J E C
New member
So, some 8 or 10 months back I bot a combo sander (6" X 48" belt + 9" disc) from Harberfreight on sale for $150. I looked around at other places but could not find another one that met the proper design criteria. The main one being, able to relocating the motor to another out of the way location. The first thing I did was to relocate the motor into the stand under neath. Originally it was on top of the base plate and in the way. This required notching out the side of the base and creating a crease in the side of the motors end cover for clearance. For the feed table I used a piece of 2" X 4" X 4' long C-channel. I clearanced the bottom of the sides to clear the sanding belt mount and bolt heads and welded on tabs for the Hiem joints to attach. The use of Hiem joints for the pivot point provides a much stabler attachment and a quick and easy way to adjust the table to be parallel to the belt. I had to cut and grind part of the sanding belt mount away to make room for the feed table. I made a side support to stabilize and prevent the sanding belt from deflecting. To change belts, just take out the 2 upper bolts and loosen the large bottom one and it swings down and out of the way. Adjusting the table height utilizes a piece 1/2" all-thread, a nut, and one of 5 different lengths of steel tube that fit very closely over the all-thread. It will thickness up to a max of 3 1/4". The feed table is ground to within .010" (that cost more than I was anticipating at $100, ARG). I also replaced all of the nuts, bolts, and washers with higher quality ones. I will be able to thickness stock for necks, finger boards, body stripes and ? I also plan to use different fixtures with the thicknessing aspect, to taper the backs of neck shafts, sand and flatten the back of tilt back peg heads, thickness and scoop peg head faces, both strait and tilt back. I did a quick adjustment of the table and was able to sand down a piece of 2 X 4 with a difference of .001" side to side. Including the cost of the sander, the surface grinding, all materials, all fasteners, the power link belt, the PVC pipe and ABS fittings for the dust collection, I'm in it $410.55. So what do ya think? Ya, ya I know...that is one ugly curtain! 
