disksander possible substitute for edgesander?

[MoeM]

Hey folks,
I usually use a small beltsander srewed to an angle of thick boards and build up a support 90° to the belt to get a small edgesander.
When I grind with the belt I get a good straigt limb- but on the other side grinding against the belt it gets horribly bumpy.
As I lack budget to buy me a proper edgesander and time to do a DIY one I started to think about a big and simple discsander.
I have an old 400V 1KW motor in the shop which shall provide more then enough power. A 12-16" disc could be mounted on the pulley and then I`d just put it under a table (will look like a table saw with a very thick blade)
->but I wonder if this really suits job, so maybe some of you could share the experiences with  this kind of grinder for that job?!
Thanks in advance!

[JamesV]

I have a 12" disc sander that is great for some things but the leading edge of the disk will bite in on anything long like a limb.

[MoeM]

Hm in the meantime I got some capital doubts too. So back to the DIY edgesander- another way to use the motor^^

[macbow]

I use a disc sander a lot for rough removal. It will mess you up fast if not careful.
My belt sander is not doing well so my disc sander, osc spindle and pneumatic drum sander are my go to tools for sanding.

MoeM, can't you rotate the bow around to sand with the belt ?

[MoeM]

Erm yes- my first idear, but I worried about drawing the outline on two sides and keeping it square when lifting for the riser...
But now after many more difficult problems to solve, this seems to be still the easiest way- thank you!!
But how do you generally deal with this problem?
Use a switch to change the edgesenders running direction? Or will this problem be solved with a bigger/better support?

[jsweka]

I do most of the real removal with an oscillating spindle snder and then I use a belt sander clamped to a workbench to get the edge smooth.  Just flip the bow over to do the other side and keep flipping it back over to see how close you are to your line.  Just don't put so much pressure against the belt that you overshoot your mark.

 

[MoeM]

Alright John- I really should stop this moanig, when I see your edger again and think of the many other bowyers who do the same or even worse with anglegrinders or HANDS I start beeing proud of my heavy stationary machinery^^
Sometimes it wouldnt be wrong to put more effort into working skills than in tools- but what can I say im a powertool maniac....

[eflanders]

Others have already advised against the edge sander so I won't add to that...  But you did also ask about other uses for the motor you have so here goes:  How about making a (large) surface belt sander or what some also call a thickness sander?

There are numerous plans on the web for them and they are a real asset to have in any wood shop.  They can be made with commonly found items and are not to expensive to build especially when you already have the motor (the most expensive part).

[MoeM]

Oh ty- but thicknesssander was one of my first DIY machines- it runs really great but next time I`ll need some autofeed for really perfect straightness.

[White Oak]

If I were you I would not be afraid to try your disc sander if you have one.I am very new at this stuff and got to the point on my first bow were I was ready to shape the limbs. I was looking for a edge sander and ready to drop some serious cash on one. My problem is space. I was looking for an old 48" model thinking that the edge sander was the only safe way to shape the limbs.I had been told that the rotation of the disc may lift a splinter and ruin the bow. Then I saw a post on this forum (do a search on disc sanders) about using disc sanders to do  exactly that. Heck I already had 2 of them so I tried it with a 36 grit disc. Believe me, everything that could go wrong did. I got some discs with bad adhesive and one came off while I was sanding. Thought I had shelled the bow. No damage done.
Using the table you should have no problem keeping the limb square. Go slow! No matter which sander you use you can ruin the job if you aren't carefull. Think about trying to follow your line on a large area on a edge sander. Easy to take more off in the wrong place. A osc. spindle sander will work. I have put a makeshift fence on mine and sanded some very straight edges but if you sand to fast you will get anything but. Same with a drum in adrill press.
I sanded close to my line on the disc and finished in with a sanding block by hand. I am saving my money meant for an edge sander and wouldn't hesitate to grind my next one on a disc.
Good luck,
Ed