Fast Tracks

The Advantages of Using a Bench Top Sander

By Tim Warris (This newsletter was originally published on June 2, 2003)

This issue of the Fast Tracks newsletter is short and sweet. I have been very busy this past month mass-producing switch machines for my layout and getting ready for the upcoming train tours that are part of the NMRA National Convention being held in Toronto in July. (My layout is one of the stops on the tour.)


The Advantages of Using a Bench Top Sander

Next to an x-acto knife, a bench top sander is one of the most useful tools a modeller can own. Even if you don't use it for trackwork you will wonder how you ever did without it. From quickly squaring up wood and plastic walls to sanding a bevel on plaster wall sections to grinding the bottom of a building flat, the uses are endless.


Fast, Precise, Easy

I use a bench top sander for all my trackwork. Combined with the Frog Point grinding jig it takes mere seconds to grind a frog point to the exact angle you need.

It also makes quick work of removing the base of the rail where the switch point closes. Simply mark the section of rail that you want to remove the base from and sand it off. I usually grind one end square and taper the other end.


The Right Tool...

The one thing that I still prefer to file by hand is the actual switch points. Trying to use a bench top sander to get a nice slim taper generates a lot of heat, and if you are not careful you will actually melt the rail! I find that filing a switch point is best done by hand. Going slow is an asset in this step.


Nothing Lasts Forever

Sanding belts will last a long time, but not forever. If you notice some discoloration in the rail while sanding you are generating too much heat, which is telling you that it is time to install a new belt.

- Tim

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Have a question or comment about this issue of the Fast Tracks newsletter? Then post a reply! I will be happy to respond to any posts. - Tim

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Cheers!

Tim Warris
Fast Tracks
http://www.fast-tracks.net
service@fast-tracks.net

I just received my bench top sander and I am very pleased with it. I purchased a Fisch Sander with a 4" belt and a 6" disc. I purchased it from amazon.com and the price was $109.99 with free delivery. While not the cheapest machine available, what sold me on this machine is that the work table is cast iron so it is very stable and solid. If you want more information, go to fisch-woodworking.com and you can look at it there.

Take care and happy railroading.

Mark Hagy

Hello Tim,

The bench sander is the only way to go! In fact I even built a fixture to ensure the proper alignment of the frog point grinding fixture. This, in turn, will ensure that all of my cuts are square! I will send pictures to show what I have done.

Donnell M. Wells

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Romans 10:9-10

Tim: Here is a caution on bench top sanders from experience. I had been using mine to sand wood and didn't bother to hook up the vacuum so the bottom was full of sawdust. Sometime later I zoomed into my workshop to grind the end off a piece of metal. Back upstairs for a test fit and saw that it needed more grinding. Back to the workshop and hey where is all the smoke coming from. Out of the bench top sander. It seems the sparks from the metal grinding had ignited the sawdust inside. Fortunately it was only smoldering so I was able to run outside with the whole sander. Now I don't let sawdust accumulate, and I always check inside it after grinding metal.
Regards, Chris

Well I will use my wood turning lathe with a sanding disc.. should be good stuff.

Any suggestions on what are to look for in a sander for modeling and trackwork?

There seems to be a lot of variety in price and feature..

Thanks!

Chris

I purchased my Delta (like the one Tim shows) at Lowes. I've also seen them in Home Depot and Menards.

Jason Ciastko
2009 Great Lakes Railroad Modeling Symposium
April 17th and 18th 2009
South Bend, IN
www.sjvrr.com
http://glrmrrs.ning.com

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Jason A. Ciastko
Modeling the New Haven and Branford Steam, June 1952