21 Reply by David Cross

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Re: New Academy handles by David Cross

You're not far off. I mean...you have the tool rest and whatnot, and you're an experienced craftsman, so I feel confident you'd take precautions, but...if I was able to fling a bolt with sufficient force to bounce off of three walls, I shudder to think what one misstep with a 12" section of tube would do.

"Unsafe" is not simply a procedural error. It is the dangerous combination of bad procedure, wandering attention, and the potential for even an expert to make a mistake. No one is immune to it. Better to remove the chance for accidents than to trust in your own skill to prevent them.

22 Reply by Tyler Blake

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Re: New Academy handles by David Cross

Oh dear...  I'm afraid it was worse than what I lead you to believe... tool rest?  I wasn't using a bench mounted belt sander... I was using a handheld belt sander!  Necessity is the mother of invention, and in this case the invention was hiring a professional to do it before I hurt myself!

Yaprimascharif, Yahasanna Hadisany, elafinas tabachu, Dari chalemy elasin!

23 Reply by David Cross

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Re: New Academy handles by David Cross

>_>

...stop that.

Ok, you know you have my respect as a craftsman and a colleague, but, all jokes aside...that's not an optimal arrangement. I could see a benchtop grinder w/adjustable tool rest, but a handheld tool like that could really go the wrong way in a big hurry.

Although...watching the belt sander zoom across the floor on its own power would be tremendously amusing. ^_^

24 Reply by Tyler Blake

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Re: New Academy handles by David Cross

Oh, trust me I have stopped smile  I think my relief when we began the collaboration was probably palpable. 
....If I did let the sander go across the floor I think I'd feel the need to put some stormtrooper toys on top and film it....

Yaprimascharif, Yahasanna Hadisany, elafinas tabachu, Dari chalemy elasin!

25 Reply by David Cross

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Re: New Academy handles by David Cross

That would be hilarious.

Hey, now there's a tradition to start: Belt Sander Racing. Hell, they already do it with lawnmowers. This must be a thing.

26 Reply by Tyler Blake

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Re: New Academy handles by David Cross

Well, I just checked and here you go:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0DPEliD8ucI

....I think they said this was the 20th annual championship, so let's form an olympic committee:p

Yaprimascharif, Yahasanna Hadisany, elafinas tabachu, Dari chalemy elasin!

27 Reply by David Cross

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Re: New Academy handles by David Cross

"True Grit"? That's horrible. I approve.

28 Reply by Tyler Blake

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Re: New Academy handles by David Cross

I can easily imagine people sitting around having heated discussions about what grit is best, and the benefits of natural vs. synthetic grit compounds for sander racin'.

Yaprimascharif, Yahasanna Hadisany, elafinas tabachu, Dari chalemy elasin!

29 Reply by David Cross

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Re: New Academy handles by David Cross

Starting with the provision that I have never participated in the sport (since it apparently is one), and therefore have no frame of reference apart from purely theoretical concepts, I would instinctively tend toward a medium grit. Coarse will give better traction, preventing slippage of the belt against the track and providing better acceleration, but (presumably) at the cost of top speed. Conversely, a fine grit might not slow down the sander as much, but would sacrifice traction, allowing the belt to slip...not unlike spinning tires. It could also be that finer grit paper may weigh less, but against the weight of the tool itself, plus the length of cord it's dragging...I'm not sure it would make a significant difference. There's also the grain of the wood to consider. A rougher wood would naturally provide more traction, so a finer grit could be used.

Again, all armchair quarterbacking, but it makes sense to me.

30 Reply by Johnny Pell

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Re: New Academy handles by David Cross

You two are a trip. I thought my friends  and I had some wild conversations.

31 Reply by David Cross

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Re: New Academy handles by David Cross

Commonplace here, Johnny...but only here, from my experience. It is easy to be distracted by seniority and experience, but let me assure you: We're friends first, colleagues second. That's how we have endured for so long.

For myself, I'd love to have a few late-night coffees with several members. Distance is the only barrier for me.

32 Reply by Ron May

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Re: New Academy handles by David Cross

David, you could put a two speed transmission with a lower gear to start and at mid track switch to a higher gear for top speed.
I tend to be in the coarse grit school of thought, because slipping is loosing and gripping is winning.
It won't slow it down because it's all going the same speed as the body.
A wing in the back could also allow for more down force to assure good traction and a couple of canards in the front would keep the front end with positive down force as well.

Ron

It's ok if you disagree with me.
I can't force you to be right.

33 Reply by David Cross

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Re: New Academy handles by David Cross

Are we opening the competition to modifications outside of stock tools, then? Because I could do some neat things with gearing ratios. A stock sander has to have enough torque that it won't bind under load. A racing sander has no such concerns.

I admittedly assumed they had to be close enough to stock sanders to still be considered "a belt sander".

34 Reply by Ron May

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Re: New Academy handles by David Cross

There's "Stock" , "Pro Stock", "Modified" , and "Pro Modified"
It all depends on how fast you want to go and how deep your pockets are. smile

Ron

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I can't force you to be right.

35 Reply by David Cross

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Re: New Academy handles by David Cross

>_>

Belt sanders. As deep into physics and mechanical engineering as stock car racing.

<sigh> Only in America.

36 Reply by Tyler Blake

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Re: New Academy handles by David Cross

Ha!  David, I don't remember if it was in the video I linked or in one of the other thumbnails, but someone had cannibilized a remote controlled monster truck and put the monster truck part on the sander.  I still think my only mod would be stormtroopers, though.  Late night coffee would rock.

Yaprimascharif, Yahasanna Hadisany, elafinas tabachu, Dari chalemy elasin!