Ever since building my last belt/disc sander combo, I've wondered how I managed to make anything without it. Just about every single piece of wood (and other materials!) I cut goes to the belt/disc sander next. However, it does have a few limitations. It can't sand inside corners, and it can't sand inside curves or circles. Typically, either a 1" strip sander or oscillating spindle sander is the next tool you need in order to tackle some of the shapes a traditional belt/disc sander can't do.
Of course if I was going to get another sander, I was going to build it. The oscillating spindle sander can be quite complicated to build as it has to spin and oscillate which would mean two separate motors. The typical 3 wheeled strip sander was more appealing, but I had a better idea.
I designed a vertical two wheel 1" belt sander with replaceable sanding platens that allow both the straight line sanding of a strip sander and the curved line sanding of an oscillating spindle sander. It can also sand inside circles down to 2" in diameter. The slow running motor and dust collection hose make this sander practically dustless, which is hard to say for most oscillating spindle sanders. Overall It's a very capable design and is a great compliment to my large belt/disc sander.
Download the Plans:
Get the plans here: Vertical 1" Belt Sander Plans
Materials and Purchased Components (Some Amazon Affiliate Links)
Motor & Sanding Belt:
Motor: 1/2 HP Marathon
Sanding Belt: 1"x30" 120 Grit
Aluminim: 1"x1/4" Flat Bar
Ball Bearings: 8mm x 22mm
Scrap Hardwood
8mm Hardware (8mm bolt, nuts, washers)
10-32 Hardware
Bicycle Inner Tube
Light Switch
Table & Cabinet:
3/4" Melamine
Melamine Edge Banding
1/2" Plywood
Screws
2" Black ABS pipe for dust collection port
Watch the video below for a detailed view on how I built this belt sander.
I also made a follow up video explaining why I use this sander so much, as well as fixing one issue.
VIEWER BUILDS
Click the link above for viewer submitted builds based off my vertical belt sander design. If you've built your own and would like to share please Email me!