Belt Sander or Block Sander

[ABC3]

Do most of you find that you need to sand your liner & belt after glued or holsters to get your leather even & smooth? Maybe it's just me lately - but I can't seem to cut a straight line so that both sides match up. Sanding has become a norm around my shop. Any suggestions?

[Dwight]

  Hobby Tom said:

Do most of you find that you need to sand your liner & belt after glued or holsters to get your leather even & smooth? Maybe it's just me lately - but I can't seem to cut a straight line so that both sides match up. Sanding has become a norm around my shop. Any suggestions?

I'm probably out of the ordinary on this, . . . but I always plan on sanding the edges smooth, . . . and when they happen to line up right, . . . it's a pleasant surprize. I used to try, . . . and fail regularly, to get it all to line up, . . . finally figured it wasn't worth all the hassle & worry when I've got at least 7 different sanding tools and a trash bin. Now I just sand it 'till it's right, . . . or pitch it and start over.

May God bless,

Dwight

[TwinOaks]

With all the flexibility of leather it's hard to keep it from stretching even a little bit. I suppose I could tape all the pieces, then cut, then spend additional time lining everything up....or just cut the dang thing out a little oversized and trim the edges once assembled. I've been thinking of a sander, too, but can't justify the expense right now.

Edited March 8, 2009 by TwinOaks

[Hennessy]

  Dwight said:

I'm probably out of the ordinary on this, . . . but I always plan on sanding the edges smooth, . . . and when they happen to line up right, . . . it's a pleasant surprize. I used to try, . . . and fail regularly, to get it all to line up, . . . finally figured it wasn't worth all the hassle & worry when I've got at least 7 different sanding tools and a trash bin. Now I just sand it 'till it's right, . . . or pitch it and start over.

May God bless,

Dwight

i had a large finish machine out of a shoe repair shop,several size sanding wheels and a vacumn dust remover and ground all types of edges for 30 years.i couldn't get anywhere near th edge without.now i have a drum attached to a drill,tied down to table and continue to finish with good edges anything that i care to make. pete

[Tac]

I sand just about every seam I make where two pieces of leather are joined to create an edge... It's the only way that I can get them to turn out even remotely well.

I use a sanding drum that chucks into my drill press. Works wonderfully.

-Tac

[rhall]

I have an oscilating table sander that you can change drum diam..but by using a gum cleaner it lasts forever..also excellant control.I have not figured a better way to do it!Now that I mfgd those redwood grooved wheels for the buffer everything go's very fast.Gum trag and four min and I am done!

[ABC3]

I'm glad I'm not the only one having problems with this. I thought it was just me not being able to cut a straight strap.

[Brushpopper]

I cut pretty accurately but even so I need to use a Dremel 300 with a small sanding drum to get a satisfactory main holster seam. The Dremel is great - you have good control with it.

[tonyc1]

If I ever want a belt 101% matching edges I glue the back on and then run it through my strap cutter with the knives set at the width I want. I make the blank a quarter of an inch wider than the belt I want and the cutter takes an eighth of an inch off either side and they match perfectly.

Tony.

[ABC3]

tonyc1;

That's the way to do it right - if you have a strap cutter.

Edited March 8, 2009 by Hobby Tom

[hidepounder]

I always sand my edges. I have a sanding belt set up on a grinder that I use for all kind of things. It runs at about 3500 rpm which is too fast for leather, however, I discovered that using the higher speed caused a slight amount of scortching on the edges which enhanced my final finish on the edges. For tight turns I use a small drum sander at 1750 rpm. Occassionally the dremel is real handy.

Bob

[Rayban]

Gotta get this, only $40. I use it to make knife handles and leather work. I have the same situation you are describing ALLLLLL the time...this makes short work of it.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/disp...Itemnumber=2485

[ABC3]

I was just there on Fri & purchased a shop press & ask about a belt sander & didn't have one. Will check it out again. Thanks for the heads up.

Stay safe.....

[Rayban]

When making a knife sheath it's not uncommon to have 3,4,5,6 layers of 8-10oz. I find it impossible to get the edges aligned just right without sanding before burnishing.

The belt sander works wonders.....just go slow, it can burn the leather!

[DCKNIVES]

Well being a knifemaker as well as a leatherworker, I am fortunate to have a Variable Speed Burr-King belt sander.I highly recommend getting a VS if you can afford it. Its great for sheath and holster edges, like Rayban said 4-6 layers of leather are hard to get perfect without sanding.Dave

[Randyc]

  rhall said:

I have an oscilating table sander that you can change drum diam..but by using a gum cleaner it lasts forever..also excellant control.I have not figured a better way to do it!Now that I mfgd those redwood grooved wheels for the buffer everything go's very fast.Gum trag and four min and I am done!

I have an oscilating Spindle sander myself, but still often use my variable speed dremal tool . I wet the edge then run it at slower speeds. I usually end up rubbing down my edges with some fine grit automotive sandpaper. I use Gum T and then denim from old blue jeans to buff the edges.

Randy

[Lobo]

Many years ago I stopped even trying to cut perfectly matching edges, always cutting to a line. Then I assemble everything with cement and clamp it together. Then I use both a belt sander and a drum sander to dress the edges.

Here is one thing that helps me a lot (since I do 20-plus items per week, and usually at least 8 or 10 at a time):

1. cement and clamp the items sufficiently to hold everything together

2. dip the item in water, just enough to dampen it well

3. dress the edges with the belt sander or drum sander, which will very quickly dress the damp leather down WITH NO DUST IN THE AIR, just a little damp scrap that falls quickly to the tabletop. This also raises a bead at all edges, which I allow to dry thoroughly, then hit it with an edge beveler and the edges are done.

An additional benefit of wetting the leather before dressing the edges is that it leaves a roughly burnished edge. After wet forming, while the holster is still damp, I hit the edges with a burnishing tool (hardwood cylinder chucked into the drill press) and have a final bright burnished edge in very short order.

[ABC3]

Lobo,

Thanks for your input - it really helps. Good luck with your new digs & keep the frig stocked....

Stay safe.

[Bree]

I went over to Home Depot this weekend and bought a KILLER machine for $200. It's a Ridgid 2 in 1 oscillating spindle/edge belt sander. It has the normal spindles that you would find on a good spindle sander with 3/4 inch oscillation. But it also has a 4"x24" belt sander that also oscillates 3/4 inch! It has a big worksurface and is extremely well designed. It earned Fine Wooodworking's Best Overall and Best Value awards in one of their machine shootouts.

Here are a couple of PIX of the machine in both setups. (Very fast and EZ to switch from one to the other)

Between my drill press sanding drums (non-oscillating) and this oscillating sander, I have all my bases covered.

[ABC3]

That looks great. I was just at HD & didn't see it. I would have jumped on it. Nice find......

[gtwister09]

Rigid has had this machine out for a couple of years. It works well on wood because the oscillating action lessens the finish marks. It was one of the first oscillating interchangeable drum/belt sanders on the market. It is a nice machine!

Regards,

Ben

[Lobo]

  Bree said:

I went over to Home Depot this weekend and bought a KILLER machine for $200. It's a Ridgid 2 in 1 oscillating spindle/edge belt sander. It has the normal spindles that you would find on a good spindle sander with 3/4 inch oscillation. But it also has a 4"x24" belt sander that also oscillates 3/4 inch! It has a big worksurface and is extremely well designed. It earned Fine Wooodworking's Best Overall and Best Value awards in one of their machine shootouts.

Here are a couple of PIX of the machine in both setups. (Very fast and EZ to switch from one to the other)

Between my drill press sanding drums (non-oscillating) and this oscillating sander, I have all my bases covered.

Bree: You are on top of the handy machines for the shop! I'll be getting one of these to replace two or three old timer's tools I've been using for years. Thanks for the post.