New Oscillating Spindle Sander

[Randyc]

I just purchased an oscillating spindle sander for evening up my holster edges. I had been using a Dremel Tool which runs a little fast. I tried the sander with 120 grit sanding spindles. I'm getting a little feathering of the edges. I've found 220 grit spindles on line and wonder if they might work out better for me.

Does anyone else use a spindle sander for leather edge sanding and what grit sanding spindle do you use?

Randy

[DCKNIVES]

Randy, you will probably be stuck running no finer than 100 grit unless that spindle sander has fairly low rpm.I have a Burr-King 2"x72" belt sander I use for my knives and also doubles for my leather, but it is a variable speed and I can slow it down to a crawl.I can go down to 400 grit without too much trouble.sadly price tag is about $2500.00.Dave

[Shorts]

Well...I use my Dremel for initial edge evening after the glue process. From there I use pieces of paper by hand on each holster (120, 200 or 320, 400). It is tedious, but considering the very expensive alternative, the

paper-by-hand is what I have to do now. What is nice is the burnishing and final edge slick comes out real easy. At the end of the build, you'll have put in the time regardless of what step it was in.

[$$hobby]

i got one of those Rigid oscillating spindle sander that can be converted from drum to belt and its been working fine for me. im not sure what grit was OEM, but ive been using that for now.

[Randyc]

Well...I use my Dremel for initial edge evening after the glue process. From there I use pieces of paper by hand on each holster (120, 200 or 320, 400). It is tedious, but considering the very expensive alternative, the

paper-by-hand is what I have to do now. What is nice is the burnishing and final edge slick comes out real easy. At the end of the build, you'll have put in the time regardless of what step it was in.

Shorts

I've been using the same methods as you. My spindle sander runs a heck of a lot slower then the dremel and is easier for me to control with less chance of burning the edge. The OEM spindles that came with the sander are 120 grip. I'm going to go ahead and experiment with some 220 grit on the sander then stay with the finer grits for my final sanding. I just wondered how fine of a grit is available for the spindle sander?

Thanks

Randy

[Hennessy]

Shorts

I've been using the same methods as you. My spindle sander runs a heck of a lot slower then the dremel and is easier for me to control with less chance of burning the edge. The OEM spindles that came with the sander are 120 grip. I'm going to go ahead and experiment with some 220 grit on the sander then stay with the finer grits for my final sanding. I just wondered how fine of a grit is available for the spindle sander?

Thanks

Randy

i got a drum sander that fits up to a hand drill black n dkr type ,i got it from mail order co whose name avoids me at this time.anyhow a drill with variable speed ,attached to th drum tied down to my bench,set desired speed n tie down trigger n away u go, sand belts, skirts ,wotever ,also i have i made a burnisher from a fancy wood turned chair leg , for belts using the small grooves turned.for skirts or thicker stuff the larger turn'd grooves.when in doubt find another way adios peter john

[Big Papa Leather]

For those who may be interested I can provide you with "off the shelf" part numbers and where to buy the stuff to build your own variable speed 1X42" belt sander. The motor and controller are available through grainger and the sander frame/body from Lee Valley tools. The sander can be outfitted with belts of whatever grit you desire and with a simple addition of a three way toggle switch it can run in two directions. You can lay it on its side with the belt traveling away from you to do knives and other sharpening jobs, use it in this position in front of the platen and you can convex quite easily. Stand it up and reverse the belt and use a tool rest to sharpen chisels and other tools if you like.

If you have just a tiny bit of mechanical aptitude you can build this thing easily.

It is basically a put together deal. No real fabrication required.

I built mine for about $250.00 using a used motor. The motor is a Dayton 1/7 HP with a tremendous amount of torque. You would REALLY have to work at it to bog it to a stop.

If anyone is interested let me know!

Allen

[dbusarow]

I built mine for about $250.00 using a used motor. The motor is a Dayton 1/7 HP with a tremendous amount of torque. You would REALLY have to work at it to bog it to a stop.

If anyone is interested let me know!

Allen

Allen,

I'm interested. Sounds like a really versatile setup. It should would beat strapping a regular belt sander to the bench!

Dan

[Big Papa Leather]

Sorry Randyc for hi-jacking your thread.

Ok, here is the stuff you will need to build it.

Sander frame: Lee Valley Tools

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=...072&p=44884

Motor and Controller

Motor 4Z140 1800 RPM, Torque 4.38 in/lb, 1/8 HP, 90V DC

http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/items/4Z140

Grainger's price on the new motor is CRAZY! Check eBay. Occasionally used ones go for $50-60 RAE motors has a generic one that shows up occasionally, same motor, same manufacturer just under the RAE name.

Control 5X412

http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/items/5X412

These too can be bought cheaper on eBay. Think about $40.00 new unused. Just about any of the 90V controllers will work. I used this one because of the enclosed case but you can use most of the controllers rated for 90V.

Switch 6-Terminal; Forward, Neutral & Reverse

This can be bought at Radio Shack and Home Depot it is a three position switch. Home Depot calls them a Heavy Duty Three position Toggle Switch. The motor is connected to the switch and the feed from the controller is attached to the switch. This makes it variable speed in both directions. You can install an electric brake if you like. I didn't. If you turn the machine off and then switch the direction, the controller acts like an electric brake bringing the belt to a immediate stop. Make sure you turn it off first or you'll blow the fuse.

The shaft of the motor is ½ so is the arbor hole on the pulley. I used a piece of plate aluminum to mount the motor to (4 bolts) Then mounted the motor and plate to the machine. My sander frame had a Large hole where the shaft went through and the bolts didn't have anything to hold on to. A buddy of mine just built this machine and he said they changed the motor mounting to a smaller hole. You may be able to make a template of the mounting arrangement on the motor and drill the holes for the motor to mount directly. That's what he did.

You will need three core wire. Positive, Negative and ground to run from the motor to the controller, and from the controller to the electrical outlet. Also a three prong electrical end will be needed to plug it in. You can install a two position toggle to turn on and off but the controller also has an off position I just used that one.

I used feet from here:

Amp Feet

http://cgi.ebay.com/Set-of-8-Rubber-Feet-G...93%3A1|294%3A50

See the attachment for a very crude rendition of the plate I used to mount the feet so the sander could be laid down. If your really gonna apply a lot of pressure, you can hang the belt attachment over the bench and use a clamp to hold it down, Or drill a couple holes in the foot plate and then mount some bolts with wing nuts through your bench. That way you can unbolt it quickly to stand it up if needed.

If you have any questions let me know.

I do not have the sander with me it is still in South Carolina in my brother-in-laws garage. Hopefully over the Christmas break I can go pick it up along with my other tools and my 1989 Blazer that did not fit into the moving truck!

Allen

[hidepounder]

I sand on a stationary belt sander also....really works great. I get feathering at the edges, but that is removed when I edge. I've found that I get better final finish by allowing the speed of the belt to produce a slight scorch to the edge while sanding.

I would like to try the spindle sander...but can you elimimate the oscillating feature? Sounds like a great way to finish edges.....you could wrap a sanding tube with saddle soaped canvas and you could add a wood slicker as well. Has anybody tried this? Does anybody know if the oscillation can be turned off?

Here is an edge finished mechanically with soaped canvas.

Bob

[Big Papa Leather]

I have never seen one that has an off feature for the oscillating function. The reason to ascillate is to prevent there from being sanding marks as the medium changes constantly.

If you wanted to make a stationary machine. Use the motor and controller set up listed in my belt sander example above. Get the sanding drum and spindle attachment and mount it to the motor. Maybe a source of income for me? Building belt sanders and non-oscillating sanders/Burnishers? LOL

Allen

[Randyc]

Allen

Very interesting belt sander setup. If I didn't already have the spindle sander, I'd probably build one of those.

Randy