DIY Edge Sander Plans

[Eric Meier]

I'm just curious to see if anyone has built the edge sander from the plans at plansnow.com.

It apparently first appeared several years ago in ShopNotes magazine.

I just bought the plans a few days ago, and have begun some very preliminary work on the project.

If anyone else out there has built the machine shown in these plans, I'd be interested in your feedback.

• How well does it perform?
• Would you do anything differently?
• Does the design have any quirks/drawbacks?

[Ed Bamba]

I was looking at that set of plans myself. Would like to build one. Does it have the oscillating feature or a source to make it one? Hopefully you will post updates and pics when you get started, looking forward to seeing it.

Ed

[Eric Meier]

I was looking at that set of plans myself. Would like to build one. Does it have the oscillating feature or a source to make it one? Hopefully you will post updates and pics when you get started, looking forward to seeing it.

Ed

It doesn't have an oscillating feature, and I'm not sure how one could be added easily. (But then again, I've never actually seen how an oscillating edge sander actually works in person anyway.)

[george wilson]

As cheap as the Grizzly edge sander is,and a lot more sturdy than a wooden one,unless you enjoy building machines,like I do,I'd just buy the Grizzly.

In the furniture factories in North Carolina in the 60's,I saw several side stroke sanders made on premises. They didn't have the front roller,just a rounded nose covered with graphite cloth.

I have also seen a 14' bandsaw made up out of pipe fittings,and a very nice job,though I am sure not as rigid as a cast iron frame. it was probably made in the 40's or 50's when you could only buy expensive American stuff.

Saw a wood lathe made out of pipe fittings,too. It is surprising what an inventive person with no metal working machines can come up with.

[Jerome Hanby]

It doesn't have an oscillating feature, and I'm not sure how one could be added easily. (But then again, I've never actually seen how an oscillating edge sander actually works in person anyway.)

I wonder if you could use a very low rpm gear motor that can reverse and use it to drive a couple of acme threaded rods to move the "head" up and down? I guess some kind of splined connection to drive the actual sanding part. Seems like there would be a lot of wear and vibration...

[Dave Lehnert]

Some have reported that it does works well.
I started to build one myself from the plans. Got halfway through and stopped. I was not convinced after spending the money on all the bearings and such it would be worth the investment. A small Grizzly can be had for under $600.

[Eric Meier]

That Grizzly edge sander does look like a good deal, but I still can't afford it right now. I can't tell from the picture though: is it a benchtop? If so, I'd still need to build a base for it.

The plans use a sheet and a half of 3/4" MDF, plus some hardwood (which I already had on hand), and some various bearings, springs, knobs, etc.

I picked up the MDF and aluminum channel yesterday, and it ran $50. I just ordered the bearings, bushings, springs, etc. today from McMaster and it will probably be just over $50 for that too, after shipping.

So far the running total is just over $100, which isn't too bad. Of course, I'm reusing an old motor/pulleys, so that much isn't included either. If I didn't already have the motor, screws/bolts, and all the other little parts on hand, I probably wouldn't try this plan either, but I don't anticipate it costing much more than the $100 I've already spent.

[Ed Bamba]

Does the plans call for a specific type of motor and pulley size?

[Richard McComas]

I built one of those sander about a year after it appeared in ShopNotes. I don't remember how long ago that was but it been quite a while back. I'm still using that sander today and it works great, has no vibration and runs pretty quiet.

If I remember correctly the plans call for a 3/4 hp motor, I used a 1 hp because I had one on hand and it worked out well, I'd use 1 hp if you have one.

It doesn't mention in the plans but when you epoxy rollers to the shafts, put the shafts in you vice and take some vice grip pliers or any thing else you can think of and scar the shaft up real well in the area of the shaft where the epoxy will be.

I believe it's a better sander than the similar product you're going to get form China.


MADE IN THE USA

[Charles Seehuetter Panama City]

The best deal on the market right now. Works great, has pretty good dust collection and both belt and spindle.

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/...0051&langId=-1

[Michael McDonald]

Eric,
Could you share the part numbers for the bearings, bushings, springs, etc. that you bought from McMaster?

[Cliff Furman]

The best deal on the market right now. Works great, has pretty good dust collection and both belt and spindle.

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/...0051&langId=-1

I'm on my second Ridgid sander. I love it, but the drum is not nearly as nice as a longer belt on an edge sander.

50 years ago, my father had a shop made band saw, that my Grandfather built. It had a wood frame, and used 2 Soap Box Derby wheels and axel stubs.
The tire on the SBD wheels is solid rubber and it tapers in from the sides, so the tread is only 1/2" wide or so. Somehow, my GF shaved the tires down, which made them wider, for the BS band so ride on. I wish I had the saw now!
I remember using the other set of wheels and axel to make a downhill death machine!

[Eric Meier]

Eric,
Could you share the part numbers for the bearings, bushings, springs, etc. that you bought from McMaster?

Michael, sorry for the delay, I didn't post here for a couple of reasons:
1) Been very busy the last few days and didn't have time.
2) I wasn't sure that I got all the right parts, so I wanted to wait and made sure everything worked out alright.

Now that I've spent the better part of the day on this project, I feel more inclined to list what I bought. Here's what I ordered from McMaster, which totaled almost exactly $50:

9414T13 5/8" Shaft Collar (x2)
60355K602 5/8" Ball Bearing (x2)
5913K72 5/8" Flange-Mount Bearing (x2)
2868T15 5/8" Sleeve Bearing (x2)
9662K46 1 1/4" Spring

The spring was one continuous 36" coil, which I cut into three shorter springs. There are also a handful of parts and things that I got locally. I got the 5/8" shafts locally at Grainger's, and I bought a smaller spring and a few other parts at Menard's. I also had most of the nuts, bolts, screws, etc. already on hand, so I didn't factor those into the price.

So far everything is coming along really well. I don't work with sheet goods pretty much at all, so cutting the MDF accurately with either a bandsaw or a handheld circular saw was at times comical. I can definitely see the advantages of a big table saw... but that's not for me.

I posted a picture attachment of the progress. (Hopefully it will appear somewhere?) Also, I posted even more pictures of the progress on my blog.

And thusfar, if you're thinking about an edge sander, I'd really recommend buying the plans from plansnow. They're only $10, and if you use the coupon code "BUILD" you get 20% off, so it's only $8. Considering the relative complexity of a machine like this, I think it's money well spent. I don't even hardly ever buy plans--I prefer to design my own projects--but in this instance, it's not a matter of size/dimension preference or aesthetic: it's actually gotta work when you're done! For me, this is no time for trial and error.

[Eric Meier]

Update:

I found a great source for sanding belts (and other abrasives in general).

Supergrit.com

They had 6" x 89" aluminum oxide sanding belts for only $7! They do have a $25 minimum order though. I picked up 40g and 100g belts, along with some other stuff. We'll see if they are of decent quality.

[James Boster]

I started to build one of those several years ago and then I came up with a surplus of 6"x132" belts so I decided I wanted a bigger one. I built one with a 48" platen and it osscillates also.

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