Cheap metal belt sander table?

[JOEPRO]

I have a small project of engine lock tools to dress the welds on. I would like this to be perfectly 90 degrees so I really need a table of sorts like this-



This is designed for wood but I guess I could get zincronium belts for it? Or is there something better please?

 

[JOEPRO]

Or this could be better?

https://amzn.eu/d/7lHSwIU

 

[Kram]

How much!?

I was quite happy with the angle grinder based type off amazon. I think it was 8 or 14 quid. Results will be much improved if you use a decent, powerful grinder - the lidl one is weak.

It is the only thing I will use that grinder for as its no good for actual cutting or grinding. Also the Amazon finger sander works well.

 

[northwest]

Either would work but more power is always better right?
I have one like the first one and it does what I ask of it but I understand it's limitations and I can stall it easily when I get a bit too ambitious.

 

[BrokenBiker]

One thing i will say, after buying a Parkside belt grinder off ebay is...it doesn't take much to stall it...its a 250w motor and ideally needs to be atleast twice if not 3x more powerful to not stall. It works, dont get me wrong, with an 80 grit belt it eats away at steel no problem...i dont like the angle the belt is at either so I need to modify the housing to stand it up vertical then make a small table for it but for what it is, it does the job. I sharpened a small hatchet on it earlier and have used it to de-rag some flat bar with no issues

 

[Turbo]

I have one of the Lidl ones and I agree with Brokenbikers comments.

Get the most powerful one you can afford and make sure you can buy zirconia belts for it at a sensible price.

If you can get one with an external motor you could always fit a bigger 3 phase motor and vfd to give you variable speed.

 

[frank horton]

this was 25 squid but needed a little work....just dug it out yest from storage....

 

[Pond frog]

Don’t bother with those cheap wood working ones, I bought one in a sale once it very quickly got put on the scrap pile

 

[JOEPRO]

Thank you all for the advice. I will go for the larger metal designed one from Amazon. I will report back at the weekend when I have been able to try it out

 

[Pond frog]

Thank you all for the advice. I will go for the larger metal designed one from Amazon. I will report back at the weekend when I have been able to try it out

I’ll be very interested to hear how you get on it

 

[JOEPRO]

Ordered just now - home from Italy on Friday so ill have this on the Saturday and try it out



For metal work ill order a few 80 grit belts first and see how I get on. Ill report back with thoughts when ive used it this weekend.

 

[BrokenBiker]

that looks decent. if you can get conditioning belts in that size they can do wonders for finishing work, similar to scotchbrite

 

[JOEPRO]

This arrived today eventually. Its bigger and heavier than I expected which is a good thing. About 15kg



It didn't come pre rusted - that was me testing this then 11x more


It came with a 120 grit belt. Seems about right and I have 4x spare belts coming same grit. In the test its doing what I wanted. Controlled straight metal linishing.

 

[northwest]

At least the table has some substance to it (on the belt sander) on the cheapo version I have I think the table must be made of chocolate or some such. Since I got it I have intended making a more substantial affair but never actually got roundtuit! Same with the bench grinder.

 

[JOEPRO]

Update on this now I have went through 4 belts on this machine.

Its very good. Powerful motor, there is no stalling it. The table can move around a little in use, the angle can slip which is annoying. Some ill really only ever use it for true 90 angles I will probably tack weld a couple of small straps in to permanently affix the table.

The belts are easy to change, takes less than a minute. Belt tracking adjustment is also easy. I recommend it.

 

[Puglet1]

Looks like a great bit of kit.
What belts are you using and where is the best place to buy them?

 

[JOEPRO]

Looks like a great bit of kit.
What belts are you using and where is the best place to buy them?

These are the belts I bought. They are made in Switzerland and high quality

Pardon our interruption...

 

[Puglet1]

Thank you.
Does the disc get much use and if so have you replaced them too?
The reason I ask is I’ve been looking for a belt / disc sander for ages but up until now I have struggled to find the right machine.

 

[JOEPRO]

Thank you.
Does the disc get much use and if so have you replaced them too?
The reason I ask is I’ve been looking for a belt / disc sander for ages but up until now I have struggled to find the right machine.

I haven't used the disc section yet. Id imagine its decent too but I have not ordered any spare discs yet. Its really the belt portion I wanted

 

[mightymig]

I've been messing around in Onshape for the last couple of days planning a mini version of the Fireball tools 6" belt build.

A general rule of thumb which I think is mentioned in that video series is that you want about a HP per inch of belt width for a powerful belt grinder.

I've got a 5.5 or 6hp motor tucked away just looking for a decent VFD that I could de-rate to run it, or maybe one of those chinese 7.5kw 1ph ones.