I’ve worked as an electronics technician for 18+ years, and I’ve repaired equipment which had faulty grounding. It’s easy to eliminate the floor as a grounding hazard, by wearing rubber-soled shoes and making sure the floor is DRY. The thing to remember about electricity is, it only takes about 1/10 of an ampere of current flow to stop/interrupt your heartbeat. The one ‘good’ thing about static electricity is, even though the VOLTAGE is very high, the actual current flow in that situation is VERY small, for a VERY BRIEF instant in time.
By connecting the grounding wire between himself and the machine, the electrons drain away as they are created, preventing a shock. You should ground the machine if it is not already grounded. I’m not sure that your ear is a good attachment point for a personal ground, I’d suggest that you pick up a wrist-strap ground at a local electronics shop such as Radio Shack.
If you want proof it’s static, start the machine and hold the belt still with your fingers When the belt is not moving, no static will be built up, and you’ll experience no static discharge. >>>Probably the best option>>> Another option will would be to rig a metal bearing or roller of some sort that would press up against the interior of the belt and would ground out the build up electrons. Once properly grounded, the event leading to shocks should lead to a tripped breaker instead. If nothing stands out in the wiring, it might be in the switch, but it could easily be in the motor, as is often the case.
how to ground a belt sander Related Question:
Why is my electric sander shocking?
This is caused by static electricity building up in the vacuum hose. This happens from a combination of two things: the sanding dust moving rapidly through the exhaust hose connected to your sander and by the sanding hose being dragged across the ground repeatedly when going through the motions of sanding.
Why is my belt sander leaving lines?
If the inside of your sander has a lot of dust, there is likely an issue with the machine and it often shows in the materials run through the machine. Excessive dust buildup can result in burn marks or lines on the workpiece. Dust buildup can also cause tracking issues and prematurely wear out the belt.
Do you push down on a belt sander?
Moving diagonally front to back and side to side will help average out the amount of cut that the belt is making. You do, however, have to actually set the sander on the workpiece, hold the handle, and pull the trigger. You do not have to push down on the sander.
How do you prevent belt sander marks?
Run your sander with the grain, so that any sander marks are in the direction of the grain. This is particularly important if you’re using a palm sander or belt sander, since they create linear marks. Later on, the grain will hide any small remaining marks.
How much tension should a belt sander have?
Most wood sanding applications (such as mould sanding using narrow cloth belts) require a belt tension of approximately 40 psi. However, there are some special exceptions. For example, abrasive planing operations using coarse grits typically demand belt tension in the range of 70 to 90 psi.
How do you prevent belt marks?
Make sure your contact roller has the proper rubber hardness (durometer) for your application. We recommend a durometer of 60 for most sanding applications. Harder contact rollers will take off more material but they are also less forgiving increasing the likelihood of unwanted marks. Use a platen for finish sanding.
How do I ground myself to avoid static shocks?
A common technique for keeping oneself grounded is tying a conductive wire, such as copper, around one’s toe or wrist and then tying the other end around a grounded, unpainted metal object. This is ideal if you have the materials on-hand and don’t have a way to work on a hard surface. Work on an ESD mat.
How do you discharge static electricity without getting shocked?
You could always purposefully discharge yourself every once in a while. If you carry a metal object like a coin, key or paper clip around with you, and touch it to something metal in your house, any electrons stuck to your body will flow through the metal and away, preventing the “jumping” effect that causes a shock.
Why do I electrocute everything I touch?
It’s usually because of the excess electrical charge that accumulates in insulating materials through which electricity does not circulate very well. When this insulating material enters into contact with any other object that has a positive charge, it releases electrons, and this is what causes that dreadful shock.
Does static electricity have current?
1. Static electricity is caused by the build up of electrical charges on the surface of objects, while current electricity is a phenomenon from the flow of electrons along a conductor. 2. When objects are rubbed, a loss and/or gain of electrons occurs, which results in the phenomenon of static electricity.
What can you use to flatten wood?
It takes an investment to flatten wood, though. You can’t pull this off without a jointer, surface planer and table saw. You could spend a ton of money on a jointer, but a basic 6-in. jointer will do most everything you’ll need.