For many of us in small workshops, space is a luxury that we can’t afford to waste. Over at Humus Workshop, Spanish maker Román Palma created a three-position stand for a handheld belt sander that makes the tool much more versatile without taking up a lot of room.
The stand uses common materials: plywood, screws, bolts, four steel L brackets, and two small hinges. “I made it with materials I had on hand,” said Palma, “with the purpose of using the sander in three positions. It is actually a very simple project and anyone can do it.” According to Palma, the inspiration was “basically many hours of videos on YouTube.”
The design of the stand, while simple, evolved over the course of the build. “At the start I thought I would just use the flap as a base, until I realized it would be a little uncomfortable to apply and remove the sandpaper,” said Palma. “So I removed the piano hinges and made a cutout.” The final design is simple and effective: an L-shaped bracket with reinforcing pieces on the sides and a slot through which sanding belts can be easily changed.
The belt sander can be installed and removed quickly using two bolts. Tightening and loosening the bolts helps to square the sander to the stand. While mounted in the stand, the sander can operate horizontally, vertically, or dead flat. Mounting the sander makes it easy and safe to shape small pieces while taking advantage of the fast material removal that makes a belt sander desirable in the first place.
While he is happy with how the project turned out and the sander now sees a lot of use, Palma plans to take the concept further next time. “My larger project for the future is a stationary belt sander. I have seen some interesting videos on YouTube, so I will try to do something similar but with metal.”
Though Palma’s YouTube channel is still very new, he posts other projects on Instagram @mihumus. More videos are in the works as well.
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