Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater Storm damage to HT room?

That's what I did.

I just wish they would standardize dust ports, but that's a topic for the "Got Wood" thread.

I'm finding the 4 inch belts everywhere I find the 3 inch belts, even where they don't sell the 4 inch sanders. Sears sells the B&D Dragster sander under the Craftsman name. I know not to buy this piece of crap. Today, I'm going to go and turn over some more rocks (shopping) and see what's swarming under them.

Well, I bought the Makita 9404 belt sander today for $219. It looks like a good one.

After doing a 3' x 3' area, with 80 grit paper, I'm thinking I need a bigger unit (this one is 8.8 amp), or courser sand paper, or both. Putting any pressure at all on it bogs the motor down. It's making the underlayment smooth, but taking way too long. Well, off to the store for some more sandpaper.

36 grit paper works most effectively, but it doesn't take long for the effectiveness of it to go away. This leveler stuff is like sanding concrete.

Sanding the crowns in my floor(OSB) took a while with my 7.8amp Makita, I can imagine that leveller stuff will take even longer. Let the sander do the work, all you're supposed to do is guide the tool. I tend to prefer Norton sanding abrasives myself, good quality.

I took my time with a lot of breaks and got about 3/4 of the way done. I got good results with 36 grit paper. I was using the light blue colored stuff. It seems to hold up good. I'm not experienced with one of these and made a few boo-boo's where I sanded in one spot too long and took it all the way down to wood. I'll have to redo those spots. The kitchen cabinets have a ledge along the edge that the sander won't reach. I'm not sure how I'm going to sand those yet. The ledge is about 3 inches off the floor and about 2 1/2 inches back. It won't be too critical, since no one will be walking on those spots. I guess I could just put a little more leveler up to that spot, sort of like a miniature ramp.

Well, my kitchen floor is just about ready for the vinyl. I took this floor down to plywood and have applied about 2 1/2 gallons of leveler to it and sanded it. I bought a little corner and detail sander for the edges that the belt sander couldn't reach and I'm still working on that. I'll have to check it and see if anymore areas need work.

Unfortunately, I had an oops moment and the power cord got caught up in the sander at the backside where the sandpaper goes back up into the sander. It's wedged up there really tight and can't be pulled out. Oops. I took it to a repair shop and they said it may take up to 2 weeks to get it fixed.

Hope you used a respirator when using your belt sander there. I should have mentioned that before you started.

Yep. I used respirator, ear protection headset, and knee pads.