Tool Location
Wood Room
Tool Type
Subtractive
Additional Information
One Page Tool Reference Sheet
Overview
The 6” disk sander is a power sander that rapidly rotates a circular piece of sandpaper counterclockwise. It is great for sanding wood and some plastics to a very flat surface. The disk has a radius of 6”, and the machine has a table perpendicular to the disc that helps to support the material during sanding
Capabilities
Sanding Length
This disk sander can sand up to a 6in (half the disk) portion of a work piece at a time
Sanding Angle
The resting table of the Disk Sanding can tilt between +45 and -45 degrees
Materials
Wood
- Hard woods
- Softwoods
- Lumber
- Ply and particle wood
Rigid Plastics
- Delrin
- Polycarbonate
PPE
Safety Glasses and closed toed shoes are required when using the Disk Sander. Loose articles of hair and clothing (lanyards, wallet chains, hoodie strings, etc). should be tied back/removed. Since sanding produces fine airborne particles, a dust mask is recommended.
Safety Features
There are two buttons for turning the machine on and off respectively. If you want to stop using the machine, press the red off button the side of the machine. In terms of safety, make sure you fingers are not near the sandpaper when sanding. Additionally, it is advised to not use the right side of the disc when sanding, as it will cause the part to be pushed up away from the table, and be hard to control.
How To Use This Tool
- Making sure no wood or other things are touching the sandpaper, turn on the sander by pressing the green On button on the side
- Holding your material firmly on the left side of the table as shown below (this makes material much easier to control), press the material into the sander at the desired angle and location to sand down your part
- The further away from the center of the disc that your part touches, the fast the paper is moving, so keep that in mind in terms of applied force and how much material is being removed
- Here is where the piece should ideally be; keep in mind that you should be holding the wood with both hands while operating the sander
- You can adjust the angle of the table with respect to the disc by altering the tilt angle on the sides of the machine shown here
- When you are done sanding, press the Off button to stop rotation of the sandpaper
- Vacuum up the area of all dust that occurred from sanding
- Please close the vent behind the sander, and if you are the last one in the room, turn off the global ventilation with the red button behind this machine
- If you were sanding at a bevel angle, please return the table to it’s default 0o position
Machine Won't Start
- If the machine isn’t turning on when you press the power button
- Make sure you are pressing it hard as it takes considerable force to actuate
- If this still doesn’t work, consult a PI or contact the Wood Room Master
Excessive Dust Spray
- If there is a lot of dust being sprayed during sanding
- Ensure that the ventilation is both open and turned on
Part Jumps/Hard to Control
- Make sure you are working on the left side of the disc so that the force is pushing the wood into the table
Disk is Running Slow
- Might be a problem with the belt slipping, replace the belt
Replace the sandpaper
- This is done by removing the table from the tool by loosening both knobs on the left and right sides. Then peel the old sandpaper off, and replace it with a new sheet, found in the cabinets to the right. Ensure that the paper is centered on the disc
- After you have done this, replace the table and set it to the default 0o position
References:
Operating Instructions and Parts Manual Disc, Belt and Combination Disc/Belt
Sanders. (2016, December). Retrieved from
http://content.jettools.com/assets/manuals/414551_man_EN.pdf
Author Information
Article was written by Walker Poole
Last Updated: September 5 2018.