Special Sanding machines : part I

SHOULD THE ‘BELT’ MAKE WAY FOR THE DISC MACHINE?

IT WOULD SEE THE INTRODUCTION OF THE ‘UNIVERSAL SANDER’

Photo – Janser

Is the endless belt sander in terminal decline? Certainly not! Or is it in something of a technological rut? Not even that! On the contrary, in terms of power and design endless belt sanders have been achieving perfection for a few years. In recent years, producers have concentrated mainly on refinement, ergonomics, dust suction, and technical progress. However, at the same time, those same producers are unveiling a constantly growing versatility of the rotary machines and the much talked about multi-disc designs. It doesn’t sound too much different from cannibalism.

The Belt outlined With manual sandpapering we tend to sandpaper initially along the length with rough sandpaper, using one hand to steer the sandpaper along the wood and the other one to drive the handle to increase the pressure. Pressure, abrasive, and motion determine the result. When we do the finer sandpapering, we apply somewhat less pressure, take a finer sanding grain, and make a soft rotating motion. That sequence is comparable with sandpapering parquet, where the belt sander is deployed first. A weight of 80kg together with a powerful motor gives the ‘belt’ the sanding capacity to sandpaper a wooden subfloor or floor covering perfectly level.

Improvements in the sanding capacity Measures to improve the tools target handling, for instance, to make the drawbacks of so much weight bearable for floor fitters. In that respect, we are seeing with the current generation a lot of attention being given to topics such as stability, perfect belt tension, as few vibrations as possible, adjustable work pressure, and such like. These topics help to achieve a better sandpapering result, but they also serve to increase user comfort.

More comfort The important features for user comfort include the accessibility of the parts, the ease with which the roller can be tightened, the method of removing and cleaning the suction ventilator, and, finally, the dismountability of the tool.

The threat of multi-disc The great merit of belt sanders should still be found in their levelling power. A mosaic subfloor is levelled with no problem at all after a session with the belt. As we’ve often said, the success of each sanding session is determined by the pressure, abrasive, and motion. The pressure, call it the power of the sanding, arises from the capacity and the weight of the machine. The disc machines already stood out for their versatility. People have often wondered if they could also take over that levelling task from the belt. When several discs are used at the same time, anything is possible, but it is mainly the weight which is the issue.

Motions The endless belt sander simply goes ‘straight on’. The disc sander has more in its armoury. Rotation is the circular motion of a body round one (central) point of that body. An eccentric motion is a turning motion (rotation) combined with a motion up and down. With eccentric machines you obtain this motion by attaching a piece of circular-shaped sandpaper to a flat sole with a resilient layer. Finally, oscillation is a periodically repeated reversal of the movement direction. We make combined turning motions with several discs. You can reinforce the effect of the rotation by using three or even four discs which rotate in opposite directions. Strictly speaking, we are then combining rotation and oscillation.

Then there’s the power As we said above, the success of the sanding session is determined partly by the power of the sanding. That is generated by the capacity and weight of the machine. The rotation tools on the market all have powerful motors which vary from 1500 to 2000W. As regards weight, the machines have their own weight which fluctuates between 40 and 55kg. All the machines can be made heavier with ad extra weight of between 10 and 20kg, depending on the machine, in order to exert even more pressure on the work piece (the floor or the floor covering). The extra weights are sometimes supplied as standard. Those extra weights bring the rotary sander extremely close to the belt. Conclusion The rotary sander has a comparable capacity and weight, a versatility which is much greater due to the motions and the various discs, and the asset of being able to carry out several tasks with one machine. Those are the points which make the rotary sander a threat to the endless belt sander. Yet the belt sander continues to hold its own. It will certainly continue to do so for large surfaces!

Some specialists

Devo®

Devo® presents various belt sanders, including the new Devo® Belt MC 200. The Devo® Belt MC 200 is compact, mobile, and not too heavy, yet it performs like a professional belt sander at an unrivalled price. Other recent Devo® belt sander machines are the Devo® Belt HP 200 and the Devo® Handy II. Most Devo® machines have their own dust suction unit and can be connected to the Devo® Fine-dust for a dustless operation. The Woodboy machine and the Devo® Master 3D are already equipped as standard for connection to the Fine-dust and the new Devo® Dustmaster. Although Devo® attaches great importance to the external design of a machine, their priority is the technical side. That’s where they pay most attention in their constant endeavour for improvements. Ergonomics is essential. Obviously, parquet sanders are always heavy appliances. That is inevitable, since the output of a professional machine is in direct proportion to its weight. Nevertheless, Devo® tries to offset this as much as possible, partly by making machines which can be dismantled and by developing carrier braces. Ergonomics during work is also extremely important. For instance, when the Devo® Master 3D is being used, there is much less strain on the user’s back due to the machine’s own stability and the ergonomic position of the user during work.

FG Floortec FG FLOORTEC BORA II

Heavy belt sanding at it‘s best from one of Germany‘s eldest floor sanding machine manufacturer. Experienced engineering, proven through customers all over the world. No matter if it is coarse sanding of old planks or sanding of fishbone parquet – the BORA II convinces through high abrasion and easy handling. And here the features: Weight 80 kg. Powerful 2,5 kw motor with a lot of reserves. Perfect equilibrated drum and pulleys and the use of poly – V – belts give a smooth running and perfect sanding results. Comfortable handling through well - equilibrated weight distribution. Efficient dust suction and special filtre

bags for low dust emission. A vacuum cleaner can be connected. Easy positioning after belt changing, easy also the unmounting for transport, special transport device available. Sturdy construction with aluminium moulded engineered parts are the guarantee for a long live. Find more informations on www.fg-floortec.de

Janser

Powerful machines, the craftsman's real partners of every day's hard work, are our mission. Each of them is made with ambition, know how and diligence, on modern plants and with the best components.

At Janser, too, there haven’t been many recent technological innovations specifically for endless belt sanders. The fact that ALL Janser machines can now be connected to an external dust suction unit is obviously a nice bonus. Sales points for attention are not always the same, but with Janser it is generally noted that user-comfort, safety and precision, durability, and low maintenance are the main arguments. From Janser’s point of view, ergonomics has always been a point for attention, although few professionals have really considered it. At Janser they know ergonomics can make a hard job easier. As for abrasives, research is always ongoing. Several products are at the test phase.

Pallmann The belt sanding machine Pallmann Cobra comes along with some technical features such as the variable handle adjustment for ergonomic working, the noise-reducing full covering housing, LED lights that illuminate the working area and a comfortable display to monitor the machine’s power and settings. The Pallmann Cobra features an integrated suction. Also a supplied adapter for an external vacuum cleaner can be connected optionally. Finally, the Pallmann Cobra has a one-belt-system which makes the machine smoother and easier to dismount. This is supported by the perfectly matched mounting system of the engine.Today much emphasis is placed on design because buying a machine is also an emotional decision. The more modern and appealing a machine looks like, the more trust the fitter gets from the end customer. Nevertheless the trend is more and more to work with multidisc-machines e.g. Pallmann Spider. For this reason there is more research and development in multidisc-machines than in belt sanders.

New Products 2020

HUMMEL ® New Paddle System HUMMEL ® LED Work Light TRIO Brushing Discs

Nylon

Brass

Stainless Steel

The classic among belt sanding machines is now equipped with a newly-developed paddle system handle. The ergonomic paddle lever together with an adjustable quick lift plate and a larger ball-head ensure a completely new sanding experience. This system now also allows secure fixing and significantly faster separation of the upper and lower parts of the rod.

Every HUMMEL® since 1990 can be equipped with the new paddle system. Thanks to the new robust LED work light - working in poor light conditions belongs to the past. The assembly and disassembly of the LED work light can be carried out extremely fast and easily. For the LED work light no external power supply is necessary!

Every HUMMEL® since 1990 can be equipped with the work light.

We sell our products worldwide! For more information about your local partner, please contact us at:

Texture in just one pass Your benefits:

✓Brushing close to the wall

✓Effective dust extraction ✓ quick and easy conversion from sanding to brushing discs