Hi I am trying to sand some 20” wide x 18-1/2” long work pieces but keep running into trouble.
I tried the drum sander and it was burning my material really bad. So I tried the powermatic belt sander and it seems like the material is too short? Although I thought I was told it was 12” minimum length.
Recommendations? I just took the sanding course over the weekend so I feel like the info is still pretty fresh. Can’t tell if it’s user error
Hi Sarah! I don’t know the answer to your question, but I’ve let our stewards know, so hopefully, someone will get back to you soon. In the future, if you encounter a problem or believe it might be user error and there’s no immediate assistance available, you can submit a problem report along with your contact information. This notifies all of our stewards simultaneously, increasing the likelihood of someone responding. Posting on Discourse is also an effective way to seek assistance, as our community members may be able to offer help when our stewards and staff aren’t available. I recommend using both channels!
How thick is your material?
It is 1-1/4" thick…
I got it figured out with a little help. Thank you!
On the drum sander if you’re getting burn marks, you’re either taking too much in one pass or the sand paper is bad, or both. A tell, tell sign of taking too much in one pass is the little red light on top of the conveyor belt knob comes on. Is called the intellisand light. The machine automatically slows down the belt to allow the drum to keep up but is never enough. The best course of action is to crank the table down. Another is the sound is above normal and you should also see dust flying around as the dust collection cannot keep up. Another cause could be you were sanding across the grain. Again the machine makes a pronounced hardworking sound instead of just a hissing sound. In the process your stock gets hot due to the friction. If you make too many back to back passes your stock will over heat and the tannings, sugars, or oils will come to the surface, creating the burn marks. Maple, ash, and white oak are prone to do that. Remember is a finishing sander so take light passes and allow your stock to cool off if it feels warm to the touch.