Sander

Here is pic of high speed circular sanding set up, this with 36 grit or 60 grit will out sand a belt sander of equal any day of the week. 10 times faster at least. you can get most of the way under railings also if not all the way. I use all 3-m 8" pads & paper, found at autobody supply stores. Good quality paper lasts long.

[bigchaz 157]

Yea I love the circular sander. I use the Makita 9227c version of that sander with the same hook and loop backer bad. I always use that for rougher sanding but I was just curious what the use for a belt sander might be. Sounds like I'm quite alright with just using the circular

FYI, not sure what you are paying but this is really good paper here: 8" Diameter, Solid Hook and Loop Platinum Paper Sanding Discs, P60D Grit, Box of 50.

[acegot 14]

Yea I love the circular sander. I use the Makita 9227c version of that sander with the same hook and loop backer bad. I always use that for rougher sanding but I was just curious what the use for a belt sander might be. Sounds like I'm quite alright with just using the circular

FYI, not sure what you are paying but this is really good paper here: 8" Diameter, Solid Hook and Loop Platinum Paper Sanding Discs, P60D Grit, Box of 50.

Stick with the circular, hand belt sander is a waste of time.

I'll have to order a box & try them, if theyre sold with floor sanding supplies, its probably pretty good, that sell price is good, the 3-m 60gris $75. box of 50

[RPetry 564]

Charlie,

Nice find, that is a great price for H&L 8" sandpaper. Have never used the 9227C for sanding, will have to give it a whirl. Only problem is it came with a 61/2 inch H&L backer...

[Tonyg 14]

I use this for a belt sander. Very heavy duty. Heavy enough to give pressure and easily able to run it with one hand.

Porter Cable 371 Compact Belt Sander 2-1/2 x 14in. - 371

I use it it for the butt end of boards, taking the corner off the edge of the deck so it is a consistent line, and taking out bad areas where you need to eat up some wood.

[Joe Ortiz 14]

Question: When you use a circular disk sander on a deck of fine wood, does it leave swirl marks? I have a spa out back and i think its a 7 person and need to be redone the same color as the fence along with the deck.

[bigchaz 157]

Charlie,

Nice find, that is a great price for H&L 8" sandpaper. Have never used the 9227C for sanding, will have to give it a whirl. Only problem is it came with a 61/2 inch H&L backer...

Rick im pretty sure that 6.5 inch is only for polishing pads. Mine was, i just threw it out.

Get you one of these 8" backers:

here: 8" No-Hole Hook & Loop Backup Pad, 5/8"x11 Female Thread Arbor.

or here: DeckGuide Pro Center © 2004 - G&K Distributors

[Richard 17]

All thease years I've been using belt sanders. Looks like I need to do a check up from the neck up.

[acegot 14]

Question: When you use a circular disk sander on a deck of fine wood, does it leave swirl marks? I have a spa out back and i think its a 7 person and need to be redone the same color as the fence along with the deck.

Yes it will leave some swirl marks. Some times, depending on the grit & wood type , they may not be to bad. A circular is a faster way to sand rough wood or sand off old finsh. For a premium finish follow up with a orbital or random orbital sander with the same grit or finer.

[Cappspressurewashing 14]

Question: When you use a circular disk sander on a deck of fine wood, does it leave swirl marks? I have a spa out back and i think its a 7 person and need to be redone the same color as the fence along with the deck.

All of the single action high speed grinders are going to do the same thing. We have a Hitachi, Milwaukee, and 3 Makitas. All are between 6000 and 6500 rpm and are 15 amp. We run 50 grit 9 inch disks on a regular after market backing pad. The good thing about using 9 inch disks is that the contact patch is about the width of a deck board. Make long smooth passes in one direction until you get the hang of it. Once you get the hang of it you can cut in both directions but every once in a while the disk edge will catch and %$#^&. The Hitachi has a funny guard on the trigger that is sort of a hassle but it's overall height is a little lower so it gets under stuff a hair further. The Milwaukee has taken a back seat to the Makitas mainly because of the power. The Makita seems to be the most powerful of the bunch even though the stats are all pretty much the same. The dust gets a little crazy. I have found that having someone follow me with the vacuum hose right in front of the disk ( or where the dust is shooting out from) really helps in the cleanup. You will want to buzz the deck with an orbital with 80 on it. The Rigid 6 inch I feel is the most powerful. These are mean little machines and you will never want to see another belt sander.

Edited June 28, 2009 by Cappspressurewashing

[Cappspressurewashing 14]

Sorry. Still figuring out how this site works.

Edited June 28, 2009 by Cappspressurewashing

[acegot 14]

All of the single action high speed grinders are going to do the same thing. We have a Hitachi, Milwaukee, and 3 Makitas. All are between 6000 and 6500 rpm and are 15 amp. We run 50 grit 9 inch disks on a regular after market backing pad. The good thing about using 9 inch disks is that the contact patch is about the width of a deck board. Make long smooth passes in one direction until you get the hang of it. Once you get the hang of it you can cut in both directions but every once in a while the disk edge will catch and %$#^&. The Hitachi has a funny guard on the trigger that is sort of a hassle but it's overall height is a little lower so it gets under stuff a hair further. The Milwaukee has taken a back seat to the Makitas mainly because of the power. The Makita seems to be the most powerful of the bunch even though the stats are all pretty much the same. The dust gets a little crazy. I have found that having someone follow me with the vacuum hose right in front of the disk ( or where the dust is shooting out from) really helps in the cleanup. You will want to buzz the deck with an orbital with 80 on it. The Rigid 6 inch I feel is the most powerful. These are mean little machines and you will never want to see another belt sander.

I have & use the fiber backed sanding/grinding disc also. Very effective. The hookit pads & paper are only good for up to 4000 rpm or theyll get to hot if your working them hard & they'll start to melt & fuse togther & start coming apart. The fibre discs will work on your lower rpm machines, will just take longer. My higher speed hd Dewalt rocks with the fiber discs. The fiber discs last along time & are less expensive to use in the long run. The fibre discs are more for rough fast cutting, for more detailed & lighter sanding use the hookit (hook&loop) pads & paper.

[bigchaz 157]

What are you referring to when you say fiber backed?

[acegot 14]

What are you referring to when you say fiber backed?

Attached are pics of 7" fibre resin back disks, they are available in 9", better for decks. Also pictured are backing pads, 7" pad & 9" plate I use fot 9" discs & the 9" defelting pads. The discs are thick & well constructed, they last a long time. These items are always found at autobody supply stores & at select hardware stores & welding & industrial supply stores.

Edited June 29, 2009 by acegot

[Cappspressurewashing 14]

Attached are pics of 7" fibre resin back disks, they are available in 9", better for decks. Also pictured are backing pads, 7" pad & 9" plate I use fot 9" discs & the 9" defelting pads. The discs are thick & well constructed, they last a long time. These items are always found at autobody supply stores & at select hardware stores & welding & industrial supply stores.

Exactly what we use. What is the "defelting" pad? I know it is self explanatory but how well does it work and are there different grits? Thanks, Chris

[acegot 14]

Exactly what we use. What is the "defelting" pad? I know it is self explanatory but how well does it work and are there different grits? Thanks, Chris

Thry work well, there is only one grit produced in that size that I'm aware of. That is the coarses one. I made some from the red & green 17" drive pads, but they really arent coarse enough, burnishes the wood. You need to use low rpm though, 1-3thousand rpm. Here is link. http://www.gkdist.com/

Edited June 30, 2009 by acegot
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