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An edge sander

After having a couple different oscillating spindle sanders, which are great machines for small pieces and concave curves, I realized limitations with convex and flat surfaces, and decided to build an edge sander.

I ended up finding a great plan in an old shopnotes magazine - the same plan is now available at their website: www.shopnotes.com.

The machine uses standard 6"x89" sanding belts.  The belts are simple to install and center easily with a separate tension and alignment screws.  The machine is driven via a 1.5hp 1750 rpm motor and has 2 tables and a dust chute.

This page shows some pictures of the completed machine.  It was a very straightforward build using material available at most home improvement centers and a spare motor I had.

An internet search for "shopnotes edge sander" will bring up a few other sites with info on similar machines.

Picture
Here's the front view.  The brown box on the right is a dust collection hood.  The motor is in the red box behind the switch.  There are 2 tables - one in front of the platen and one that goes around the left drum, which is typical of machines of this style.   The platen is made from mdf with a piece of formica laminated to it, which I expect will eventiually wear out - but it can be easily replaced
Picture
The main change I made to the machine was based on flange bearings I had, which made the machine a little taller, but the table heights weren't affected.
Picture
This is the front table height adjustment.   Both tables have similar height adjustment, but the drum table has a single slider and lock.  This is an area where I want to upgrade as it's cumbersome to raise the tables, yet it's something you want to do to get even belt wear.

The square plywood plate on the right is a backing for the motor mount bolts.
Picture
The dust collection hood is very effective and easily removable via a single screw and knob.

Final thoughts

Overall, this machine has been a success and is used on almost every project.  After using it for the past few years, I have realized some limitations that will hopefully be addressed soon.

  • The motor is a bit undersized, it stalled too easily
  • As mentioned above, the tables are too difficult to raise and lower
  • Tilting the tables is not an option, but would make for a great improvement


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  • Home
  • About
  • Buy Shigshop.com plans
  • Tools
  • Thickness sander
  • Roubo workbench
  • Upcoming projects
  • Contact me
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  • Latest Updates