Wednesday, July 16, 2014

The Sand-Devil Review.

I think it's safe to say that sanding is not one of the most enjoyable tasks we have to do. Especially tedious hand sanding. I think I have purchased just about every sanding accessory on the market. I'm always looking for anything to make the job easier. I think I have found the ultimate sanding block. Let me give you a review. 
I was browsing for sand paper on Amazon.com last week and I came across this product that looked interesting. It's called the Sand-Devil. It looked perfect for sanding the scroll saw vases I have been designing lately.
I have had an opportunity to use the Sand-Devil a few times now and I have to say it is the best hand sanding accessory I have used in my workshop. It uses 3 X 21 inch cloth sanding belts that you can purchase just about anywhere. These belts are much more durable than sheets of sand paper. They resist tearing and generally last ten times as long as sandpaper sheets. They are also cleanable with a sanding eraser.
The tool is spring loaded with an easy release lever. When it's time to change grits just flip the lever and change the belt. The body is made of injected molded thermoplastic. Whatever that is it feels solid. I expect it will hold up to a tough workshop.
Another great feature is all the different contours the block has. Looking at the picture above notice the right has a rounded point. On the left bottom you have a larger curved profile. Top tight is an angle. Top left is a squared profile and of course the top and bottom have large sanding surfaces. These give me fantastic options to sand the curved and squared profiles of my vases.
Another feature is the ability to loosen the lever, rotate the sanding belt to a clean surface and keep sanding.
The ad on the Sand-Devil site says it delivers power tool results with hand sanding precision. I actually don't have a problem with that statement. In this case I don't think the ad is blowing smoke. I clamped up some hard maple in my bench vise. It had one from the mill rough edge.
It only took be a couple minutes of sanding with the Sand-Devil to get it nearly glue ready edge. It almost felt like using an hand plane.
As you can tell I am very impressed with the sanding block. I can tell it will become a tool that is pulled out for almost every project made in my shop. I have several different power sanders and they are nice to have but sometimes you have to hand sand. In my shop I'll be grabbing the Sand-Devil for much of that work.

I purchased my Sand-Devil on Amazon.com. It was $22 and because I'm a Prime member there was no shipping. The package I bought came with the tool and one 3 X 21 belt that I think was 150 grit. On the Sand-Devil web site. They show a package that includes the tool, a holster and extra belts. It also comes with a sanding belt cleaner. I could not find that package on Amazon so I'm not sure what the complete kits costs. It's easy enough to add the extras with a quick trip to Home Depot so the package I bought was fine. Here is the link to the one I bought on Amazon.com.

Below is a video I fount on YouTube that is an excellent review by Peachtree woodworking TV. I was going to do my own video review but once I watched this one there was really nothing I could ad. It's well worth the look if you are considering this tool.    
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