: Your haul is the prettiest I have seen. I have filed it away along with your
: web page in my favorites. I would be afraid to try a belt sander on such
: beautiful work. My haul will just be a plain Jane when I am ready to sand
: it and so I can take a few chances. I have a belt sander just setting on
: the shelf and I know I will have to give it a try just to see what its
: like. But I will start with 150 grit very carefully and be very careful to
: not gouge with the ends of the sander, then if it goes ok I will drop down
: to a lower grit to do the whole haul. But I am a little scarred.
: John

Hi John

If I may interject here, the problem that most people have with the belt sander is they try to push it where they want it to go, by puting their weight on it. It's not the ends that gouge the work-piece, but rather the sides. The sander lacks stability in side to side movement, and will tilt one way or the other thus allowing the moving belt to cut a line into the work. When using a belt sander, the trick is to let the sander do the work. In other words, just allow your hands to guide it without applying the pressure. Let it just ride on the surface of the wood. Don't push down, or side to side, but back and forth, and at the end of the stroke, turn it ever so slightly and move into a new path. It's a great tool, but, needs practice to get it right. I'd say: spare your boat and do some practice on scrap plywood or other material first. Food for Thought.

Rehd