Sanding Discs
We currently have a 12" disc sander, which is great for squaring up tube and pipe ends and for sanding outside curves, but the self-adhesive discs keep coming off. Does anyone have a recommendation for a source of quality sanding discs? Any recommendations on grits for aluminum and polycarbonate?
Belt Sander
I’d also like to get a belt sander for inside curves and deburring handsawn and CNC-cut parts. I like the horizontal table on our disc sander since gravity and the disc keep the parts pushed against the table. Any recommendations on a belt sander like that? It seems like the sanders with 1" or 2" belts might work well for deburring. Does anyone have any experience using those for that type of work in FRC?
Thanks
An earlier version of this Harbor Freight sander (they were green at the time) has survived 10 seasons of student use and is still doing fine. It gets used every day of build season.
We have a 2hp 2x72 knife making belt grinder based off the polar bear forge Grinder in a box, and its one our favorite tools. Great for shaping and deburring, but be careful power grinders can do a lot of damage to parts and people if used carelessly. (We’ve never had any injuries, just be careful with powerful tools) Originally we had used a student’s personal grinder from polar bear, but when he left we CADed it up and had a sponsor cut the parts because Polar bear doesn’t seem to be active anymore.
We also have a 1x30 harbor freight, and it’s okay for light deburring, not much else. We haven’t plugged it in in about 8 years because the big one is so much more capable.
I have a WEN 1/2x18 file belt sander which is nice for very large parts that can’t be maneuvered around a stationary grinder. I was fully expecting to replace the thing with a higher quality one after a few months if it got frequent use, but the WEN has been fine for me. I would not recommend these for tight inside curves.
In my experience belt sanders aren’t much good for anything less than a 1-2" inside radius for tight inside radii you probably want a dremel, or a hand file (I promise a good hand file will be as fast as powertools for small tight corners). I highly recommend a large belt sander, but it would be more of a replacement for the disc sander, and would take care of rough edges on flat or convex surfaces.
Ditto to what’s been said above—a belt sander is definitely on my “really, really, really nice-to-have” list for an FRC team.
While pricey, my favorite brand belt grinder is Burr King. We just picked up a Burr King 760 (We got the 2" fixed speed) last year and I’ve been very happy with it. It’s definitely a bit overkill for the things we do with it but I’ve never found a grinder that has more consistent belt tension and tracking. The 562 or 482 models would probably be a better fit for most teams.
We got ours used from a local shop at auction and paid under $1k out the door. These things last forever so don’t be put off from getting an older used one. I think ours is over 25 years old and the original motor is still going fine. Swapping the motor out on these is also pretty easy and inexpensive if you find one with a dead motor.
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