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hand belt sander

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nbpt100

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I am considering buying a larger belt sander to complement my 2.5" wide skill belt sander. I like the Skil as it is light and I can get it into tight spaces. But I have one job sanding a small deck coming up where a larger faster one may make sense to invest in. I may not have a lot of need for it after this job. You never know.
I was at Lowes and looked at the only two they had on display. The Metabo 3 x 21 and the Craftsman 3 x 21. The Metabo($139) looked much better made, but it was heavy. They Craftsman ($69) looks cheaper. I am not sure if it matters if my use is going to be infrequent.

My question is what do I need to think about and what other models should I look at for a 3" sander for infrequent use.?
 
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nbpt100

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Rabid Badger

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Best way to get an entire deck looking good is to pull the boards, run them through a planer and then screw them back down.

Faster than sanding and it looks brand new.
 
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marak

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nbpt100 said:
That is a heavy tool and a steep price.

www.homedepot.com

Makita 11 Amp 4 in. x 24 in. Corded Belt Sander with Abrasive Belt, 80G Belt and Dust Bag 9403 - The Home Depot

Makita Belt Sander removes stock, strips paint, finishes edges on doors, tabletops and shelves with ease. Protects motor and bearings from dust and debris.
www.homedepot.com
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Amazon shows $251.341. I purchased this exact one in 2015 and it is a really nice tool that does a great job. The one that I have says Made in United Kingdom, if it matters.

 
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John McA

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lardy1

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Sanding treated lumber isn't the healthiest pastime.

I have an older USA made Porter-Cable 3X21. I used them a lot in the cabinet shop and bought my own. Zero regrets. How it stacks up against todays Chinese sanders is unknown to me.
 
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nbpt100

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PCustoms said:
For a deck I would power wash and then if needed rent a floor sander for the day.
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OK. I have been thinking about that for a while. I sanded a little bit with my small 2.5" wide sander and it cleaned up very nicely it and did fast with a 60 grit belt. I may run over it again with a 80grit. I may not need to but if I do it is not a big deal. The boards are in very good shape over all. This is changing my thinking a little. I was first thinking I would Power wash if the sanding did not remove the top layer of dirt easily. It seems to be doing it well and fast. I am thinking i can skip the power washing step all togeather. I will still do it just for railings, balisters and painted trim.

I never mentioned how large the deck is other than saying small. I should have, sorry. I can see you guys are imagining a 300 plus sq foot area. It is under 80 sq feet, including about 5 or 6 steps.

I like the ideas presented. They would all are good if it where that large deck, but I think I can do all of this with a hand sander in 2 hrs. or less. It will look really good afterward. Basing this on my evaluation test.

I would still like to get a new corded 3" belt sander. if there are some good ideas on what is a good mid level value today. I read some mixed reviews on the Metabo. Some are saying it has been cheapened a lot in the past few years. IDK? I am not very fond of todays Cman or Ryobi corded. I would consider the Ridgid as it looks pretty good from the online descriptions. The Makita is too expensive for me right now. I am sure it is a great sander. I do not trust the power HF stuff. I know they are getting better and their pricing and warranty are pretty good but unless someone can convince me they are as good as the Cman/Ryobi class I would not consider. Thanks!
 
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Walkers

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Another vote for a 4x24 as a minimum size. For a deck just rent a floor sander. Probably not as good a result as a planer, but a lot less work.
 
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nbpt100

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Walkers said:
Another vote for a 4x24 as a minimum size. For a deck just rent a floor sander. Probably not as good a result as a planer, but a lot less work.
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Ok just curious. How much can you charge to do what you are proposing on 80 sq feet? It also in cludes staining afterwards.
 
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acer66

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cjarvis

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If I were looking at a new belt sander, the 4x24 Makita would be tip-top of my list. With a sander like this, weight is your friend.
 
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Garcky

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That extra 1/2" of width isn't going to make much less work, really. You have a small deck, so it probably doesn't matter, but renting a larger floor sander you can operate standing up would mean a lot less time on your knees, I'd think. My balcony deck is 20' X 20'. If I do that job on it, I'll be renting. Either that or hiring someone to come in and do the job. I do not like any job that means kneeling at my advanced age.
 
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Walkers

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nbpt100 said:
Ok just curious. How much can you charge to do what you are proposing on 80 sq feet? It also in cludes staining afterwards.
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That is pretty small, not sure if I missed that in an earlier post. You could probably sand it in an hour with a 4x24.
 
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JradM

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I sanded my mom's deck last year with the Makita 3x24. That model accepts a 4" belt too though, and that's what I was using.

Still, a very big job - however, her deck is huge and wraps around three sides of the house. Belt sanding is slow, but works fine.

One thing - if your deck screws are protruding at all, you'll want to drive them back down to avoid sanding the heads or coating off. In my case the deck boards were in good shape but definitely not new. Over the years the wood likely shrunk and moved a bit, resulting in a few screws rising above the deck surface.
 
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acer66

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Garcky said:
That extra 1/2" of width isn't going to make much less work, really.
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That might not sound like a lot but it offers also more stability besides the bigger sanding surface.
The Makita is much heavier, more powerful and the added stability makes it an easy choice over a smaller one for me.
The biggest drawback for me would be that I get a workout handling it.
 
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Garcky

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acer66 said:
That might not sound like a lot but it offers also more stability besides the bigger sanding surface.
The Makita is much heavier, more powerful and the added stability makes it an easy choice over a smaller one for me.
The biggest drawback for me would be that I get a workout handling it.
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Yeah, I get that. Still, a handheld belt sander really isn't the ideal tool for sanding a deck, whatever size it is. On the other hand, a big floor sander isn't the easiest thing to use without messing up the decking. In the end, it's a big job, even on a small deck.
 
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acer66

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Garcky said:
Yeah, I get that. Still, a handheld belt sander really isn't the ideal tool for sanding a deck, whatever size it is. On the other hand, a big floor sander isn't the easiest thing to use without messing up the decking. In the end, it's a big job, even on a small deck.
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Yes, I should have added that I would only do a smaller deck with a belt sander.
 
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JradM

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When I was trying to figure out how to sand my mom's deck, I read that a floor sander was a bad idea because it required significantly more material removal. E.g. instead of just knocking off the splinters and cracked edges, you're leveling the deck. Deck boards aren't as smooth or consistent as hardwood flooring.

That might be a nice effect - but it's also a lot of effort. I'll bet it also increases the odds that you sand the tops off your deck screws. E.g. you need to sand more overall to get the sander to reach the low spots.

Now that's conjecture on my part - I've never tried sanding a deck with a floor sander, just a belt sander - but has anyone who recommended a floor sander actually tried sanding a deck with one?
 
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nbpt100

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Putting aside this application. No body
JradM said:
When I was trying to figure out how to sand my mom's deck, I read that a floor sander was a bad idea because it required significantly more material removal. E.g. instead of just knocking off the splinters and cracked edges, you're leveling the deck. Deck boards aren't as smooth or consistent as hardwood flooring.

That might be a nice effect - but it's also a lot of effort. I'll bet it also increases the odds that you sand the tops off your deck screws. E.g. you need to sand more overall to get the sander to reach the low spots.

Now that's conjecture on my part - I've never tried sanding a deck with a floor sander, just a belt sander - but has anyone who recommended a floor sander actually tried sanding a deck with one?
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What you are saying makes perfect sense to me.
 
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tarbellb

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Rental centers typically have 2 different for sanders
orbital and vibratory

orb take a lot of material off quickly
vib not as much

both will try to level the entire footprint, but a proper pad will help alleviate this.

80sqft, a belt sander is fine, the vib will do a good job and quickly, and also while standing up.
 
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