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How Do You Use a Belt Sander Woodworking Tool?
Using a Belt sander is an easy way to do a lot of work in a little time. It is fast, strong, and pretty effective. But, you need to know some basic tips and tricks before you can go on to use a belt sander. So, we have accumulated all the necessary information that will help you to get a better grip on the belt sander and make you a pro in no time.
Before starting you need to know about different types of belt sanders available in the market right now. These are designed to meet different purposes so you should review each of these types to make sure that you have the right kind for your purpose.
Kinds of Belt Sanders
There are three types of belt sanders out there right now. Each has its unique feature.
- Combined Belt Sanders: In this type of sanders, both disc and belt functionality is available. So, you can choose whichever you need from the two given options.
- Self-Rotating Belt Sander: You can see people use a belt sander that keeps rotating all by itself and the object being held against it, those are the self-rotating belt sanders. They are powerful and are used to work on smaller objects.
- Palm Style Belt Sanders: These sanders are designed in a compact model. You can use these belt sanders like a palm sander and get good results. These are easy to use and control than the other two.
So, if you have got the right kind of sander for your work then let’s move on to the ways to use a belt sander.
Proper Ways to Use a Belt Sander
Step 1 : Start from the End
While using a belt sander it is always a good idea to start from the end. If you start from the end, then you will be able to enjoy more control over the object that you are sanding.
Step 2 : Apply Equal Strokes
You should remember the number of strokes you are putting into the material and apply the same number of strokes throughout the whole body.
Step 3 : Try Different Belt Patterns
There are different types of belt patterns available in the market right now. Each of them provides you with different kinds of smoothness for different materials. You should try them out.
Step 4 : Do Not Use Too Much Force
It is never a good idea to use too much force when you are using a belt sander. You should let the weight of the sander do the trick.
Step 5 : Work with Different Speeds
Most of the belt sanders comes with different frequency of speed for different types of woods. So, you should change the speed depending on the finishing that you want.
Step 6 : Use till the Edges
You should carry out the sander till the very end of the object. This will allow you to enjoy more comfort while working and leave you enough room at the edges.
So, if you simply follow these steps, then you will become a pro even before you start realizing. But, that requires you to be able to have one of the best disc sanders in place. Keep these in mind next time you try to use a belt sander. Hopefully, this article was helpful for you. Do not forget to have safety measures while working with electric devices. Until then, take care.
