Bench Top 5" Disk Sander

[Moab]

I've known about the difference in speed from inboard to outboard and that may solve a few problems. But for my needs it still doesn't handle most of the issues that a variable speed sander would.  Don't get me wrong....I own the Byrnes sander and I love it. His tools are by FAR the best...Moab

[RichardG]

I been using mine for while now. It's been good to have a sander that works with small stuff. I like the stick-on sanding disks because there's no give to them.

 

I'm using the finest grit that came with the unit (240 I think). I don't expect to use anything coarser so I won't be changing often. I did buy a cleaning stick from Amazon last week which works really well.

 

Not surprisingly, the markings for the horizontal and vertical angles are poor. So I've used a square and made some jigs to get this right.

 

I've been making some elm pumps out of 1/16" x 1/8" boxwood.

These are each made from 6 pieces. I now need to see if I can get 8 strips for an octagonal version. Before I can do that I need to make a jig to narrow each piece to 1/16" x 3/32". I could of course make them from a single square piece and just sand the corners but where would the fun be in that 😀.

 

I'm sure the Brynes sander is better but I'm saving up for the table saw first.

 

Richard

 

[wefalck]

I am using a set of angle gauges like the one below to set the table of my (shop-made) disc sander:

 

[Daliab]

I've had my Performax sander for almost 2 years now and bought it at Menards on one of their 11% rebates.  Right now for those in the US, menards.com has them on sale for $39.99 with free shipping to a menards store.

They are great for ship building!  Other's have posted that it has a clamp so you can clamp it to the bench, others state that it has two speeds but in fact it is variable speed, and others state the sandpaper is easy to replace with stick on sandpapers.  One thing I haven't seen from anyone's post is that this unit has an exhaust port that you can hook up a vac to.  I use this in my den and never heard anything from the wife about this causing dust everywhere.  For the price, it works for me in a pinch.  As the character from Godfather's Pizza would say..... "Do it"

 

 

Edited February 20, 2020 by Daliab
added photo showing reostat

[mtaylor]

Richard, check places like Home Depot and Lowe's for finer sanding disks.   Or check the web.  

[stuglo]

On 2/15/2020 at 3:08 AM, Bob Blarney said:

There is something else that you might consider.

 

While the motor RPM are constant, the paper's surface velocity (inches/min) - and therefore the sanding rate - is greatest at the outer edge of the disc (5" x pi x RPM).  As a piece of stock is moved towards the center of the disc, the surface velocity drops, and becomes zero at the dead center of the disc.  So it is possible to alter the rate of sanding by positioning the piece.

 

Another example of my not thinking of the obvious. Is there a SIMPLE way of compensating for this when sanding a wide part - without eyeballing?

[Bob Blarney]

4 hours ago, stuglo said:

Another example of my not thinking of the obvious. Is there a SIMPLE way of compensating for this when sanding a wide part - without eyeballing?

Unfortunately, it would be difficult with such a small sander.  An alternative would be a strip sander, or a drill press 'Robo-sander'  

 

However, upon closer inspection of the pictures from the Menards ad, I don't see a bump on the motor's case that indicates the presence of a starter capacitor.  Thus the motor can possibly (likely)  be regulated with an inexpensive 'router' speed controller, available at Menards or Harbor Freight for less than $20.

https://www.menards.com/main/tools/power-tools/routers/router-speed-control/80820/p-1444421810442-c-10087.htm

Also, a good place to buy abrasives is Klingspor's woodworking store.  Here's a 50 disc sampler ranging from 60-400 grit (5 of each grit)

https://www.woodworkingshop.com/product/sam5x8/  
 

[bruce d]

5 hours ago, stuglo said:

Another example of my not thinking of the obvious. Is there a SIMPLE way of compensating for this when sanding a wide part - without eyeballing?

I have had a  good quality 12" disc sander for decades. This large disc size is very useful but I have learned not to use it for wide pieces except for rough-sizing. I too would welcome any advice that shows how to get a good result on wider pieces (but I think the right answer is 'don't do it').

 

[wefalck]

Don't know, how you guys use your disc-sander, but normally one moves the work-piece along the disc to avoid scratching marks. So you can work on pieces at least twice as wide as the table of the sander. Of course, if you use the protractor, then there may be further limitations.

 

Otherwise, you might need to look into belt-sanders.

[Bob Blarney]

5 hours ago, wefalck said:

Don't know, how you guys use your disc-sander, but normally one moves the work-piece along the disc to avoid scratching marks. So you can work on pieces at least twice as wide as the table of the sander. Of course, if you use the protractor, then there may be further limitations.

 

Otherwise, you might need to look into belt-sanders.

Or a vertical strip sander

But the sander that I use most is this one. by far.  It's possible to make accessory fixtures that accommodate many needs.  

https://www.homedepot.com/p/RIDGID-Oscillating-Edge-Belt-Spindle-Sander-EB4424/100061671

 

[Bob Blarney]

2 minutes ago, Bob Blarney said:

Or a vertical strip sander

But the sander that I use most is this one. by far.  The belt mechanism can be removed and spindle sanding sleeves installed, from 1/2" to 2" in diameter.  It's also possible to make accessory fixtures that accommodate many needs.  

 

RIDGID Oscillating Edge/Belt Spindle Sander

https://www.homedepot.com/p/RIDGID-Oscillating-Edge-Belt-Spindle-Sander-EB4424/100061671

Quote

 

 

Edited February 17, 2020 by Bob Blarney

[Bob Blarney]

This might be a useful idea for those who have a vibrating pad sander. It could handle larger pieces:

https://books.google.com/books?id=fdQDAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PP1&dq=strip sander&pg=PA128#v=onepage&q=strip sander&f=false 

[mtaylor]

Maybe something like this would work?  

[Bob Blarney]

A strip sander can be very useful, not only for your hobby.  I used mine to sharpen knives, chisels, and plane irons yesterday - scalpel sharp.  You can buy a 'knifemaking kit' at woodworkingshop.com for about $40 that includes a large selection of belts and a few other items.

 

A tune-up and maybe a couple of easy modifications might be a good idea.  There is guy who sharpens kitchen knives for a living using these, and he has made a couple of videos about how he tunes his strip sanders.    One particular thing he mentions is belt speed, and it may be worth the extra $20 to buy the variable speed RIKON 1in. x 30in. Belt / 6in. Disc Sander.    Another alternative is the standard combo 4x36 belt sander  & 6" disc sander.   

The cutlery guy reviewed several 1x30 machines here, bearing in mind that he use them for cutlery sharpening:

 

 

Edited February 18, 2020 by Bob Blarney

[Gaetan Bordeleau]

On 2/18/2020 at 10:11 AM, Bob Blarney said:

There is guy who sharpens kitchen knives for a living using these

Belt sander to sharpen knife usually have a belt of 2 inches by 72 inches. It is use for the rough sharpening and the final sharpening is made  on a stone.

The speed for a belt sander for metal is faster than the speed used for the wood.

Belt sanding for wood gives a much better finish than a disk sander, especially when you sand in the same direction as the wood grain. For this reason, I do not use disk sander.

[Bob Blarney]

1 hour ago, Gaetan Bordeleau said:

Belt sander to sharpen knife usually have a belt of 2 inches by 72 inches. It is use for the rough sharpening and the final sharpening is made  on a stone.

The speed for a belt sander for metal is faster than the speed used for the wood.

Belt sanding for wood gives a much better finish than a disk sander, especially when you sand in the same direction as the wood grain. For this reason, I do not use disk sander.

A 2x72 is an excellent machine for making knives, but a 1x30 will take away the prize for everyday work in a home/hobby shop.   If I really wanted to slow the 1x30 down without spending money for a new motor, then I would make a smaller drive wheel.  But doing that might require the addition of another idler wheel to take up the slack.  But most hobbyists aren't inclined to make or modify tools - they're interested in pursuing the detailed work of their hobby.

 

Edited February 19, 2020 by Bob Blarney

[wefalck]

Put a dimmer before the machine. You will loose some torque, but gain a cheap speed-control.

 

In fact, I am running some of my machines from an extension cord with momentary foot-switch and have a 'plug-dimmer' in the socket, into which I plug the machines. Allows you to preset the speed and start/stop the machine with the hands free.

 

Everything that is effectively a resistor, incandescent bulbs, motors, soldering irons, etc., can be controlled with such dimmers.

Edited February 19, 2020 by wefalck

[Bob Blarney]

2 hours ago, wefalck said:

Put a dimmer before the machine. You will loose some torque, but gain a cheap speed-control.

 

In fact, I am running some of my machines from an extension cord with momentary foot-switch and have a 'plug-dimmer' in the socket, into which I plug the machines. Allows you to preset the speed and start/stop the machine with the hands free.

 

Everything that is effectively a resistor, incandescent bulbs, motors, soldering irons, etc., can be controlled with such dimmers.

Unfortunately that is not advisable or possible. These sanders have induction motors.  A 'universal' motor can be controlled by HF router controller ($20).  Besides that, dimmers are intended for resistive loads such as incandescent lamps or heating blankets.

[wefalck]

Normally such small machines are fitted with an universal motors, but I take your word for it, that the sanders have an induction motor. Of course induction motors can only be controlled with inverters.

 

As I said, these phase-cut dimmers are for resistive loads.

[DocBlake]

On 2/14/2020 at 6:08 PM, Bob Blarney said:

There is something else that you might consider.

 

While the motor RPM are constant, the paper's surface velocity (inches/min) - and therefore the sanding rate - is greatest at the outer edge of the disc (5" x pi x RPM).  As a piece of stock is moved towards the center of the disc, the surface velocity drops, and becomes zero at the dead center of the disc.  So it is possible to alter the rate of sanding by positioning the piece.

 

That is obviously true, but I’ve come up with a dozen situations where it is much easier and accurate to have the “slow” sanding surface at the periphery of the disk and not the center.

[Ron Burns]

I know this topic is a bit dated but still wanted to say 'Thank-you'. I grabbed one after reading your recommendation and need to say it's perfect! It did come with a clamp, vac connection, variable speed and 3 grades of peel and stick paper. It's already helped me on my Winchelsea and while building my thickness sander. What I couldn't believe was how quiet it was with very little or no wobble, No buyer's remorse for this one! Doc Blake, are you the Ship builder that left a comment on Amazon?

[JJUSNRET]

I am setting up a very small model building shop in my home and I need a little advise on disk sanders.  Both Model Expo and MicroMart have 5 inch disk sanders on sale.  Model Expo has a Proxxon sander on sale for $271.  MicroMart has a sander that looks VERY much like the proxxon unit but for almost half the price.  Is Proxxon really worth the difference in price?  Thank You in advance. JJ