machine - belt or bench sander edges?

[wizard of tragacanth]

Christine,

A belt sander is not the solution.  You need a spindle sander as they have spindles as small as 1/2" diameter, which will get into the tight curves of a holster.  Can't do that with a belt sander.  This Rigid is both belt and spindle, but you will likely use the spindle more often than the belt.  It won't hurt to have the belt though.  You could just get a plain old oscillating spindle sander for less than what the Rigid sells for, like this Harbor Freight model for $145.  https://www.harborfreight.com/search?q=spindle sander

If you have a shop vac, both the Harbor Freight and the Rigid have dust collection ports, so they will work with it.  You may need an adapter to make it fit.  Adapters are common and easy to find.  Here's one: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Think-Crucial-Replacement-2-1-2-in-to-1-1-2-in-Conversion-Unit-Fits-Shop-Vac-Compatible-with-Part-9064900-9064900/305847086

Get some 150 grit and 240 grit sanding sleeves for it.  Finish sanding by hand with 400 grit or higher if you want.

This is a good tool to have if you ever do anything with wood too.

[christine1ca]

Thanks, guys! Dwight - I purchased that same belt sander from Harbor Freight and am pleased with the results. (I don't do gun holsters or anything with concave curves, so it worked fine for me.) I'm almost tempted to mark my stitchline a little more than 1/8" from the edge with the plan to sand down even more since that might be a quicker way to get the edges lined up for painting. 

[dikman]

If you can remove the top plastic "safety" cover then you can sand curved parts too (my large belt grinder dosn't have guards and it's handy having access to the wheels for curves).

[Dwight]

On 5/17/2019 at 12:23 AM, wizard of tragacanth said:

Christine,

A belt sander is not the solution.  You need a spindle sander as they have spindles as small as 1/2" diameter, which will get into the tight curves of a holster.  Can't do that with a belt sander.  This Rigid is both belt and spindle, but you will likely use the spindle more often than the belt.  It won't hurt to have the belt though.  You could just get a plain old oscillating spindle sander for less than what the Rigid sells for, like this Harbor Freight model for $145.  https://www.harborfreight.com/search?q=spindle sander

If you have a shop vac, both the Harbor Freight and the Rigid have dust collection ports, so they will work with it.  You may need an adapter to make it fit.  Adapters are common and easy to find.  Here's one: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Think-Crucial-Replacement-2-1-2-in-to-1-1-2-in-Conversion-Unit-Fits-Shop-Vac-Compatible-with-Part-9064900-9064900/305847086

Get some 150 grit and 240 grit sanding sleeves for it.  Finish sanding by hand with 400 grit or higher if you want.

This is a good tool to have if you ever do anything with wood too.

That is one opinion, . . . not necessarily a well informed opinion, . . . 

The spindle sander of which he speaks also sits on my work bench, . . . mostly gathering dust, . . . as it does a terrible job on anything not curved, . . . and if you are not careful it can totally ruin a curved piece.

And that says nothing about not being able to use the whole sanding sleeve, . . . even with flipping it end for end.  The middle part is still basically "unused" when I toss the sleeve, . . . which is becoming less frequent as we go along, . . . 

The belt sander IS THE WAY to go, . . . or at least has been in my years of service to the leather industry.  For tight curves, . . . a Dremel tool is much, much, much better than the spindle sander.

May God bless,

Dwight

Edited May 25, 2019 by Dwight

[dikman]

I concur re- the Dremel-type tool. I have several () and keep a couple in the shed where I do my leatherwork. I have a small drum sander fitting, great for tight corners, and also made a small wooden burnisher, also for tight corners. I bought a cordless Dremel as it seemed like a good idea, and while it's great to take outside the shed for sanding maintaining the batteries is a bit of a pain.

Between these and the belt sander there's not much I can't do.

[Mark842]

I use one like the pic shown of the Harbor Freight one. The brand on mine is Wen but it looks like the same unit. I think I paid $70 for it at Walmart about 3 years ago.

[wizard of tragacanth]

On 5/25/2019 at 12:08 PM, Dwight said:

That is one opinion, . . . not necessarily a well informed opinion, . . . 

The spindle sander of which he speaks also sits on my work bench, . . . mostly gathering dust, . . . as it does a terrible job on anything not curved, . . . and if you are not careful it can totally ruin a curved piece.

Dwight... you are right.  I totally agree.  It was an uniformed opinion.  Based on the original post, mentioning holsters, I thought that we were talking about holsters.  No mention was made of long, straight edges.  I was recommending a spindle sander for a holster.  I also agree that an oscillating spindle is not ideal.  A non-oscillating spindle would be the better choice but the OP was asking if a specific machine was adequate.  The OP was thinking about a belt sander, which I considered to be a mistake because a belt sander is of little value in making holsters.  It would be very common to ask "What are you sanding" but I thought that to be implicit in the original post.

For straight edges, use a belt sander.  For curves, use a spindle sander.

Nick

Edited May 27, 2019 by wizard of tragacanth

[dikman]

Well, my holsters have been made using a belt sander, with the aforementioned Dremel for very tight curves. Works for me, and a lot cheaper than trying to find a spindle sander.

[BruceWampler]

First off, I have arthritis and other hand issues.  I have the Ridgid oscillating spindle/belt sander and the Harbor Freight 4" belt with 6" disc. The Ridgid is much better at detail work on wood. I've been thinking of trying the spindle on leather, just haven't got to it yet. The Ridgid is a much smoother operating machine with a good stable base/table. The HF is a beast, that vibrates a lot. It works, but I prefer to use the Ridgid for accurate work. I haven't been happy with Dremel results,  or with a flex shaft due to my hand problems.   

[dougfergy]

I have used belt sanders, both the 4 inch and the 1 inch for most of my projects for years.  I also use an old, worn out 4 inch belt to pre-finish edges that are relatively flat.  It doesn't make the leather furry.  Once your edges are glued and ready for stitching, I would use the sander to flatten and smooth your edges, then mark them for stitching so your stitches are uniform from the edge all the way around. 

For the inside curves, I use drum sanding bits on my drill press.  I bought these years ago and still have quite a pile of sand tubes for them.  They don't work fast really, but inside curves you generally don't want to get too crazy sanding anyway.  You can get these cheap for a set at Home Depot and lots of other places.  I think I bought mine at Jantz Knife Building Supply.

 

 

Edited July 16, 2019 by dougfergy
Forgot to mention where I bought mine