JAN/FEB 2005
Volume 48/Issue 1

IN THIS ISSUE
Project Articles
• A Gift For Your Kitchen
• Outdoor Deck Chair
• Bandsaw Boxes

DEPARTMENTS
• Ask Smitty
• Owner’s Gallery
• Letters from Owners
 
Academy Notes
Hardwood Information You Should Know - Pt 4
 
Service Pointers
The MARK V Vertical Drill Press & Horizontal Boring Machine

Woodworking Technologies
Stepped Dowels
 
Safety
Safety Lessons I've Learned

What's New
Rip Scale Upgrade Kit, Cabinets, & Lift-Assist

EDUCATION
• Find A Shopsmith Woodworking Academy Near You
• National Woodworking Academy in Dayton, OH

ONLINE CATALOGS
• Online Accessory Catalog
• Request Printed Accessory Catalog
• Online Replacement Parts Catalog

MARK V INFORMATION
• Find A Shopsmith
MARK V Demo Near You
• Request MARK V Information Package

LINKS
• Links Worth Visiting
• Free Woodworking Tips

FEEDBACK
Contacting Shopsmith

Copyright 2005.
Shopsmith, Inc.
All Rights Reserved

ASK SMITTY!
Here are the questions . . .
and SMITTY’S answers for this issue!

Self-professed cheap husband needs advice on sanders
 
From “Cheap Husband” via email:
 
My wife is a beginning woodworker and wants a “sander” for her birthday. What type is good for a beginner and how much money should I spend on one?

That's a pretty open-ended question. There are a multitude of sanders available...most designed to serve special purposes. Shopsmith's 6" stationary Belt Sander is a great all-around machine for sizing project pieces, sanding wide surfaces or edges smooth and a host of other operations.

Our Strip Sander is a great choice for rapid sanding of areas (such as inside curves) that are difficult to get into. Our Disk Sander will smooth edges and outside curves wonderfully. And our Drum Sanders are also ideal for sanding inside curves and similar areas. All of the above-mentioned sanders are designed for use with the Shopsmith MARK V.

Beyond these, there are also portable Belt Sanders, portable Pad Sanders and more. Of the portables, the Random Orbit Pad Sander is probably best because it will remove stock fairly quickly without leaving swirl marks (Good ones are usually available for around $50 to $80.)

If you have a MARK V, you already have a Disk Sander and should probably add some Drum Sanders for small work and a Shopsmith Belt Sander for surface smoothing and rapid stock removal. If you don't own a MARK V and have limited funds, the Random Orbit Disk Sander is a good all-around choice.

Just remember....sanders are a lot like cars...they're purpose-built. Just as you wouldn't try to haul a piano across town in a 2-seat sports car, you also can't sand tight inside curves with a random orbit pad sander (this is a job for a Strip Sander or Drum Sander)...or remove lots of stock quickly from workpiece surfaces with a stationary Disk Sander.

Hope this answers your questions.