Mid range disc sander advice - (or maybe a disc/belt combi?)

[Ollie78]

Just thinking how simple a disk sander is, maybe go diy.
You could get motor from something, possibly with a speed control ( old running machine motor etc) and some box section steel, a chunk of cast iron or thick steel from something for a bed and your almost there. The tricky bit is the platter itself as it would need to be flat and very well balanced.

 

[Orraloon]

want a big cast iron top? use your table saw

buy a sanding disc for it., one grit on each side.

Inexpensive and versatile

Drawback is you're limited in max depth of sanding compared to the dedicated sander,, but probably fits 80+% of you needs.

Eric in the colonies!

While people have done this there are some down sides like speed and are you doing the saw any good. There is one low cost disc sander for those who have a lathe however. Cut out a disc of mdf, ply or other sheet goods (I used 35mm thick mdf) and mount it on a faceplate. Trim it up to round on the lathe. Build a table that sits on the lathe bed and buy a pack of sanding discs. It only takes seconds to mount it on the lathe and does not take up much shed space when off the lathe. A good range of speeds also. I built it for lathe work but soon found it handy for other stuff. I do have a small benchtop belt/disc job but these days it hardly gets any use.
Regards
John

 

[Jameshow]

While people have done this there are some down sides like speed and are you doing the saw any good. There is one low cost disc sander for those who have a lathe however. Cut out a disc of mdf, ply or other sheet goods (I used 35mm thick mdf) and mount it on a faceplate. Trim it up to round on the lathe. Build a table that sits on the lathe bed and buy a pack of sanding discs. It only takes seconds to mount it on the lathe and does not take up much shed space when off the lathe. A good range of speeds also. I built it for lathe work but soon found it handy for other stuff. I do have a small benchtop belt/disc job but these days it hardly gets any use.
Regards
John

Good use of a lathe!!

 

[Jacob]

Mine came with the lathe (Arundel J4 senior) so can't comment in the brands - I guess heavier is better. But would definitely recommend a 12" disc. Velcro attached sheets.
Brilliant for sharpening and woodwork. I sold on my Pro-edge as not worth the keep, especially with such a narrow belt.

 

[cowtown_eric]

disinterior said.

"Applying sideways pressure to a table saw arbor is going to put undue strain on the table saw bearings....!

Sorry Eric, but I dont think your suggestion is good advice...."

I hear ya, and although yer right in some OCD world sense, my experience is that the "not good advise" is akin to going 4 km/hr over the speed limit!-- not good, but the world ain't gonna end either.

My experience in my lifetime of WW is doing this never caused any damage to my TS, but OTOH I have had to replace bearings on my belt disc sander in a short time (compared to my TS saws.

As well, I use my Drill presses to hold 5" dia pneumatic sanding drum, and it's got a morse taper in the quill, so what I am doing is again anatheme to "popular opinion" but it ain't ever caused me problems either.

Oh well, to each his own!

 

[Orraloon]

Lots of us have mounted sanding drums to the drill press and if you have some kind of bearing on the foot of the drum to take the sideways forces then its a pretty good use of the machine. Like the lathe a drill press has a range of speeds and can do a great job at sanding. Add a table with dust extraction and its a pretty good system.

I am all for making the best use of machines where it's suitable.
Regards
John.

 

[Calum Bettison]

Agreed there are many cases where tools/machines work as others when they’re adapted. Thats the first time I’ve seen dust extraction in a drill press table before, great idea! Although I’d argue that most of the time and if space/budget allows it’s probs best to use the tool that’s made for the job. Not to play down people’s creativity and ingenuity though, there’s some pretty clever adaptations out there

Still looking into sander options at the mo, will update this thread with whatever I go with, and how it’s working out for me in practice. Hopefully if someone is in a similar sanding situation as me it will be helpful.