A Ginormous Belt Sander

I used to work for a furniture maker and one of my favorite tools in his shop was an ancient stationary belt sander – a giant version of what you get when you turn a belt sander upside down and clamp it to the bench. The work surface was the size of a small kitchen table, and we used it to sand the joints flush on drawer boxes.

The sander in this video is of more recent vintage. What's interesting about it is that it was home made from an exercise treadmill that was found in the trash. It's very clever – especially the granite top. If I had room for one of these things I'd be out looking for an old treadmill.

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How coincidental you ran this feature. I saw this sander on a Youtube video a few months ago and had been looking for a treadmill ever since. I got one for free yesterday that just has a problem with the incline which doesn't matter. I'm mounting the controler on the workbench and have already ordered a custom belt. I have no doubts it will both save and make me money. I'd like to see more diy tool features like this, I'm sure others would too. Buying the next best thing is great but when you can make it yourself for much cheaper, so much better.