|
shop
essentials:
ROS
(random orbital sander) is typically used for finishing.
Leaves little or no sanding marks. Sanding isn't as
rapid, but is more controllable.
Drum sander comes in two types: wide and spindle. Wide
is typically 18" or so (36" max in two passes) and used
in cabinet shops to get doors, face frames, etc. smooth.
Spindle is used in OSS (oscillating spindle sander)
or in drill press. Used to do fine sanding of inside
curves and hand shaping.
- MadMark
I
use the Porter Cable 5-inch random orbital sander and
it works great. I usually finish sand with 220 grit
paper and let the sander "float" on the wood, no pressure.
So far, even on junk pine, there are no swirls. Since
getting this sander I have given up on my palm sander
almost completely.
- Tom Hintz
I
have been looking at miter saws. Look at Amazon's
customer comments. Seems to me that Bosch and Makita
are the favorites, but Hitachi also has a strong following...DeWalt
less so. It depends upon what type of work you will
be facing. The soft start of the Makita has some very
strong followers, as it also has a very nice table and
fence. The Bosch has more presets on the miter and on
the bevel function, and is apparently a very well made
and designed saw, except for its sawdust extraction
(or lack thereof). I have found that I often have to
use my "entry-level" saw left handed, which will be
awkward with the Makita which has a D handle with the
safety on the left side of the handle (at least on the
model that I am contemplating). Finally, spend a bit
more and get something that you won't soon outgrow.
Long after you have forgotten what you paid for something
-- if it is not meeting your expectations -- you'll
regret the purchase...regardless of how inexpensive
it may have been.
- RobM
I
have 3 finishing sanders: a Black & Decker, a Makita
and a DeWalt. The DeWalt and Makita have the useless
dust bags on them. I got tired of sucking cedar dust,
so I cruised through some old woodworking shop mags
and found plans for a downdraft sanding table. I built
it and now consider it the most important piece of equipment
I have. The thing really works!!!! I hooked it up to
my 1100 Jet DC and I feel I don't need the dust mask
anymore. Anyone who does any sanding should make one
of these. It's a lung saver.
-
yukon
You
need to decide what your crosscutting needs are... if
you cut long stock (6' or more) that is not wider than
12", get a sliding compound miter saw. If you rip plywood
sheets (16"-24") and need to crosscut them, get a sliding
table for your table saw.
- Robert Walker
[Regarding
shapers] Respect this tool! it is considered
THE most dangerous in the shop. If you can afford a
power-feed unit get one. When I use blocks/boards/scraps
as push blocks I apply self adhesive sandpaper to the
edge ( keep it away from your cutters) this helps tremendously
with keeping narrower pieces from being pulled into
the cutter or heeling. Ideally, use a sled with hold
downs. This is also a tool you definitely want some
dust control system attached to.
- Glen
Get
yourself a decent random orbital sander too. They do
amazing things.
- Larry Cook
What are you going to use a belt sander for?
I own one but have not used it in years. It was a tool
I bought before I new better. Before I had learned how
to make good joints and used the belt sander to "fix"
the problems poor other tools caused. For general sanding
a random orbital is a much better choice. For
smoothing rough cut curves a drum sanding attachment
to a drill press or the new Porter-Cable drum sander
is much better. If you just have to have one then I
would go for a 4 x 24, The belts are easy to find and
the larger area will help you from digging into your
work as much as the smaller size units. A belt sander
can cause much more damage than it can solve.
- Lou Williams
A belt sander is really a specialty tool, not
a general purpose sander. With a coarse belt it will
chew through wood at an amazing pace. It can completely
destroy hours of planing and careful cutting in a second
or two. It'll cut so fast on pine that you almost can't
use it on softwoods. If you use it cross grain you'll
essentially NEVER get the marks out! It is to fine woodworking
what an ax is to surgery. Having said that I own a 3
x 21. Mine is not used as a regular belt sander.
Rather I have a simple bracket to hold it in place on
it's back and I use it like a bench combination sander
w/o the disk. Much easier to control that way.
- MadMark
Which size [belt sander] to buy depends on what
you will be doing most. I use my heavy duty 4 x 24
for outdoor carpentry, decks and the like. I use a variable
speed 3 x 21 for furniture. Although a belt sander
can butcher your project if handled improperly, I find
it to be an invaluable tool. I use it primarily for
smoothing curved edges and smoothing drawer sides where
the dovetail pin end-grain is exposed. A spokeshave
and low angle block plane can handle either of these
jobs but not as quickly. I also use the belt sander
for first pass sanding of large panels after handplaning.
It seems to make the final planing and scraping phases
go a bit quicker. I think the key to good performance
with a belt sander is a well balanced machine,
i.e. when the center of gravity of the sander is directly
over the platen. That, and really good quality belts.
- Ned Mellon
| 
