Hi Guys! Several years ago, I was noodling around in Gatlinburg, TN And saw an old workshop, maybe 1000 sq.ft. with all the doors wide open, so I decided to pay a visit. The craftsman welcomed me as a fellow woodworker and showed me around. In the back the was a youngster, his son, around 12 or 13 running a machine I'd never seen before or since. It consisted of a wide belt, 12 feet or so between the wheels, with a single motor turning the contraption. The other thing was that there was a plywood table on rollers under it that enabled it to be moved front to back 3 or so feet. The kid had a small block of wood that he was using to put pressure on the table top to be that he was sanding. When asked what the heck this was, he called it a slap sander, and I thought it was on of the coolest things I'd ever seen. Low tech, simple design, and due to the low rpms that it was moving, pretty safe to operate! The only reason I never built one myself is that it took up a fair amount of space. Earlier this week I met with a fellow that mills and builds tables from live edge slabs, up to 52" wide, and has to either use a sled and router, or use a variety of sanders to flatten them. That's when I remembered that contraption I'd seen years back. A brief search led nowhere.
Anyone ever seen or used one of these? My new friend with the slabs has a huge barn as his shop and more than enough room.
Anyone ever seen or used one of these? My new friend with the slabs has a huge barn as his shop and more than enough room.