What's a good sander for intarsia

[flekka]

Hi all, been looking at all the great intarsia work on here and was wondering what type of sander would be of use , i was thinking of buying a bobbin type
but thought i would ask you experts first.....

john.

[greatdane2]

If you go to Grizzly Tools website you will see a Drum/flap sander. I have the older version of this and after the scroll saw it is my most used tool. Mine just came with the 3 and 4" drums and the 4" drum is what I use. The next time I am in the states I will be getting the one listed.
I have 4 belt sanders from1X30" up to 6X48" and several disc sanders and they get used but if I had to pick one machine that does just about everything its a pneaumatic drum sander. It takes seconds to change the sanding sleeves and with a 100 grit you can remove an awefull lot of wood.

[flekka]

greatdane, is that the g8749 drum/ flap sander.. im in the uk so i will have a look for something like it ...

[greatdane2]

Thats the one. I do not know how well the flap sander works but several members here use and like them.
There are drum sanders available that you can hook up to a washer motor etc. Another option is to get something like a Foredom tool, that has a flex shaft and you can get different tools that fit on the end. I think a 2" diameter drum is as big as you can go with that. I have one and am just starting to use it but it is nothing like the bench mount Grizzly tool.
With my drum sander I can take a board 3cm thick by 13cm wide and 30cm long and sand it down to 1cm thick overall in minutes. This type of sanding lets me do a lot of sanding to get the depth I want on my pieces.
I will add a piece I finished a while ago, it was cut from 2cm thick boards. It will give you some idea how much I sand.
If you are going to do the more traditional intarsia and just sand the edges round then a small belt sander would work.
Sorry I can not load any pics so will try later.
Now they are done.

[Bluebird]

Hi John,
I took a picture of my sanders to make it easier to follow. When I started doing intarsia, my only sander was my Dremel rotary tool.

After few months, I bought the belt/disc sander (middle of the picture). I use it to do rough shaping and remove wood very fast.

Then, I use an inflated drum sanders (left side of the picture) to continue the shaping and rounding of the edges. The flap sander is helpful to remove the sanding marks but I don't consider it essential.

For the oscillating spindle sander (on the far right),it is not essential either but does help. It is good to make your pieces edge perpandicular (90 degree) when your cutting is not perfectly square. I also use it to adjust the pieces and make them fit better.

Hope this help

[flekka]

greatdane,.... looks like you do a lot of sanding..lol

henrietta, they are the 3 types of machine i have been thinking of...the bobbing/oscillating sander was the one i was thinking about for the fitting of pieces, as you say, want the other 2 also but finding it hard to get supplier of the inflated drum sander in the uk...

thank's for the help + info
john.

[Bluebird]

Originally Posted by flekka

... want the other 2 also but finding it hard to get supplier of the inflated drum sander in the uk john.

John, in another thread, somebody share that idea of making your own sander instead of buying the inflated drum. This may interest you since you have difficulties finding some in your area. Link to this other thread is:
Bear-ly finished! - a segmentation project + patterns & flash tutorial
Post # 17:

Originally Posted by JohnB

G'day Jim,
That is one neat little fella.
I like the use of the colours.

Here's an idea that may get you out of trouble for awhile in regard to drum sanders.

My Dad, made up one for his drill press, that uses the standard 100mm (4") belts of the the hand belt sanders.

It is just a piece of medium density foam, 4" thick, cut in a circle so the the belt will fit reasonably firmly on the circumference. Two plywood discs only about 6" diameter, one on each side of the foam, and a bolt that goes through the centre, a nut to hold it all together (not the neighbour )

Put the end of the bolt in the drill press and away you go.

Good luck

[Janette]

I use a flex drum sander on my drill press. They're available from Roberts Studios Judy Gale Roberts Intarsia I usually start with a 180, then switch to a 220. Rough shaping with the 180 to the shape I want, switch to 220 to smooth out the scratches, then I hand sand the edges to soften them and finish with a mop sander. Seems every new toy I find adds a step to my routine! I will also use an oscillating spindle sander for concave shaping and fast removal of wood, as well as to square any edges that may not quite fit right. A foredom or dremel tool is also handy to have. My latest toy that I've started trying out is a power carving burr...it looks like it has the potential to be my next new favorite toy.