congrats on the sander! and no worries on the tip, I'm sure all of us who learned on the belt sander has made that mistake before.

I got this angle-setter from surgi-sharp;


it has degree's in 5 point increments (set at 25 now)


it clips on the HF belt sander (made for it) which clips right over the existing platen

i think im going to get one tomarrow the only weird thing is i will end up spending more on the belts and leatrher belts that on the sander but i cant wait to get one and start praticing

A little tip I picked up from a knifemaker. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> Instead of a leather belt for polishing take a well worn belt of any kind and turn it inside out. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif" alt="" /> Works like a charm! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" />

actually, that isn't weird at all.

That's so true. Quality belts will make all the difference. They are what touches the steel. What brand or priced sander one uses is less important.

Speaking of belt quality - I'm not terribly impressed with the ones I got from lee valley. When I took the 180 grit belt out of the package and tried to put it on the sander, the little scrap of what looks like packing tape that holds the belt together snapped. Haven't had that problem with any of the other belts.

Now, Lee Valley is gonna make good on it and send me another belt, but they still feel pretty cheap to me.

Nice job, MM.

That stinks. Are the other ones help together the same? I hope that isn't very common because I was just about to order some belts.