(12-25-2015, 01:14 PM)Roadracer_Al Wrote: Russell -- if you buy and burn up 6 of those Home Depot belt sanders... and it sounds like you're getting there... you've more than paid for one properly designed, component-repairable $700 grinder.

Here's another thought: I agree: time *is* money, (which is doubly true for the self employed people like us than it is for salaried employees) so, decide how many hours you can allot to building a burly grinder - there are plans available -- and see how it would compare to buying the $700 grinder.

A real good question is if you have welding in-house.

(12-25-2015, 02:48 PM)Highpower Wrote: I have a feeling limiting Russ to just ONE belt sander would severely handicap his operation. I've worked in a few shops that only had ONE transmission jack, but they would take in 5 or 6 tranny jobs a day. So we always had 5 or 6 techs all fighting to get their hands on the sole jack at the same time. Either you waited around loosing time for somebody to finish using it, or like most of us - just wrestled the transmission out and in by hand. When you are young and think you are invincible, you can lift a transmission over your head and get the job done. Over the years we've all payed for it in the end with bad backs, shoulders and knees. But I digress.....

In Russell's case I would imagine he would have a bottle-neck at the sander with multiple people wanting to do some de-burring at the same time with the number of parts they produce in a day. Just guessing.  

Both are very valid points.......... and yes.........no welding.

We do have multiple sanders, each set up for specific deburring, polishing operations.  One belt for alunminum, one for steel, and a polishing belt (which really should be two-one for roughing-one for finishing).

Another one of the problems I have is finding a really good horizontal belt sander.  A vertical sander for our operation is just no good at all.  With the quantity of pieces being handled, a horizontal sander takes a lot of the fatigue factor out of the process of deburring parts from the saw because the weight of the part for the majority of the time it is handled is being taken up by the belt sander.  

With a vertical sander (unless it has a large table-which would then impede the process) you are not only working the part on the belt, but supporting it as well......making fatigue a factor.

I guess in a sense I'm being kind of self conflicting on the whole issue.

I do understand that in the long term a good quality horizontal belt sander is the way to go, versus purchasing a new cheap one once or twice a year.

It's just the thought of spending several thousand dollars to replace them that has me balking at the thought of actually doing it. 

There's just no "feel good" feeling about buying a belt sander like there is with with buying a new cutting tool.   That's why I have no problem spending hundreds of dollars on a new cutter from my tool rep.   

It's an almost immediate return on my investment!