Sanding birch ply.

[REXTON]

Guys,

I like to sand some rough edges from birch ply. I have a belt sander in the workshop. I'd really like some suggestions for the best type of belt to use on the sander so the I can sand a rough edge piece of birch ply into something nice and straight.

Thanks

Andy

[karma67]

the best advice i can give is use a plane,i wouldn't sand an edge to get it straight with a belt or any other sander to be honest

[struth]

If just light sanding I'd be inclined to do it by hand or with a block. Electric sander might dig in a bit quick.
Very fine hand plane would work too

[smangus]

Router with edge guide?

[YNWaN]

Planing plywood is likely to result in a lot of broken grain at the edges. Belt sanding it can easily lead to heavy grooves at the end of the belt. Hand sanding is just impractical unless the edge is already pretty straight. By far the best solution is to take it to someone with a table saw and it will be staright and square in seconds with only the lightest sanding required.

[struth]

I was assuming it was fairly straight.

[karma67]

Planing plywood is likely to result in a lot of broken grain at the edges. Belt sanding it can easily lead to heavy grooves at the end of the belt. Hand sanding is just impractical unless the edge is already pretty straight. By far the best solution is to take it to someone with a table saw and it will be staright and square in seconds with only the lightest sanding required.

not if you come in from both ends

[REXTON]

I might end up just buying a table saw. I'm going to experiment tomorrow at work.

[YNWaN]

not if you come in from both ends

Sorry, but no, irrespective of which end you come at it from (even both simultaneously) - because it is ply! The very nature of ply is that the grain of each layer is at ninety degrees to the other, which means that no matter what you do you are always planing across the end grain at some level.

[anubisgrau]

truly wondering how people make this: