stroke sander

[Robert Goodale]

These are nifty machines, I was looking at one recently.  They are 
invaluable if you intend on making your own sound boards from scratch 
but I'm not entirely certain what else you would need it for in our 
profession.  One might be handy for thinning down pin blocks but a 
surface planner would probably be more appropriate for such hard 
material.  The belts should be available from any number of machinery 
suppliers.

Be aware that in order to operate a three phase motor you will either 
need a phase converter, (very expensive), or 3 phase power pre-wired by 
your local electric utility company.  You can not connect a 3 phase 
motor to a typical single phase supply.  The other option is to replace 
the motor but that will be expensive too.

I found a couple web pages on the subject:

http://www.starmachinery.com/CT1500B.html
http://shopaids.freeyellow.com/stroke_sander.htm


Rob Goodale, RPT
Las Vegas, NV


Greg Newell wrote:

>OK, call me nuts but I'm actually considering a stroke sander. I'd like
>to ask a few questions about it. I found a used one for $900. It is a
>Boise Crane. Is that a good name? the belt size is 169" x 6" . Is that a
>normal size? It has a sliding table. Is that desirable? The sliding part
>is hand activated not machine driven. Normal? I could swear that i've
>seen manufacturers use this machine as a finishing tool to polish the
>finished piece. Am I dreaming? The outfit I might be buying it from
>cannot find a source for cloth type belts. It would be a great deal
>easier to make this decision if it could also be used in a finishing
>process. It has a 1 1/2 hp 220 v 3 ph motor. Again .... normal? It is a
>fairly old unit and Boise crane as a company no longer exists. The
>outfit tells me they still have parts and judging from their shop, I
>believe it. I figure that i could use this for more than just pianos. I
>have a house to finish with all new trim and furniture and bah bah bah.
>I doubt it would be idle too long. Opinions PLEASE!!!!!
>