HomeHome & leisureSandersBelt sanders and hand sanding

In this report

close Print
- Print page
- Print whole report
print
comments (0)
share

Sanders Updated 13 Aug 2007

Belt sanders and hand sanding

Belt sander

These machines have a loop or belt of abrasive cloth that is tensioned between rotating front and rear drums. They're designed for rapidly smoothing timber and removing old paint, but they can be tricky to use. You need to keep them moving at all times, and never run them across the grain of the timber, or they will produce very deep score marks.

Sanding by hand

You don't always need a machine, of course. For getting into tight spots, or flatting gloss paint and light finishing, a folded sheet of sandpaper and a bit of elbow grease could be all that's required.

If you're doing larger surfaces like walls and tabletops, wrap the sandpaper over a block of wood (you can buy them faced with cork, which softens the abrasion and therefore helps avoid scratching). This will produce faster, more consistent results.

For reaching up walls, you can get sanding blocks that attach to a broomstick via a pivoting joint.