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Make a stand for your belt sander and free a hand!
My wonderful wife bought me a boatload of Sears Craftsman power tools a few years ago. One of the tools in the treasure chest was a belt sander. However, I wasn't really using the belt sander for large surfaces. I was mostly using it to clean up my rough cuts on small parts. To do this I would hold the belt sander with one hand and the part with the other. No too safe and not very controllable. Using scraps of junk lying around my garage, I decided to make a stand. Now I can use both hands to hold the part for better safety and accuracy.
I also designed this stand so that you can quickly remove the belt sander from the stand by unscrewing two wingnuts. But to be honest, since making this stand, I've rarely used the belt sander in the hand held mode.
I apologize for the lack of photos in this Instructable. I threw this stand together a long time ago. I can't disassemble it for new photos because it is glued together. This belt sander stand is linked to another Instructable I previously posted. http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-a-footswitch-become-a-monkey./
The stand was in one of those photos. Some Instructable viewers were interested in how I made this stand. So I decided to create this Instructable, after the fact.
Oh yeah, as commented in my other footswitch Instructable, this will only work on belt sanders with a trigger lock. Or if you're desperate you can always zip tie the trigger and make a footswitch.
Note, my belt sander is a Sears Craftsman Model 315. It is an older model and is no longer available from Sears. All belt sanders are different. Shape and dimensions differ especially in the handle/grip area. My model 315 has a very angular shaped enclosure with many flat surfaces. Flat surfaces made it easier to mount to a stand. Newer belt sanders are more organic in shape. (Can someone tell me why a power tool needs to look like the head of Alien?) So the method I used in this Instructable may or may not apply to your belt sander.
If you don't own a belt sander, you can always go to Sears and purchase a proper bench belt/sander:
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00921514000P?keyword=sander
They're reasonably priced and not much more expensive than a handheld belt sander.
This is an easy Instructable that you can do in one day.
You can put this together with basic tools:
Saber/Jigsaw
Screwdriver
Rock, Paper, Scissors
Drill
Square/Level
Awl
Clamps
Parts:
1.5" x 1.5" lumber (I think tradesmen call this 2x2 since they're half of a 2x4,)
1/2" thick plywood
Sheet rock screws
Wood glue
Plastic sheet
Silicone adhesive
Thread/string
Double sided tape
Transwarp drive
Vacuum cleaner nozzle attachment
2 Bolts, wingnuts and washers
My wonderful wife bought me a boatload of Sears Craftsman power tools a few years ago. One of the tools in the treasure chest was a belt sander. However, I wasn't really using the belt sander for large surfaces. I was mostly using it to clean up my rough cuts on small parts. To do this I would hold the belt sander with one hand and the part with the other. No too safe and not very controllable. Using scraps of junk lying around my garage, I decided to make a stand. Now I can use both hands to hold the part for better safety and accuracy.
I also designed this stand so that you can quickly remove the belt sander from the stand by unscrewing two wingnuts. But to be honest, since making this stand, I've rarely used the belt sander in the hand held mode.
I apologize for the lack of photos in this Instructable. I threw this stand together a long time ago. I can't disassemble it for new photos because it is glued together. This belt sander stand is linked to another Instructable I previously posted. http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-a-footswitch-become-a-monkey./
The stand was in one of those photos. Some Instructable viewers were interested in how I made this stand. So I decided to create this Instructable, after the fact.
Oh yeah, as commented in my other footswitch Instructable, this will only work on belt sanders with a trigger lock. Or if you're desperate you can always zip tie the trigger and make a footswitch.
Note, my belt sander is a Sears Craftsman Model 315. It is an older model and is no longer available from Sears. All belt sanders are different. Shape and dimensions differ especially in the handle/grip area. My model 315 has a very angular shaped enclosure with many flat surfaces. Flat surfaces made it easier to mount to a stand. Newer belt sanders are more organic in shape. (Can someone tell me why a power tool needs to look like the head of Alien?) So the method I used in this Instructable may or may not apply to your belt sander.
If you don't own a belt sander, you can always go to Sears and purchase a proper bench belt/sander:
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00921514000P?keyword=sander
They're reasonably priced and not much more expensive than a handheld belt sander.
This is an easy Instructable that you can do in one day.
You can put this together with basic tools:
Saber/Jigsaw
Screwdriver
Rock, Paper, Scissors
Drill
Square/Level
Awl
Clamps
Parts:
1.5" x 1.5" lumber (I think tradesmen call this 2x2 since they're half of a 2x4,)
1/2" thick plywood
Sheet rock screws
Wood glue
Plastic sheet
Silicone adhesive
Thread/string
Double sided tape
Transwarp drive
Vacuum cleaner nozzle attachment
2 Bolts, wingnuts and washers
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Signing UpStep 1Design
The belt sander stand is really simple. It basically consists of eight pieces.
Two-1/2" plywood sides
One-Vertical column 13" tall
Two-Horizontal legs 10" long
Two-Lateral feet 1/2" plywood 10" x 3.5"
The first thing to do is design the sides of the stand. Each side is made from 1/2 inch plywood.
The sides of the plywood are held together by screws, bolts and wingnuts. In essence what you're designing is a type of clamp that will sandwich the belt sander around the handle area. Typically, the handle area is designed to be pretty sturdy.
First thing to do is to make cardboard templates for the sides. Rough it out and keep trimming until the template fits perfectly. My belt sander required a different template for the other side since the enclosure differed on each side. Leave some extra room for the 2x2 vertical column. At the top you'll notice I left some room for a bolt that will secure both sides together.
When you're satisfied with the template, transfer it to the plywood and cut it out with a saber saw/jigsaw.
You'll also need to located and drill holes for the trigger and trigger lock. I drilled a hole for the trigger on the left side and a hole for the trigger lock on the right side. You'll also need to locate and drill holes for the second bolt and wingnut combo.
Two-1/2" plywood sides
One-Vertical column 13" tall
Two-Horizontal legs 10" long
Two-Lateral feet 1/2" plywood 10" x 3.5"
The first thing to do is design the sides of the stand. Each side is made from 1/2 inch plywood.
The sides of the plywood are held together by screws, bolts and wingnuts. In essence what you're designing is a type of clamp that will sandwich the belt sander around the handle area. Typically, the handle area is designed to be pretty sturdy.
First thing to do is to make cardboard templates for the sides. Rough it out and keep trimming until the template fits perfectly. My belt sander required a different template for the other side since the enclosure differed on each side. Leave some extra room for the 2x2 vertical column. At the top you'll notice I left some room for a bolt that will secure both sides together.
When you're satisfied with the template, transfer it to the plywood and cut it out with a saber saw/jigsaw.
You'll also need to located and drill holes for the trigger and trigger lock. I drilled a hole for the trigger on the left side and a hole for the trigger lock on the right side. You'll also need to locate and drill holes for the second bolt and wingnut combo.
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http://www.instructables.com/id/Fixed-Disc-Sander-from-Angle-Grinder/
Curious though, it looks like the front of the sander is pointing down. Which means the belt is travelling up while grinding on it, a little iffy and harder to control.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Tool-Rest-for-a-Belt-Sander-for-Sharpening/
mdog