SI FANG Mini Electric Belt Sander Knife-Sharpener Small Bench Grinder

Tiny belt-sander, grinder combo. For our purpose here, I'll be discussing only the belt-sander aspect, not the grinder. INTRO At last, enjoy success, time saved, fine control and frustration-free ease of use in sharpening pastel pencils with this tiny belt sander. (See the photos below.) EASE OF USE For anyone hesitant about and unfamiliar with the use of "tools", this small machine uses considerably less strength to operate than a hand-held mixer, an electric carving knife or a Dremel. The maximum force needed to hold the pencil against the moving sanding belt is no more than is used to buff one's fingernails, though more careful attention is required since it is machine use. FOOTPRINT This sander has a very small footprint as shown in the photos below. Alone, it takes up little space. However, it does kick up a lot of pastel dust, so accommodation must be made to resolve that problem with whatever dust control method is used. Currently, I am using a cardboard box to surround the machine top, bottom and three sides, leaving only the front accessible to the user. I am also using a medical face mask. CAUSALITY The use of force inherent in using all pencil sharpeners and/or craft knives to achieve a point on a pastel pencil is counter to its purpose. In all cases one must either push the working end of the pencil into the blades of the sharpener or push against it from various angles with a craft knife to shave off bits of wood. The fragility of the material combined with the use of force against it is the primary cause of continued and frustrating breakage. SOLUTION Using this little machine introduces very fine control of the process and reduces the force needed to achieve a point to nearly nothing. The ability to quickly achieve very nice points on pastel pencils is assured. PERIPHERAL INFO PROS USER MANUAL The user manual is clear and simple with good photos. I feel it could have been expanded in several areas, but it is much better than so many other products offer these days. INITIAL USE OF MACHINE Sanding belt grit, speed setting, time required comparison Initial use was on the lowest of seven speed settings with the 1000 grit sanding belt that came pre-installed right out of the box. I wanted to get a feel for the process soonest. I was immediately impressed. In under five minutes, I had sharpened a pastel pencil with a broken point to a very nice point without any breakage at all. (What a relief! I relaxed immediately.) If 1000 grit (i.e., fine grit) was so effective, how would a courser grit work? I switched to a 320 grit belt in about 15 seconds (very easy, no tools required). Same wonderful result, much quicker. Also, I don't need a satin finish on my sharpened pencils, so the time-saving courser grit is quite satisfactory for my purpose. It does the job I need it to do. With the 320 belt, I sharpened the pencils you see in the photos below in under15 minutes. I'm certain it will be quicker with more practice. Hurray! Please note that throughout this test run, I never increased the speed of the machine from its lowest setting: I only changed the belt from 1000 grit (fine grit) to 320 grit (heavier grit). I would be hesitant to increase the speed of the machine as that will cause higher vibration, which is in itself a type of force, and could negatively affect the pencils. For the sake of your pencils, I suggest when setting up the sander for use, special attention be given to the distance of the adjustable working tray (the small metal platform in front of the belt) to the sanding belt. The gap should be as narrow as possible without the tray touching the belt at all. The visual inspection of the gap between the tray and the belt should be conducted first when the machine is not in operation. When moving on to testing the gap with the machine running, one should start with the sander set at its lowest speed. The gap between the tray and the moving belt should be as narrow as possible to insure that the placement of the pastel pencil is completely and evenly supported upon it. VERSATILY Although I presently have no need of other aspects of its versatility, I will point out one which others may find of interest. Namely, the fact that this machine can use Dremel and Dremel-type accessories, including a saw mounted in place of the grinding wheel. (That one seems dangerous to me, but very careful attention to detail and handling might make it feasible for some.) HAND SUPPORT RECOMMENDATION I am 69 and my hands are not steady anymore, so I need a secure support to brace my hands for my comfort when using this machine. This issue is not related to strength, or lack thereof, but solely to the unsteadiness of age. You might find it more comfortable to use a small, flat object to support the heel of your hand when operating the machine. Of course, you may not need it. I'm simply giving friendly advice for the convenience and comfort of those who may find it useful. If you don't need it, ignore this part. CONS DUST Using the belt sander to sharpen pastel pencils does throw out a lot of pastel dust. I am using a cardboard box to surround the machine when it is in use at top, bottom, and three sides to contain the dust somewhat. I am thinking of using a gauze drape or curtain to increase its dust-reduction efficiency. Those of you with a shop vacuum system would do well to use it when the sander is in use. Also, I use a medical mask as I have some respiratory difficulty. SAFETY CONCERN The only thing that gave me pause when I first unboxed this item is that the on/off switch on the left side is open and appears to have exposed though not protruding electrical connectors. I solved that worry easily by covering the opening with Frog tape. The tape itself is not a protection against electricity but since it does not actually touch the connectors, it serves well as a cover so the connectors are not exposed any longer. See photos below. BOX CONTENTS 1 SI FANG Mini Electric Belt Sander, Seven Speed 20 Sanding Belts (330*30mm/13×1.2 inch) Four each: 120 grit, 320 grit, 600 grit, 800 grit, 1000 grit 1 Dustproof Cover 1 Grinding Wheel 3 Allen Wrench 1 Power Adapter My cost for this sander was $63 in early February of this year. As of today, July 17, 2024, the price is about 20% less than it was then. I regret that I do not have the capability to make a video of this little gem. Hopefully one of you artists out there will do so and share it on the internet. Pastel pencil artists are worn out from decades of frustration and this is certainly the cure they've been waiting for. I hope with the discovery of this use for the little sander there will be a marked increase in pastel pencil art works. All good thoughts to all.....

This is a small sander, but it did a great job. I sanded 3 walking sticks with it and it ran for about 3 hours. But it was able to keep up and it did a wonderful job.

So far this is a great little tool. It’s perfect size for my jewelry making. Only problem is the grinding wheel is too heavy for the machines mechanisms. It won’t spin high or low speed. Still a useful tool.

I needed a small belt sander and that's what I bought. It's tiny but powerful and very versatile. Great for jewelry making and buffing to a mirror shine . Would recommend. Yes if you don't clamp it down it will move it's small . I mounted mine to an old cutting board so I could save room on my bench.

First let me say that this is not a toy, no child should be allowed to use it without direct supervision. The same could be said for a few adults as well who may be unfamiliar with power tools in general and grinders/belt sanders in particular. Now on to the details: Pros I found mine to have sufficient power to do light sanding on maple, cherry, and pecan, but my ebony and cocobolo just enjoyed a polishing. More heat generated and less wood removed. It does slow down if you apply too much pressure, but is not really designed for rapid removal. Adding the grinding wheel kept the momentum going better than the belt alone, but also note that with the wheel in place the motor has a start delay of about 1/2 to 1 second. That delay is likelt due to strength of motor magnets and 180 degree placement of same. That motor design works, but can be problematic on start. The belts proovided are not the best, but work as well as any name brand belts in the lower end range. I find they will last longer if you use a gum-rubber belt dresser/cleaner during sanding, and with motor running. Overall it fills the job it is meant to do as well as any others of its size which you can purchase outside of specialized industry suppliers. CONS There are ZERO safety guards anywhere on the machine. Lose your grip on workpiece ot get clothing caught and you may end up with a nasty situation requiring ER visit. As someone else pointed out, this little machine can walk about your table top due to vibration. I only found that to occur when I had the grinding wheel in place. Take it off, level the feet, and it purrs and sits right there for me. Screws are provided for table mounting, so I added a rubber grommet to each holenad used my own longer bolts, nuts, and washers to secure the plate with feet still attached, and although it still vibrates there is no shifting of the machine position. The grinding wheel and its shaft are not made in the best fashion, which accounts for vibration. But the design with ability to rotate in two different directions is absolutely unsafe for the wheel assembly as it can - not necessarily will - loosen up and go flying and rolling about. I don't mind taking small risks in my own shop with my own tools and my own body, but I would not let anyone else use my mini machine. CONCLUSION I find this tool works well enough for the few uses I put it to as well as any other I have seen or played with elsewhere. It is no more nor less than small tinkerer's tool, okay for the casual user, but not for heavy professional use. Dangerous if misused, but no problem if used with all caution and focus on the job. I can come up with hundreds of uses for the small sized machine, but it is a general purpose mini tool, not a dedicated production item. YMMV, but I Recommend for those who need a small machine, understand its limitations and safety issues, but don't want to spend a few hundred dollars for a professional grade tool.

Bout this a few weeks ago. I haven’t pushed it hard yet. However I’ve used it to shape and sharpen a few knives and sand some small things. This product actually surpassed my expectations. I’ve pressed pretty firm while sanding a few blades and it doesn’t get bogged down easy. For anyone looking for a small but wide belt sander for desktop tasks. I truly don’t think you’ll regret this. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed using it this far with the hours I put on it.

Very poor quality control. The motor doesn’t run when the grinding wheel is installed. As if the wheel is too heavy so the motor cannot handle it. The first mini sander I purchased (pictured) came with faulty wiring - so that one was also returned.

This thing. Uhm well. Its cheap. It does work. It does do the things you need it for. It also looks like it was assembled in the back of an ace hardware with spare parts. Its a little sketchy to use. However I appreciate its dangerous build quality because I dont feel bad if I horribly misuse it. So take that as you will.

This little machine is great. Simply constructed without any excess frills, but still solid and trustworthy. I appreciate how it is built in such a way that I can service it if the need arises rather than replacing it. All of the components can be ordered from a catalog and replaced very easily. This is a big deal to and a huge win for this product. It is perfectly capable of any appropriate task for the tool. The Lilliputian proportions work a charm for me as I don’t need something the size of my workbench and powered by a jet turbine for the small woodworking projects I undertake.

This little sander works better than I had expected. I did not notice any vibration which some other reviews had mentioned. If you do experience any vibration, you can bolt it down to your table. It comes with a sizable selection of replacement belts. Build Quality: It feels solid and well made. The rubberized feet is a nice touch. Performance: It is smaller than you might think so I wouldn't recommend it for big jobs. But I am using it for hobby work so it is perfect for me. Value: The price to performance ratio is very good. I would recommend it for any hobbyists.

Aiguisage de petit couteau

Je fais beaucoup de petites chose en bois et époxy j’ai beaucoup de sablage mais avec ma sableuse à bande pour mes petits projets devenait trop difficile à faire. J’ai donc décidé d’essayer cette mini sableuse et je ne le regrette absolument pas. J’ai sablé mes objets et ce fut génial J’ai également éguisé mes couteaux à bois et mes gouges sans problème. J’espère qu’elle durera longtemps Donc si vous avez de très petites pièces a poncer c’est un appareil à avoir Je le recommande vivement

Petit mais efficace