Sanding Belts On Inlays

[John Esberg]

Hey everybody,

I just got pluged for a job on a floor inlay larger than the capacity of my drum sander. I have to do this with a belt sander. I'll be doing it with a belt sander. Any advice before I jump into it?

Also, do you have any recommendations on sources for 4" x 24" sanding belts?

Any advice would be appreciated,

DAK

[Wendell Wilkerson]

I bought a bunch of 6" x 48" belts from www.supergrit.com. The belts work fine and the price seemed decent to me. They've even worked on their website since I ordered so it's not dog slow any more.

Wendell

[John Esberg]

I bought a bunch of 6" x 48" belts from www.supergrit.com (http://www.supergrit.com). The belts work fine and the price seemed decent to me. They've even worked on their website since I ordered so it's not dog slow any more.

Wendell
Wendell,

I searched around, including eBay, Porter-Cable, Amazon, etc., and found my best deal with Tyler Tool Company. I ended up ordering 80 and 120 grits of OEM belts. Even with Priority Mail shipping, I ended up with a nice price.

Now using this method to prepare the surface of floor inlays for finishing may not be as fast as drum sanding, it doesn't limit you in size. I'm attaching a pic of a sample of what I'll be making with my belt sander.

Till later,

DAK

[Dennis Peacock]

Beautiful work John. A 4by24 belt sander should do very well. I'm not very artistic with a belt sander and I want to learn how to do inlay/marquetry like what you have displayed. Of course.....you could always buy you a nice 52" widebelt sander. :p :D

[Neil Bosdet]

To answer your first question, re-using a belt sander instead of a drum sander..... go carefully. If you have lots of experience with a belt sander then you shouldn't have any problems. If not, practice on something sacrificial for a bit. It doesn't take long to discover the nuances of a belt sander. To me, it comes down to gentle and even pressure. You can't hold the unit with one hand or the other, even for a moment. It must be both and you have to be careful applying and removing the sander from the project. Other than that, they work great. If concerned when you first go at your job, start with a finer grit than you feel is necessary just to be sure. Belt sanders work fast.

[John Esberg]

Well, I just finished my first project with the belt sander. What a joy! I love it! I bought a Porter-Cable 360VS via Amazon.com on a great price. (Don't go through Home Depot, they'll rip you off.)

Use of the machine on the inlay was easy. It was like walking a dog. I only had to stop to add hearing protection to my eye and breathing protection already in place.

Thanks for the suggestions.

DAK