There are so many different types of belt sanders out there, it's really hard to decide which one to chose. They all have different features and designs, it makes it tough to decide which is the best on for you. in this article, I've went over a few of the key features that you'll want to have on your belt sander so that you'll know that you've got a quality tool.
A great feature that you'll want to have on your belt sander is the variable speed feature. This gives your sander the ability to be less aggressive, making it easier to do fine work with. This is something you'll really appreciate when you are working on a softer wood, where a momentary lack of attention can cost you an hours worth of work! You'll also want to make sure that the variable speed switch is in a convenient location, if it's not this will really become an issue when working on those longer projects.
The true test of a sander's power isn't the amperage rating, it's how much pressure you can put down on it while shaving off stock before the belt begins to slow down. There isn't really an sophisticated way to test this, you'll just have to try different sanders out until you find one that fits you're preferred amount of pressure.
You also want for your sander to have an in-line motor. The other option is to have a sander with a transverse motor. The drive pulley on these sanders is off to one side, making it feel unbalanced to a lot of people In-line sanders are also more symmetrical and evenly balanced. They are lighter, which you'll appreciate if you have to do a lot of sanding in an awkward position, like overhead. Lastly, they have flat tops which makes it easier to clamp them upside down to use as a stationary sander.
Another thing to look at is the tracking control feature on your sander. This mechanism steers toe front roller, keeping the belt in the center of the platen. You also don't want your belt to move too far forward because it will then rub against the frame, damaging the belt. This will cause your belt to fail early, making you have to replace it prematurely. You want to find a tracking knob that makes it easy to keep your belt aligned. If it's too coarse, any small movement will move your belt too far in any one direction. If it's too fine, you'll find yourself having to make many turns before you get your belt properly adjusted. Again, just try out different belt sanders and see which one works best for you.
As you can probably tell, these are just SOME of the features that make up a quality belt sander. The perfect sander will rely primarily on your personal preference, as well as what job you're going to be using it for. You might even disagree with some of the things I'd said in here, which is fine. As long as you got some good information out of this and it puts you on the path to getting your dream sander, I'm happy. I hope you enjoyed this article, and best of luck to you in your search.
