4 Things You Must Know Before Investing in a Wide Belt Sander
Wide belt sanders are highly versatile machines that work well for a variety of woodworking applications. These powerful industrial solutions make use of combinations of contact drums and platens to finish wooden surfaces, holding tight tolerances while providing an exceptional end product. However, wide belt sanders come in a range of different sizes and designs to better suit specific types of woodworking projects, making it difficult to determine which specific sanding machine will work best for your unique production needs. Fortunately, the Timesavers team is here to ensure that this important investment pays dividends for your shop.
For the past 70+ years, Timesavers has led the industry in industrial sanding solutions for wood. We offer unrivaled service, support and products, which is why we have over 50,000 wide belt sanders in operation today. Above all else, our goal is to provide each customer we serve with all of the resources and support they need to optimize the quality and profitability of their woodworking processes. One of the most important steps in establishing an ideal production system is finding a wide belt sander that consistently delivers the high-quality finish you and your clients expect. So today, we’ll be diving into four important things you need to know before putting money down on a new wide belt sander.
1. Does Your Wide Belt Sander Allow for Fast Belt Changing?
Quick and easy belt changing plays a critical role in saving time and ensuring smooth operations during your shop’s sanding. If an abrasive belt breaks or wears down in the middle of a production run, this feature will keep your team on track toward its daily goals and prevent a simple belt issue from shutting down your operations for hours on end. Convenient belt changing can also be a huge boon for woodworking shops that work with a wide range of materials. If your wide belt sander needs to deliver multiple finish types, then it’s essential for the machine to be capable of swapping out to different abrasive belts quickly. It might seem insignificant at first glance, but this key feature will save your team hours of production time in the long term, fostering higher ROI.
2. Does Your Wide Belt Sander Include a Digital Readout?
Even if your new wide belt sander uses the most powerful and durable parts on the market, it won’t deliver exceptional results without the help of a digital thickness gauge. This invaluable readout can give operators exact measurements in inches (with optional fractions or millimeters), enabling them to perform incredibly accurate finishing at a glance. The accuracy of these solutions can measure within a thousandth of an inch, giving your finish a level of precision that few competitors can match. Most importantly, wide belt sanders with a digital thickness gauge are easy to calibrate and automatically retain memory ensuring consistency across multiple operators.
3. Is Your Wide Belt Sander Portable?
Portability is an absolute must for wide belt sanders that operate in complex or fast-paced production environments. This feature allows operators to quickly re-adjust the positioning of their machine or move it off of the production floor for maintenance. Luckily, some portable sanders feature unique designs with low weight distribution, providing solid stability when being moved from spot to spot. Portable wide belt sanders also make use of heavy-duty casters that swivel quickly and smoothly—such as the Timesavers SpeedSander—allowing for effortless maneuverability no matter how frantic your shop becomes.
4. Is Your Wide Belt Sander Safe?
The most important aspect of a wide belt sander is operator safety. Machines without proper safety precautions can put the well-being of your employees and equipment at risk. Fortunately, there are sanding machines with robust safety precautions to keep your employees and machinery in top form. The safest sanders are equipped with several standard and emergency stops that are strategically located within the operator’s reach, granting them total control and ensuring that your team members won’t be harmed by a slip-up or a momentary lapse in focus. Consequently, we highly recommend investing in wide belt sanders with high-quality emergency brake systems and other safety features.
Find the Perfect Wide Belt Sander Today
Look here if you’re interested in exploring our range of unrivaled solutions for wide belt sanding and calibrating. We offer a huge selection of fully customizable wide belt sanders and calibrating machines for almost any woodworking project imaginable. If you don’t find a sanding machine that meets your team’s exact needs and constraints, then don’t hesitate to call or message Timesavers. We can connect you with one of our Solutions Engineers to find a machine that works perfectly for your application.
Last but not least, feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions or concerns about finding a wide belt sander for your woodworking shop. Whether you need information, support, quotes, parts, special services or just an expert source of advice, our team here at Timesavers is ready and willing to help. If you’re ready to boost your line’s productivity and workpiece finishes, request your custom quote today.