I needed to flatten an Oak board for a table top, however I have a problem with my lower spine at present and using a hand plane hurts. So I went out and bought a belt sander thinking this should do ok and all I need to do is steer it and I should have a flat board. Things looked ok to start with no gouges and a resonable finish, but when I put on the straight edge the board it was like the back of a Donkeys hind leg. No doubt there is a technique to using one of these but at the moment I think it would be ok to use on fence posts. I reverted to the smoothing plane and within in an hour it was dead flat but 1mm thinner. No gain without pain !. What a fool I am to think one of these electric monsters could compete. By the way I have a cheap electric hand planer but again I would not put that near a board based on previous experience.
Hand Plane Wins
- Thread starter newt
- Start date
Help Support UKworkshop.co.uk:
DomValente
Established Member
Lesson learnt, job done.
A good days work
Dom
A good days work
Dom
Paul Chapman
Established Member
Hand tools rule, OK \/
Hope your back is soon better, Newt.
Cheers :wink:
Paul
/ Hope your back is soon better, Newt.
Cheers :wink:
Paul
woodbloke
Established Member
Newt - in my experience you need to be very wary of these things, they can munch off alot of timber in the blink of an eye, 'specially with a coarse belt. If you want to prepare some more stuff which is less than 200mm give me a PM and bring it round to my place and I'll run it thru' my P/T - Rob
Philly
Established Member
Newt
The advantage of a hand plane over an electric sander is that the plane is "self-jigging". It has a built in ability to flatten a surface, and this is the key. An electric sander will give you a surface as smooth as a hand plane BUT it will not be flat. As soon as you apply a finish you can see the bumps in the reflections. DAMHIK..... :wink:
Cheers
Philly
The advantage of a hand plane over an electric sander is that the plane is "self-jigging". It has a built in ability to flatten a surface, and this is the key. An electric sander will give you a surface as smooth as a hand plane BUT it will not be flat. As soon as you apply a finish you can see the bumps in the reflections. DAMHIK..... :wink:
Cheers
Philly
Chris Knight
Established Member
Newt,
You can greatly improve your chances of getting a belt sander to make a flat surface if you use a sanding frame with it - you don't say if you used one or not. Like many things it is practice that makes perfect and some folk have mastered the art of using a belt sander for darn nearly everything including sanding veneered sheet goods.
Personally, I hate using one and have not mastered it to any great degree but I do use it for a few jobs - mainly on its side in a stand I made up, for shaping wood.
You can greatly improve your chances of getting a belt sander to make a flat surface if you use a sanding frame with it - you don't say if you used one or not. Like many things it is practice that makes perfect and some folk have mastered the art of using a belt sander for darn nearly everything including sanding veneered sheet goods.
Personally, I hate using one and have not mastered it to any great degree but I do use it for a few jobs - mainly on its side in a stand I made up, for shaping wood.
Alf
Established Member
Newt, hope you feel better soon.
Cheers, Alf
Cheers, Alf
