trailfndr Posted April 30, 2017 Report Share Posted April 30, 2017 Finally got my new Flatmaster Sander this week, and got it assembled today. I can see many uses for it, from cleaning up the back of my Intarsia before putting the backing on, to sanding a scrollsaw piece to clean it up. Found today that it does a good job of cleaning up rough sawn lumber too. May not be perfectly even for thickness, but for Intarsia, that won't be an issue, as I sand everything when shaping. Took me about 12 passes to clean up some cedar on one side, but it beats having to pass on this less expensive lumber. This is similar to the Sand-Flee, but since I could never get anyone to answer questions from the company that sells the Sand-Flee, I opted for the Canadian version. Comes without motor, but that was no issue, as Harbor Freight sells a decent motor. Overall, the cost was still less than the sand-Flee and since the sander uses Velcro backed paper, it does not get hot, therefore no buildup on the paper, which translates to longer lasting paper. Lucky2 and lawson56 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawkeye10 Posted April 30, 2017 Report Share Posted April 30, 2017 Lee that looks like a useful sander. How wide is it and is there a way to catch the dust? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lawson56 Posted April 30, 2017 Report Share Posted April 30, 2017 I was thinking the same thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sycamore67 Posted April 30, 2017 Report Share Posted April 30, 2017 Very nice and useful. I just finished building one as I am a little cheap plus it was a challenge. Scrappile 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrappile Posted April 30, 2017 Report Share Posted April 30, 2017 5 minutes ago, Sycamore67 said: Very nice and useful. I just finished building one as I am a little cheap plus it was a challenge. What one did you build? I just down loaded plans from Stumpy's site. Watched his video on you tube and decided to get the plans for the one he had. May never get it done, may never start, but then again maybe I will. I love to build things like that. Lee, I never knew there was anything like that other than the "Sand Flee" which is too expensive for me. I can see where that type of sander would be very useful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WayneMahler Posted May 1, 2017 Report Share Posted May 1, 2017 Nice looking sander. Interested in the width and dust collection also. Thanks for sharing. Best of luck with it too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trailfndr Posted May 1, 2017 Author Report Share Posted May 1, 2017 (edited) It comes in 3 widths, 18, 24, and 30 inch. I have the 24" Dust collection is great. There is an enclosed bin under the drum and it comes with a 2 1/2 inch port. Hooked it to my system and after sanding both sides of about 20 pieces of 1 1/2 x 8 inch rough sawn lumber, I had very little dust that didn't get caught. and my paper shows no sign of gumming and looks like new. The biggest difference in the three sizes is the drum itself. The 18" uses a smaller diameter drum. One of the nice things is that if you have the paper cut to length, switching from 100 grit to 220 takes about 30 seconds. And the big plus, because it keeps cool, the paper doesn't gum up, and you can reuse it many times. Company says 15-20 times taking a sheet off and putting it back on. You can also load half the drum with 100 grit, and the other half with 220 to save even more time, as long as you aren't sanding something wider than half the drum. Edited May 1, 2017 by trailfndr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NC Scroller Posted May 1, 2017 Report Share Posted May 1, 2017 I had a sand flee. Long story why I said had and not have. Anyway I used to keep 2 grit papers on it as I do a lot of small stuff. Take a magic marker or sharpie and draw a line on the paper where the grits change. Gives a quick reference when sanding with two grits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrolling Steve Posted May 1, 2017 Report Share Posted May 1, 2017 Looks and sounds like that will make life eaiser for you Lee !....Enjoy ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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