Why does nobody talk about the mess from belt sanders on stair treads

I spent $450 on a nice belt sander for refinishing my oak stairs last month, thinking it would speed things up... It kicked up so much fine dust that I found it in my cereal bowls three rooms away three days later. Has anyone else had to deal with a dust cloud like that, or is there a trick to contain it better?

3 comments

3 Comments

taylorc409d ago

Yeah I found belt sander dust in my coffee mug once too.

grace899d ago

Gasping at the thought of belt sander dust in coffee, that's a special kind of workshop horror story @taylorc40. I can't even imagine the crunch factor, that would ruin the whole morning vibe. Did you actually take a sip before you noticed it? Because I would've been so mad, probably threw the whole mug away out of pure spite. My dad used to do woodworking in the garage and we had a rule never to leave cups near his workbench for this exact reason. You've got a strong stomach just for surviving that experience, no joke.

the_elizabeth7d ago

Gasping at the thought... yeah, that's pretty much what I did when my buddy told me a similar story. He was sanding his stairs and left his travel mug open on the counter. Took a big sip and got a mouthful of what he called "sawdust smoothie." He said it felt like drinking a sandstorm. @taylorc40 probably knows that gritty surprise all too well. I told him to just hook a shop vac up to the sander's dust port next time, but he said the hose kept snagging on the railing.