I’ve had a fancy for a thicknessing sander but a 10-20 inch model costs the equivalent of $1000 US over here and there’s no way I can justify that sort of spending so I looked into making one of my own. There’s no shortage of help to be had on the world-wide-web. The links I found useful include:
Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery
With all that information, especially the very comprehensive how-to-do-it website by Dominic upon whose sander I largely based mine, I didn’t even attempt a proper instructional blog, but here are a few pictures of the finished article.
Space is a serious problem for me, so I went for a unit I can stand on the folding workbench ‘Workmate’. I’m not sure that was too good an idea now that I realise the weight of the finished job.
eBay provided most of the hardware (all new items) at the following cost:
- Motor £33.85
- Velcro £8.24
- Rod £12.75
- Bearings £15.06
- Belt £5.12
- Switch £17.93
- Total £92.95. What’s that, about 185 US Dollars?
The wood & pulleys I had kicking around and the rise and fall arrangement was from bits in the junk box.
A work of art it isn’t, but it seems to be pretty accurate, vibration-free and quiet.
I’ll be happy to answer any questions of course.
-- Res severa verum gaudium - True pleasure is a serious business. http://www.folksy.com/shops/TreeGems
57 comments so far
GaryK
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10251 posts in 1792 days
#1 posted 1547 days ago
Looks great Yorkie. Didn’t know you were looking to make so quiclkly.
How is it hand feeding it?
-- Gary - Never pass up the opportunity to make a mistake look like you planned it that way - Tyler, TX
YorkshireStewart
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1011 posts in 1705 days
#2 posted 1547 days ago
Far far easier than I’d feared Gary. I thought there’d be loads of ‘kick back’, but at 1/6th turn of the adjuster at a time it’s a very gentle animal. The dust collector is a must as I found when I forgot to switch it on!
-- Res severa verum gaudium - True pleasure is a serious business. http://www.folksy.com/shops/TreeGems
Grumpy
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16883 posts in 1655 days
#3 posted 1547 days ago
Who cares whether its a work of art Stew, as long as it does the job. Thanks for sharing.
-- Grumpy - "Always look on the bright side of life"- Monty Python
Damian Penney
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1130 posts in 1795 days
#4 posted 1547 days ago
Looks great, I’ve eyed the same thing for a while now…
-- I am always doing that which I can not do, in order that I may learn how to do it. - Pablo Picasso
Bob #2
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3811 posts in 1825 days
#5 posted 1547 days ago
Stew, nice job.
You beat me to it by a country mile and it really looks fine.
What is you RPM?
Bob
-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner
YorkshireStewart
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1011 posts in 1705 days
#6 posted 1547 days ago
Motor runs at 2870 rpm and it’s ‘geared’ down to around 1700rpm. Drum is 5” dia. As far as I know, that’s in line with Grizzly, Performax etc.
-- Res severa verum gaudium - True pleasure is a serious business. http://www.folksy.com/shops/TreeGems
Karson
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33913 posts in 2204 days
#7 posted 1547 days ago
Great Job Stewart. Looks like a keeper.
-- I've been blessed with a father who liked to tinker in wood, and a wife who lets me tinker in wood. Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †
Grant Davis
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594 posts in 1712 days
#8 posted 1547 days ago
Form and functionality, what more can you ask for?
-- Grant...."GO BUCKEYES"
tomd
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949 posts in 1574 days
#9 posted 1547 days ago
Very nice job, looks very professional.
-- Tom D
Tom Adamski
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306 posts in 1575 days
#10 posted 1547 days ago
Stew, nice job. How thin will it go?
Tom
-- Anybody can become a woodworker, but only a Craftsman can hide his mistakes.
Dick, & Barb Cain
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8556 posts in 2103 days
#11 posted 1547 days ago
Great piece of craftsmanship Stew.
I’ll bet others will be trying to duplicate this.
-- -** You are never to old to set another goal or to dream a new dream ****************** Dick, & Barb Cain, Hibbing, MN. http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/gallery/member.php?uid=3627&protype=1
motthunter
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2101 posts in 1603 days
#12 posted 1547 days ago
really cool. I hope you gets lots of years of satisfaction from it.
-- making sawdust....
Blake
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3400 posts in 1678 days
#13 posted 1547 days ago
Stewart, I cant tell you how happy I am with this post. I have been agonizing about a thickness sander for so long now. I have been on the fence about putting the time into building one, wondering if it would be as good as a commercial version and whether it would just frustrate me. I just spent some considerable time with your links and I will be going back. I will definitely be talking to you more about this. I think you just pushed me over the edge to make one!!! Thanks so much.
-- Happy woodworking! http://www.blakeweber.us
snowdog
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1087 posts in 1786 days
#14 posted 1546 days ago
It looks like functional art to me. Like most others here, I have been toying with the idea of building one but was not sure if it really would save all that much money, especially if it didn’t work well when I was done :)
Great post, thanks
-- "so much to learn and so little time"..
SPalm
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3443 posts in 1686 days
#15 posted 1546 days ago
Good job. I love shop made machines. I tried one of these years ago using my lathe. But I didn’t put the love into it that you seem to have done. I will be interested in how you like it over time with the manual feed.
Love your knobs!
-- -- I'm no rocket surgeon
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