Sanding/Polishing machine suggestion needed
atonev
| Posted in Power Tools and Machinery on
What tool/machine would you suggest for sanding/polishing wooden rainbows like the one on the picture and similar products where you have curves etc?
I am very new to this and have only tiny experience with woodcarving.
Thank you so much in advance!
PS I can upload more pictures if needed.
Replies
An edge sander being careful to start at the center and rotate towards the ends. This will be for the outside only, the inside could be with a vertical drum sander.
Thank you!
What if I want to be producing 30/40 of these a day - is there a sander that can do multiple or do them without manual handling?
I have never used a CNC router - would they cut the shapes in such a way that no sanding is needed?
A CNC might give you cleaner cut surfaces, but you will not get the tight nesting in your photo. The router's cylindrical cutter is far wider than a bandsaw blade and for a deep cut you'll need a thick cutter to avoid chatter. The end result will be a lot of wasted material.
Look for an oscillating belt sander. Jet makes a nice one, model# oes-80cs, but there are tabletop units out there.
We’re these cut from a solid block of wood or is it veneer over a core?
Looks like you have done a nice job of getting the arches uniform. I made this for my grandson and I used a Ridgid drum/belt sander to smooth them out. I used the belt for the outside and the drum for the inside. It was tedious and needs good dust collection but worked well. If the drums slip add a couple of washers under the nut to get better compression on the rubber drum.
Thank you all for the quick and very helpful answers! Those are made from linden.
A little background: My father is currently making those and I want to help him automate some parts of the process. He doesn't speak English which makes this a bit harder (and as I said I personally only have a tiny bit of experience in woodcarving). He says currently he can make 4/5 a day. In terms of business plan etc - it is just a hobby for him and my mother and I was hoping I can help them turn it in to a small business. These are kids toys so we want the finish as smooth as possible. He told me that right now sanding is by far the part that takes the longest. He does use a bandsaw now but I wonder if going the CNC router way is better especially if you think it will lead to less sanding?
If I may summarize my understanding so far: Option 1: bandsaw + oscillating drum sander and flat belt sander; Option 2: CNC router with close to no sanding needed. What if sanding is needed do we go back to the combination of oscillating drum sander and flat belt sander? Okay... he says he uses Option 1 but at the need still needs to sander by hand to make it the way it is. Is this normal or maybe his sanders are not great? He spends 30/40 using the sanding machines and then an hour and half sanding by hand to make it the way it is...
Would you say that if you want to make a few dozen of these every day then you definitely need CNC router?
Again, thank you so much for the help! Really appreciate it!!!
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