question on sanding

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keeping room

Grumbler in Training
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SouthWest VA
Read a few nights ago about doing some corrections of mitre with a disc sander....how many of you have tried this and found it to be successful?
If so please describe the procedure....
 
My experience has been that disk sanders are great for cleaning up rough cuts. They also work well for smoothing out miters that have had v-nails in them or glue was allowed to dry on the miter before the joint was made. It’s priceless for repair work also.

I have not found it as a useful tool for cleaning up bad cuts because of warped moulding or dull blades.

Carry on.

Ohh welcome to the grumble and stuff.
 
KeepingRoom...
You do understand that the proceedure is done with a disk sander that is specifically designed for this purpose. It is generally a large flat heavy sanding disk mounted perpendicular to a table to which is attached a fence that is at 45 degrees to the disk. The stock is held against the fence and the disk is rotated either manually or with an electric motor.
From the nature of your question I am thinking you might be considering using just any old disc sander, and that would be a recipe for disaster.
 
If your chopper or saw are properly adjusted and the blades sharp, why should you need a sander at all? Other than what Jay said, then I understand, but for every corner, Doug??
 
I sand every corner. I buy about 50% chop. I find the extra time sanding ensures I am not cursing later when my join is bad because the chop didn't come in perfect.

As for my own chops, well, I admit, I run the blades longer than most of you. When they're sharp, it takes much less sanding to make them acceptable.

That's the other thing ... if you touch each one with the sander, and they're good, then they take VERY little sanding; if they weren't good, boy is it a good thing you checked them with the sander. I find it a time saver, or at worst a prophylactic.
 
Ditto to what Cliff and Doug said. I generally sand every miter as a check and have found the little time it takes ensures great corners with tighter fit and not even a hairline gap.

When I neglect to sand is when I find I spend more time filling and touching up.

Dave Makielski
 
Yup me too, what Doug, Cliff, and Dave say. Having a mitre sander has made joining frames so much less problematic that taking that extra minute on each frame is worth it to me. Just an extra measure to make sure it all works in the end. A sander isn't a cure all by any means but it has made a world of difference to me.
 
Last edited:
Emibub said:
..a mitre sander has made joining frames so much less problem free..
Click to expand...

Kathy, I'm thinking you meant "less problematic" or "more trouble-free", since you seem to be pro-sander.
:popc: Rick
I also like the sander for micro-shortening fillets for that exact fit.
 
Question from a non-sander .............

I know from reading all the different threads through the years about the general benefits of using a miter sander to finish off your miters before joining. But specifically, I would like to know if you can fix the ragged edges of gessoed frames (like many of the black finishes and many of the golds) where a less than sharp blade has chipped the edges, or worse, taken a chunk out of the gesso at the lower outer corner of the miter?? I get this problem from a few of my suppliers on the chops that I order on a fairly regular basis and, when I mention the problem to the managers, they seem to clear up for a few weeks but then go back to the same sloppy repetition of chipped miters.

I will be finishing up an order for 23 plain satin black frames for matted photos for a good commercial customer down here on the Panhandle. I received 92 chopped legs for this order and each and every leg had the lower outer corner of the finish chipped away on the left miter. If this order didn't have a deadline of this week I would have sent them all back. I can understand 2 or maybe even 4 or 5 legs chipped, but, if the guy on the saws can't see a problem with those left miters chipping out consistently and do something about it, he shouldn't be on the saws to begin with. It only takes a few minutes to change out a set of dulling blades and that usually is the most common reason for ragged edges and chipping out on a miter. I can't believe that this guy expected the chipping to go away somehow in the course of chopping those 92 legs!!

So my question is how much can you remove to true up a miter with a manual crank sander? I realize that this is a cutting problem but I also see ragged edges on many of the golds, silvers, and any other color that is laid over a gessoed undercoat whether the corners are chipped or not.

Just curious to hear from those who have experience with using these sanders.
 
FG, the sander can correct those problems. The problem is that it shortens the leg at the same time (duhh?!) So, you have to double check to ensure expansion capability afterward.

It can also cause you to sand one leg more than it's mate. So, I routinely lay the opposing legs so I can check leg length equality before touching the mitres with a matching marker, etc.

This also helps ensure that the last corner is still good when joining, because sometimes a chop will come in and one leg will be just enough shorter than it's mate that you can have problems joining.

long answer that could have just been "yes."

Essentially I have a routine that takes me very little time, that checks/corrects mitre angle and leg length before touchup and joining.
 
On finishes that tend to chip out I will turn the sander in the opposite direction (backwards) this way you are sanding into the finish instead of pushing it out and chipping. It usually takes only 2 to 4 turns.
 
thanks Cliff, that makes sense to me. I have only a few suppliers that send less than average chops and one of them is critical to me as they truck deliver and also sell paper goods that I use, matboard, foamcore, dustcover paper, etc., stuff that would cost a bunch to ship in.

Doug,

I am more concerned with chops that arrive already chipped from the supplier. I would imagine that, if you took some time and sanded with a light hand, you would have very little chipping problems with any type of slow sanding.

but I haven't used these sanders so I may be way off base on that.
 
Our shop has two sanders; a manual ITW and an electric Delta. Both have vacuum hook-ups.

Most of our suppliers' chops are very accurate, but occasionally one is a bit off-angle. Trouble is, that isn't obvious until the glue and fasteners are applied, so we sand everything.

When building Sliders and other frames that fit together, a sander enables us to match rail lengths for perfect fits. I would not trust our double miter saw's length gauge to cut within 1/32" consistently. Instead, I cut 1/16" oversize, and then sand to the perfect length.
 
I also use my sander to fine tune my fillets. I'll cut the length about an eigth inch over on my Morso and fit it with the sander. You have to have a very light touch when you do this however because you can grind away a fillet just like a pencil in an electric pencil sharpener. With a little practice it is quite easy though.

Dave Makielski
 
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