Finely tuned and a perfect make of a musical instrument is no doubt a delight to listen to when played by an exceptional artist. Carlos Santana a famous musician used the Gibson SG Guitar in his album Santana III. Music lovers and fans have enjoyed the music made by Santana in this album while at the same time admired how he was able to create sounds from his guitar that seems to float in the air. No matter what type of guitar an artist will use a robo sander either homemade or created by professional manufactures will still be used to achieve the sound that is desired.
Robo Sanders are not only utilized for guitars but other similar instruments that use wood as main base frame. Drums, violins and mandolins are just some of the examples of the instruments that the sander is used to maximize its musicality. Other things that a sander is useful for are cabinet making, bow making and woodworking in general that requires exact replication of thickness, breadth and width of the wood materials needed. Several types and sizes of the Robo sander also represent different types of its functionality. www.luthiersfriend.com has different sizes of sanders to offer for varying purposes and to suit the preference of all buyers.
The 3″ Dia. x 3″ tall Robo-Sander™ is recommended and preferred by cabinet makers and woodworkers, as the radius of the curves that it can handle is 1 ½” or better. The one that is favored for those who make Robo sander guitars is the 2″ dia. x 2″ tall Robo-Sander™. The radius and curves that this Robo sander is capable of handling is an inch or more. The sander that is good for mandolin, bow, clock and scale model makers is the 1″dia. x 2″tall Robo-Sander™. It has the advantage to shape the curve as small as 1/2” radius. All these professionally made products are available are available at Luthier’s Friend.
Build your Own
Some websites like the http://woodgears.ca/sander/thickness.html have detailed instructions in creating a homemade robo sander. One of its example designs is the thickness sander that is powered by ½ horsepower motor with an RPM of 1750. The 2 inch pulley of the motor is rotating the 5 inch pulley that is attached to the sanding drum. The drum is immobile, in order to get the desired thickness there is a ½” bolt that can be manipulated that is located on the infeed side. The the table is composed of two pieces ¾” plywood that are attached together by glue and for making the surface smooth, laminated flooring makes up its surface for easy sliding of the material when the machine is in operation. Another unique innovation done on the machine is the attachment of the vacuum cleaner to catch the dust that the sander is creating when in used. Further details and discussion regarding this homemade sander is found on the website mentioned above.
The good thing about creating one’s own sander is that the machine will perform according to the needs of the maker. With a little know-how and following the instructions to the letter in making a sander the possibility of doing it wrong is very minimal. Robo sander reviews of this homemade Robo sander are found in the forum of the website www.luthiers.com.
Other Homemade Robo Sander Designs
Different makers of the product have specialties and have created them to suit specifically their needs. The website www.woodgears.ca/sander/neal.html shows the belt sander that is made by Neal Week. The dimensions of the product are 6” by 48” sander with the length of the box at 24 inches. The height is 12 inches with the width of 13 ¼” inches and the belt wheels have the same size of 2 9/16” in diameter, and it can be used either standing up or lying down.
The strip sander that is designed by Roger Gallant works just as good in comparison with products that is made by other sander making companies. The motor that is used to run the machine is from scrap but is suited to the job because it has two standard bearings that are machine fitted; a spline located at the center that will press the plywood wheel and the end is machined that is capable in driving the pulley. The belts can be changed easily by the snaps that can be found at the bottom front and will allow for the for the removal of the front section of the sander and by simply releasing tension by pushing the top the belt will come off by sliding to the right.
In thinking to build a disk sander it should be bear in mind that runout will be the biggest problem that will be faced. The platter must be flexible in order to avoid this kind of problem. The motor of this type of Robo sander utilized could be as simple as 1 hp treadmill. Videos of creating this type of sander are seen at http://woodgears.ca/sander/disk_sander.html.
Another company that makes sander is the Canadian Tire. In the official website of the company http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/ResearchCentre/ToolsSanders.jsp offers the opportunity to learn terms and terminologies that are related to sanders like Robo sander router. The website also further discusses the different types of sanders, its applications and the different features that each product must possess in order to attain its maximum functionality. An example of this is the detail sander which is ideal for small areas that can be used in creating chair spindles and moldings. Accessories of the detail sanders include a custom cut hook and a loop sand paper which is available in different grits. The things to consider in the features of the products before purchase are:
- A dependable base with the added feature of not allowing sanding dust to fly around the working area.
- It must have a loop and hoop fastening system to ensure easy sandpaper changes.
- It must not be heavy for comfort and less fatigue after operation.
- A grip that is designed to give control and confidence.
- An orbital speed of 12000 OPM to achieve efficient sanding.
Keeping these considerations in mind will help you to obtain the right Robo sander so you can produce quality work, be it musical or not.