Sanding in an Automata Workshop
No number of dust collection systems, filters, vacuums or masks can keep dust out. Ya gotta love it!
Bench Sanding
I have a small bench sander I use to finish automata components on. It has a 6" diameter sanding disc and a 3" wide belt. This size is suitable for most of the work I do. I use the disc face often to sand to a finished line on a paper pattern temporarily glued on the part rather than to precision cutting that still ends up need a sanding touch up. This is not a expensive piece of machinery. Mine is a Delta purchased from a local woodworking shop.
I have the sander mounted on a tall stand that places it above 50" off the floor. This allows me to get a good look at the sanding face when woking and not strain my back hunched over. I am 6"-1" tall. The only thing that frustrates me sometimes is the dust extraction ports. Using the belt the dust gets gathered fairly well but the the port into the area around the disc is fairly small and does not collect dust really well. Every time I change paper on the disc I clean out the port that packs up with fine sawdust. It is the only thing that bothers me about the sander. When this one dies, and i replace it I will pay more attention to this, in the mean time I will boost up my extraction system.
I also have a smaller bench sander with a 1" vertical belt. I use it for sanding the inside of poorly cut gear profiles and for quick rough shaping of character parts. I do this freehand above the table surface and vertical backing guide. It requires a gentle touch. Not for the faint of heart. Usually the pieces are tupelo or basswood and the load is not great.
I also have a smaller bench sander with a 1" vertical belt. I use it for sanding the inside of poorly cut gear profiles and for quick rough shaping of character parts. I do this freehand above the table surface and vertical backing guide. It requires a gentle touch. Not for the faint of heart. Usually the pieces are tupelo or basswood and the load is not great.
Miniature Hand Held Belt Sander
This is another of those "best thing since sliced bread" tools. It is a 1/2" Proxon belt sander. It is shown below sitting in its storage case. The foam block is just to prevent it from flopping around in the case. The sanding arm rotates through 45 degrees, either straight out, or 45 degrees down as it shows in the photo. It is variable speed. It's the best solution which after you have assembled everything you find the little error you made. This sander can reach into the mechanism to remove material from cams or other parts. Great tool.
Small Power Sanding Tools
I do use some small power operated sanding devices occasionally. The large drum sander shown below is two large for a Dremel Tool. I use it in my drill press and push mu work against it. You don't want to make a habit of doing large jobs this way. A drill press bearing is not really designed for lateral loads, so only use it occasionally and be gentle.
The smaller sanding drum is one suitable for a Dremel Tool. I actually have a collection of these from 1/4" to up to 3/4", with an assortment coarseness of sleeves. The large sizes are not great for your Dremel bearings and should be operated at low speeds only. I use these when shaping tupelo or basswood shapes, using the Dremel as a "paintbrush" to do fine shaping before final hand sanding.
The little paper sanding cones are another Dremel device for very fine sanding. Not my favourite sanding tool but I do use them to finish faces sometimes.
The smaller sanding drum is one suitable for a Dremel Tool. I actually have a collection of these from 1/4" to up to 3/4", with an assortment coarseness of sleeves. The large sizes are not great for your Dremel bearings and should be operated at low speeds only. I use these when shaping tupelo or basswood shapes, using the Dremel as a "paintbrush" to do fine shaping before final hand sanding.
The little paper sanding cones are another Dremel device for very fine sanding. Not my favourite sanding tool but I do use them to finish faces sometimes.
Hand Sanding
Eventually it always comes down to hand sanding!
