Five Tips for Buying a Portable Belt Sander
Platen
One of the first things you need to consider when buying a portable belt sander is the width of the platen. The platen is the flat part on the bottom of the tool. A portable belt sander can have a platen that is as wide as the sanding belt or up to an inch wider. A platen of the same width will allow you to see exactly where the edge of the belt is. A platen that’s up to an inch wider will keep the edge of the belt from digging into the stock if you accidentally tip the belt sander on its side.
Speed
One of the next things you need to consider when buying a portable belt sander is speed. If you will mainly be using the sander for smoothing pieces of stock, you may not need a design with multiple speeds. If you want to use the portable belt sander to sand plastic or metal, you will need one that has variable speeds.
Dust
You will also need to think about dust when buying a portable belt sander. You need to make sure that you buy a design that has a dust bag. You will also need to make sure that the portable belt sander picks up dust effectively. Some models don’t pick up dust very well, so you need to avoid them.
Noise
One of the next things to consider when buying a portable belt sander is noise. These tools produce a lot of noise that can damage your hearing over time. Therefore, you need to pay attention to how many decibels the portable belt sander generates. You should look for a design that generates less than 95 decibels.
Vibration
One of the final things to think about when buying a portable belt sander is vibration. A sander that vibrates too much during operation will leave behind chatter marks on the piece of stock. A portable belt sander that’s more lightweight will produce less vibration and chatter.
These are a few things to consider when buying a portable belt sander. A platen that’s the same width as your sanding belt will allow you to see where the edge of the belt is. You should also make sure that the portable belt sander has a dust bag and picks up dust effectively.
