Belt Sanders

Smooth Things Out With a Power Belt Sander

If you want your work to have a nice finish to it, using a power belt sander can often do the trick. There are many new and used power belt sanders sold on eBay.

While they all have the same primary function, there is some variety in terms of design and features. These include:

• Handheld or bench-mounted: You'll have to think about what type of sanding you'll do. Handhelds can be moved over the wood or object that you're working on. With a stationary or bench-mounted machine, you'll move the material along the sanding belt. Stationary sanders are heavy-duty and can be used for removing certain types of metals.
• Cordless or corded: Corded sanders are likely to be the more powerful models. Cordless power belt sanders give you more flexibility and versatility in terms of where you work, and you'll want to charge up the battery before a big project.
• Electric or pneumatic: Many models you see will be electric. They're convenient to use in a variety of locations. Pneumatic sanders can be light and quiet to operate. You'll need an air compressor in order to use a pneumatic belt sander, which you might have anyway if you're working on a big project.
• Single- or variable-speed: With a single speed, you'll be able to get a lot done. With variable speed, you'll be able to be gentler in certain situations and more aggressive in others.

One way in which you can describe these new, used, or refurbished tools are by their size. Many power belt sanders are designed to accommodate belts that are 3 inches wide. You could see smaller and larger widths, though these could be more expensive because they're designed for specialised tasks. In addition to width, a sander can accommodate a certain length of the belt. Common belt dimensions are 3 by 18 inches, 3 by 21 inches, and 3 by 24 inches. If you're doing shaping or scribing, consider getting a smaller machine that you can more easily transport and use with one hand. Larger machines, which are usually more expensive, would be suited for smoothing out wide surfaces.

Many companies manufacture these types of power tools. Those brands include:

• Craftsman
• Makita
• Hitachi
• Porter Cable
• Genesis
• Ryobi

Power belt sanders should come with built-in dust bags. The size of that dust bag can vary, and just remember that you'll have to regularly clean out your dust bag if you want your tool to stay efficient.