Belt Sanders - the one power tool I won't be without!

[H Rhodes]

I am blessed with a shop full of power tools, but this week it dawned on me which one I use the most in my bow and arrow building.    If I were a brand new bowyer on a tight budget and a small work shop, and could only afford one good power tool, it would be a good belt/disc sander.  I enjoy splitting staves from logs, and roughing the profiles down with a hatchet, and hogging off wood with my farrier's rasp.  I have three hacksaw blades taped together and a chainsaw file that makes short work of my string nocks. Working with hand tools is enjoyable for me and I could make it without my bandsaw, table saw, etc., but that belt sander is my go to.  Shaping handles, reducing limbs to  side profiles, tillering down to longstringing, shaping tips, the list goes on.  Tapering arrows, sanding, making field points from nails, sharpening trade points, etc...  Belt sander.  Best money I have spent on a power tool.  It takes a little practice and you have to be cautious or you can sure remove too much wood and ruin a stave in a heartbeat, but most of your rough tillering can be done with it.  Once I am to floor tiller or long string then I alternate between rasp and scraper, finishing off with scraper.  My belt sander saves my elbows from the scorching case of tennis elbow that I have in both arms from all that rasping.  It is the one tool that keeps me building bows in spite of the inflammation.   I think new bowyers fixate on getting that big band saw, and I agree they sure are nice, but give a good bench style belt/disc sander combo some thought.  You can do a lot with it.

[JonW]

Right on Howard! My belt sander is my best friend. I use it for tillering up to about 2 inches away from full draw and then scrape with a pair of scissors broke in two for a set of scrapers. I wouldn't want to be without it anymore.

[SLIMBOB]

Absolutely!  It and my draw knife are the only two indispensable tools. Every thing else is a luxury for me.   

[PatM]

Dust becomes the huge problem though.  You need a vacuum dust collection system more than anything then.

[toomanyknots]

Dust becomes the huge problem though.  You need a vacuum dust collection system more than anything then.

Yeah. I am trying to get me one up and running right now. Stupid connecting thingys, none of them are even close to the sizes I need. I bought that cyclone thing from woodcraft, and some hoses which are ridiculously priced in my opinion for a simple hose. The outside of the bandsaw connector is 4", and the inside of the shop vac hole is around 2 5/8", maybe a smudge more. My shop vac is a rigid 16 gallon, my bandsaw is a grizzly 14".So I figure I need something with an inside dia of 4", and something with an outside dia of 2 5/8" or close. I bought a connector that said 4" for my bandsaw, but it wasn't even close to 4", like 3 3/4" inside dia, and 3 7/8" outside dia???

EDIT: I do love my cheapo craftsman belt sander. It has been a trooper so far. I had to modify it a bit, take the back part off to sand laminates. And take some part off that constantly hooked the belt and ruined the belt, and caused it to run slow.

[SLIMBOB]

All of my time is outdoors so none needed. Rain moves me indoors and I just won't run the sander. Central Texas so the cold is seldom a concern.

[H Rhodes]

Yeah, indoors is a pain cause they sure do make some bad dust.  I work under a shed outside usually.  When I am pushed indoors I have a big squirrel cage fan that changes the air out.  Breathing that saw dust just isn't an option.  It'll kill you over time. Good dust masks and ventilation is where it's at.

[Jesse]

I agree. I would take an edge sander over any other tool if I had to.  I do like my bandsaw though.

[toomanyknots]

I agree. I would take an edge sander over any other tool if I had to.  I do like my bandsaw though.

Yeah, laminate wise, I can't do squat without my bandsaw. I can't do squat laminate wise without my belt sander either though! I need em both! If I had to pick one tool, I would choose a bandsaweltsander, 

[osage outlaw]

I used a belt sander when I first started out but I haven't used it on a bow for several years now.  I have learned how to cut them out closer to dimensions on the band saw and use a farriers rasp to get them shaped and partially tillered.  I think my bows improved when I switched to hand tools.  The only thing I use my belt sander for now is  shaping the bow tip for nock overlays.  I might give it another try this summer when I can take it outside.   

[toomanyknots]

I used a belt sander when I first started out but I haven't used it on a bow for several years now.  I have learned how to cut them out closer to dimensions on the band saw and use a farriers rasp to get them shaped and partially tillered.  I think my bows improved when I switched to hand tools.  The only thing I use my belt sander for now is  shaping the bow tip for nock overlays.  I might give it another try this summer when I can take it outside.

Thats what I do, I don't shape the bow or anything with the sander, but I do use it to flatten my lams. The disc attachment is great for flattening the mating areas for overlays.

EDIT: I also do shape tips with it, and also rough shape horn nocks, which saves soooooooooo much work rasping them out.

[lebhuntfish]

That's it, I'm going to go this Saturday and buy a belt\disc sander! I found one for just under 80, a table top one!

[Badly Bent]

Need a new belt on mine and haven't replaced it because of winter and won't use it unless I can take it out of the shop because of the mountain of dust it generates. Haven't really used it much on bows though but thinking I might start playing with it more on shaping bows. Don't have a bandsaw and the old hatchet, rasp and drawknife system I'm used to is starting to lose it's nostalgic charm as my muscles and joints age.

[Jesse]

Im the oposite I started out with scrapers and rasps now I tiller strictly with a sander  so much faster for me. 36 grit for lams and shaping.  Selfbows a bandsaw is a must though?

[H Rhodes]

X2 on the 36 grit.  That will remove some wood in a hurry.  Bandsawing staves is a luxury I enjoy, but when you split one out with hand tools, it seems to me you are really getting involved with the grain and sort of have a feel for what a stave is capable of right of the bat - if that makes any sense...  I need to get out of the shop more.....