Homemade super belt sander from a treadmill!

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MesquiteMan

MesquiteMan

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I had a need for a belt sander that was at least 12" wide. I could not use a typical widebelt sander since I needed to have the top of the belt unobstructed. I looked all over and could not find anything. I have a drum sander that basically uses a sandpaper belt for the conveyor and thought I could come up with something myself. While looking at the drum sander, it occured to me that it was very similar to a treadmill!

Of to Craig's List I went! I found a really nice treadmill for $50 and bought it. I then went online and found a company that will make any size sanding belt for you. I spent $40 for the belt, shipped. I removed all of the upright parts to the treadmill and disassembled the control board that is on the riser part that you hand on to for dear life! I took the plastic for the control board and cut it down on my saw and made a wood frame for it. I then welded up a steel frame with steel legs and fastened the treadmill to it. Lastly, I crafted a fence and made a new end cover to mount the control board on.

I now have a sander with capacity of 16" x 42" with variable speed from 52.8 feet per minute to 880 feet per minute. It works absolutely fantastic and I only have $90 in it if you don't count the cost of the steel frame and legs (I already had the steel). Here are some pictures as well as a link to a Youtube video.

Who ever knew sanding was such a good work out! After sanding for 20 minutes or so, according to the control board, I have burned a few hundred calories and ran a mile or more! I never even work up a sweat either! I should be in great shape after doing a lot more sanding!

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Nice way to come up with a solution for your specific need. I hope it does not succumb to the sawdust it will generate, in spite of the dust collection incorporated into the design. Way to go Curtis! If I had to maintain 6mph when sanding, I would have to give up wood working, but could otherwise, still make pens!
Steve
 
Ingenious.

If it were possible to get perfectly matched belts you would be able to run a pair of belts side by side and have two grits ready to go at any time. Problem is getting the two belts that would track with one setting. :rolleyes:
 
Wow. Well you know what they say, Everything is bigger in Texas. Awesome.

Now something in this picture really gets my goat. You have a freakin' treadmill in your shop and there is not a single tool or bench or table within 10' of it...... I think the space that sander is in is as big as my entire shop.:frown:
 
Curly said:
Problem is getting the two belts that would track with one setting. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

That would indeed be a huge problem! It was a real pain to get one belt to track properly. I would get it all set and running true and then, all of a sudden, it would take off to the side for no apparent reason. I did a little research and found that all sanders have a bit of a crown built into the roller to make it track. These roller have none. To overcome the issue I put a couple of wraps of duct tape in the middle of the roller! Problem solved!

Besides, I need at least 10" width so it would not do me any good to have two belts. I don't need the length, just the width.

TexasTaxi said:
I love it, but am curious as to what you're sanding.
Click to expand...

I use it to flatten the tops of of the vacuum chambers I build.

Justturnin said:
Now something in this picture really gets my goat. You have a freakin' treadmill in your shop and there is not a single tool or bench or table within 10' of it...... I think the space that sander is in is as big as my entire shop.:frown:
Click to expand...

That is actually in the non-air conditioned portion of my shop. I have a 3,000 sf shop. 1,000 sf of it is walled off, insulated, and air conditioned for my wood shop. The rest is for welding and general storage/use. The sander is outside of the wood shop portion.

jimdude said:
Nice...Now the Patent paperwork.
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No patents available here! While this was a completely original idea TO ME at the time, I found out after the fact that others have done similar things with treadmills.
 
MesquiteMan said:
Justturnin said:
Now something in this picture really gets my goat. You have a freakin' treadmill in your shop and there is not a single tool or bench or table within 10' of it...... I think the space that sander is in is as big as my entire shop.:frown:
Click to expand...

That is actually in the non-air conditioned portion of my shop. I have a 3,000 sf shop. 1,000 sf of it is walled off, insulated, and air conditioned for my wood shop. The rest is for welding and general storage/use. The sander is outside of the wood shop portion.
Click to expand...


Ohh.... Thanks for clarifying, I feel much better now.:confused:
 
Imagine the 'Road Rash' you would get if you tripped up while doing your morning jog!!:eek:

Very ingenious Curtis!! It will be interesting to see how long the crowning tape will last.
 
I LOVE it!!!!!! I rarely have need to sand anything that large.....BUT, I may build one and try to "pitch" it to Nike or New Balance as a walking shoe tuner that custom fits the soles of a customer's excercise shoes to the shape of the road.

Just think how many MORE pairs of shoes Nike could sell with such a hi-tech shoe customizer! Hey.... Somebody sold them "air" to put in shoes that double the price:)

Curtis, I think you are on to something BIG!!!! Maybe the Turn-Tex Cactus Shoe Tuner:)

In all seriousness, WHAT A GREAT IDEA, well executed! Just curious (as I bet you've tried, I know I would) how far can you fling a 2x4 at 880 Bfm?
 
PenMan1 said:
In all seriousness, WHAT A GREAT IDEA, well executed! Just curious (as I bet you've tried, I know I would) how far can you fling a 2x4 at 880 Bfm?
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Not tried flinging a 2x4 yet. I am a little leery of kickbacks! I had one a while back on my tablesaw that hit me in the privates and hurt like hell! I stay well away from flinging things now!
 
Great thinking outside the box. One question, just curious -- how hard is it to change belts? Don't imagine the treadmill was concerned about that. I would imagine a belt should last awhile.

Jeff in northern Wisconsin
 
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