Belt Sander

[bigchaz]

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]

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

[plainpainter]

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]

... 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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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

[acegot]

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]

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.

[Cappspressurewashing]

Sorry. Still figuring out how this site works.