What is the best kind of belt sander to use?

Question

in distressing furniture?

Z · Answer

Either an orbital finishing or random orbital sander would work best in my opinion.

Woodbridge Environmental Tiptophouse.com · Answer

Exactly what is the look your going for? Some people use all sorts of metal objects to age a finish for a real worn look, but to simply wear off the finish, then I agree with Becky an orbital sander using 220 grit or finer paper would work well. Anything rougher would simply show up as sand scratches and not wear.

Adrianne C · Answer

Use a belt sander on wood, need to follow the grain. I got mine from Sears years ago. I also use a belt cleaner block to remove residue and extend the life of my belts.

Sherrie · Answer

I use a orbital also.

SK on Elderberry · Answer

I use an orbital also. But my most common practice is the good old foam sanding block. I seem to get better control and don't have a fear of going to deep to quickly. You can even use them wet. Which give a whole different look.

Sherrie · Answer

I have a belt sander I very seldom use it.  My cheap orbital is great.  I am getting a new random orbital also.  They are small and fit my hands perfectly. I also hand sand and have made my own block sander.  I still use a chemical stripper in certain furniture.  It also helps,

Keith · Answer

I'd listen to all of these ladies and go with an orbital. Unless you really know what you're doing with a belt sander, it can destroy a project very quickly..

Jamie Kennemer · Answer

Right before your paint completely dries -use a damp rag.  Will make it look more worn naturally.  If you have to use a sander I use a palm sander.  My orbital can sometimes leave the imprint of a circle.   Lightly hit the edges.  You can always take off more if need be.  Good Luck!

Toni Yates · Answer

I love my 'mouse' sander= so much flexibility and easy to change sandpaper for different grits.

Terra Gazelle · Answer

I would not use a belt sander, you can destroy your project quickly ..Of course I do a light distress..so I use a little sand paper, the most I use is a palm sander.

ToolInspector · Answer

I would use a power tool review site like Tool Inspector to find one in your budget and one that suits the work you want it to tackle.

Make sure you get one with a dust extraction if you have large tasks to complete because it saves your lungs and saves when it's time to clean up.

Bright Ochuko · Answer

It depends on what you want to use the Sander for, and the amount of material you want to remove.

If you're sanding a stationary material like when you're stripping away paint from walls or sanding a wooden floor, you'd need a handheld belt sander.

On the other hand, if you want to sand a piece of wood or plastic material for your project, you can get a stationary model which can be mounted on a workbench.

You should be careful though when using belt sanders because they're very aggressive and remove a lot of materials at once.

If you're using a floor model, you don't want to leave it stationary in one place, else it will leave a big dent on the material.

They're meant for the early stages of the sanding process. If you just want to remove light amount of material from a surface, you should opt for a different type of sander instead. A random orbital sander is definitely a good option you can go for. You can find some really good ones here on Craftsmanprotools.

What is the best kind of belt sander to use?

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What is the best kind of belt sander to use?

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