Belt Sander

So I thought I needed a new front door.  The existing one is a heavy solid oak door with some pretty glasswork.  Although I am fond of it, my dog had pretty much ruined the front of it, scratching to get inside.  And it wasn't tight; I could see daylight through a couple of spaces.  I figured my best bet was to start over.  So off to a local big box I went.

While the big box wasted time sending a guy to measure, then firing that guy's company, then putting me off because they had too many jobs and not enough contractors, blah, blah, blah, I started getting nervous.  A phone call to a different manager got the ball rolling again  Another guy came out to measure.

And he said this:  "This is a good door.  A really good door."  Me:  "But it's all scratched up and there are leaks."  The guy:  "You can refinish it.  And it just needs to be rehung.  That could save you a lot of money."

Now you're talking.

So today I set about with the refinishing project.  Now, if I could remove the door and lay it flat, sanding would be a much easier task.  But if I removed the door . . . I'd have no door.  So the sanding has to be done while the door is upright and attached.  Not so easy.

Belt sander to the rescue.

Bet you didn't know I had one of these, did you?  It could be an antique; I'm not sure.  Anyway, I got it out, plugged it in, and got to work.

I think I have a small idea what it must have felt like in Napa when the earthquake struck yesterday.  If harsh vibrations throbbing through one's body are part of the experience, then I'm right.  I put on some heavy duty work gloves to lesson the jolt, but it was still kind of like having your teeth drilled.  What I realized fairly quickly was that this project is going to take some time.  I will have to parcel out my belt-sanding sessions . . . or else end up with the mother of all headaches.

So I did a bit today.  I'll do some more tomorrow.  I'll keep at it until all of Mack's claw marks are smoothed over.  This could take awhile.  (He was a 95 pound dog.)  But thanks to the belt sander, my work should be done in half the time it would take me to do it all by hand without electrical equipment.  Gotta love that, right?