tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56043163720907637392024-02-19T05:55:25.132-05:00Belt Sander Racer Build BlogFollow along as a couple first-time Belt Sander Drag Racers plod through the process of selecting a sander, souping-up the drive train, and building a body that hopefully doesn’t fly off during the race. Will they win, place or hang their heads in shame? We‘ll find out! Hey, while you're here, click on a sponser link. In the words of Bluto in Animal House: "It don't cost nothin".Patent Place USAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16126439619461930235noreply@blogger.comBlogger65125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5604316372090763739.post-84495150251639643752016-12-01T17:35:00.006-05:002013-07-29T01:07:48.632-04:00It all began at AWFS 2007 at the first BSRA National Championships<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz33QdqFOjwMkKKGJC5NWbQk2umrj0xgtb79yrv0w2QVBMzKtXWzKwKBxEMjgVw8WfNrcir5s8evJd9B_r-3oPAAbP6kdLp1k-tnrO0uWEdT6euNFbkS1Rl3ksrW_GYoOPuT0Yf_zbIlaN/s1600-h/SBRace+2009_004.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361320302698673618" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz33QdqFOjwMkKKGJC5NWbQk2umrj0xgtb79yrv0w2QVBMzKtXWzKwKBxEMjgVw8WfNrcir5s8evJd9B_r-3oPAAbP6kdLp1k-tnrO0uWEdT6euNFbkS1Rl3ksrW_GYoOPuT0Yf_zbIlaN/s400/SBRace+2009_004.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 309px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 400px;" /></a>This was originally posted in 2007 prior to the 2007 AWFS show, and this event is now held every-other year at the AWFS show in Las Vegas. We took second place in 2007 by 9/100 of a second, so we our efforts described here did pay off.<br />
We have to some improvements in our minds that we'll share, so check back and get in the race!<br />
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(Revised July 2013: We won in 2013! Click<b> <a href="http://belt-sander-racer.blogspot.com/2013/07/we-swept-2013-bsra-national.html" target="_blank">HERE</a> </b>for details.) <br />
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Accuride Inc, a famous drawer slide manufacturer, announced that they would be sponsoring a Belt Sander Race at the<b> </b><a href="http://www.awfsfair.org/awfsfair/home/index.asp"><b><span style="color: #3333ff;">AWFS</span></b></a> show, which is held every-other July in Las Vegas. In fact, they've formed the the <a href="http://www.accuride.com/bsra/"><b><span style="color: #3333ff;">Belt Sander Racing Association, or BRSA</span></b></a> to support and promote this exciting sport. I've had a secret desire to get involved in this ever since reading a back cover article in <a href="http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/subscription/index.aspx"><b><span style="color: #3333ff;">Fine Woodworking</span></b></a> many years ago on Belt Sander Racing, so when our drawer slide Product Manager encouraged me to get into the race it didn't take much prodding. Along with another Product Manager, Daniel, we plan to enter the race in the only scoring class at this event, which is the Modified Class. Here's a link to a pdf file on the <a href="http://www.accuride.com/bsra/Rules.asp"><span style="color: #3333ff;"><b><span style="color: #3333ff;">rules and regulations.</span></b></span></a><br />
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I'm a bit surprised at how little information about this is on the web. There are a few videos on Youtube, including one from an Accuride rep whose sander got whooped, (Sorry Chris, but you got "Eclipsed".) <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMdkcT1iYqvGLnLqynBQKlJRzIgoL6URukbU73N1jw6IUfXkPYmXFG45W-A7isCvkpI76ptvJ_uzeqZkV6xnhnvPIzxUx8NWma6Xz9t8eDyf6_gVCKRvp6Y4JlspFB2mtis15iI4Wlu5Gd/s1600-h/BSRA_Right_Logo.gif" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361320670522192898" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMdkcT1iYqvGLnLqynBQKlJRzIgoL6URukbU73N1jw6IUfXkPYmXFG45W-A7isCvkpI76ptvJ_uzeqZkV6xnhnvPIzxUx8NWma6Xz9t8eDyf6_gVCKRvp6Y4JlspFB2mtis15iI4Wlu5Gd/s400/BSRA_Right_Logo.gif" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 181px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 166px;" /></a>and a few local groups who hold regular races have simple sites with a few photos, but other than that I've been unable to locate any "build sites". So in the interest of posterity and the advancement of the craft I will share with you almost everything that we learn along the way. I say ALMOST everything, because the competitor in me still wants to have a little advantage on race day! I make one promise: I will not provide inaccurate information. This can't be said for a few competitors who I've spoken with, who have tried to send me down the garden path with downright deception. I'll share all that I can and will remain silent on the rest. Fair enough?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAhviwEbZfUOX86stliqMph5enDlU0CPKOu8wght9wMY8kO6AuqwR_fRiSrD8HLwokq2-xzB5Lw6hFgBPXyXgYObBg9nauTmhngurcKhmXt1NmwyNmQ4t5uhaCw3sEtJSnQ5WZjn3tNk7A/s1600-h/Beltsander-1.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5078685271175371906" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAhviwEbZfUOX86stliqMph5enDlU0CPKOu8wght9wMY8kO6AuqwR_fRiSrD8HLwokq2-xzB5Lw6hFgBPXyXgYObBg9nauTmhngurcKhmXt1NmwyNmQ4t5uhaCw3sEtJSnQ5WZjn3tNk7A/s400/Beltsander-1.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" /></a>Here's a photo of the foundation of our racer: A <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000223IY?ie=UTF8&tag=paplus-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0000223IY" style="font-weight: bold;">Makita 9403</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=paplus-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B0000223IY" style="border: medium none ! important; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> which I snagged on Amazon<a href="http://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000223IY?ie=UTF8&tag=paplus-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0000223IY%22%3EAmazon%3C/a%3E%3Cimg%20src=%22http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=paplus-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B0000223IY%22%20width=%221%22%20height=%221%22%20border=%220%22%20alt=%22%22%20style=%22border:none%20%21important;%20margin:0px%20%21important;%22%20/%3E"><b></b></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000223IY?ie=UTF8&tag=paplus-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0000223IY%22%3EAmazon%3C/a%3E%3Cimg%20src=%22http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=paplus-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B0000223IY%22%20width=%221%22%20height=%221%22%20border=%220%22%20alt=%22%22%20style=%22border:none%20%21important;%20margin:0px%20%21important;%22%20/%3E"><b><span style="color: #3333ff;"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=paplus-20&l=ur2&o=1" style="border: medium none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /></span></b></a> for a great price. My research uncovered that this sander is the fastest stock sander, with 1650fpm (feet per minute). That fact alone makes this a great choice if you are racing in the Stock Class. Seeing that the track is 75' long, and for simplicity let's just figure that it reaches full speed instantaneously, (I wish) that means that this sander theoretically could cover that distance in 2.2 seconds. Now, obviously it will have to build-up to full speed, and there will be some time loss due to slippage between the belt and the track and even between the belt and the drive roller, but this is still a good start.Patent Place USAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16126439619461930235noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5604316372090763739.post-81827385777660906162014-08-26T16:00:00.001-04:002014-08-26T16:00:15.757-04:00Was this their last hurrah? Word came down last week at IWF that the BSRA Belt Sander Races would be "taking a break" and would not be held at the 2015 AWFS show.<br />
On the one hand I am quite sad that I don't get to defend my title at the AWFS race. On the other hand I suppose it's nice to go out on top. <br />
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What do you think about this? Aristocobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14118083833420662872noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5604316372090763739.post-66736217697309850872013-07-29T01:03:00.000-04:002013-07-29T01:03:00.551-04:00We Swept The 2013 BSRA National Championships! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUvGmVqy3-wCrsxVux2qR9a4vVdoPOJUsZI4YCalrBNFIUS5vyug54YkZnxhjmuwuiDHNFODxG5RdrukI7g3JDwAY2-5mSjm3RUdPWx1uvUlf4B_fBl6gBBNJ9xG0rW53lJQ1w14-R3pE/s1600/photo.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUvGmVqy3-wCrsxVux2qR9a4vVdoPOJUsZI4YCalrBNFIUS5vyug54YkZnxhjmuwuiDHNFODxG5RdrukI7g3JDwAY2-5mSjm3RUdPWx1uvUlf4B_fBl6gBBNJ9xG0rW53lJQ1w14-R3pE/s320/photo.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia6XSJKTLM0iBUYgWT1fkJCf70Ry18wCectUmrUtrquhCU3rqFmiAk7LrSvxHakRD-ULt1yPa67CqOA8xChRZEJSH28C95boqCeG0Ng9NpX_BAXitJY0y4MpK6kzQMo5rDyvoPMOmWkEM/s1600/image(1).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia6XSJKTLM0iBUYgWT1fkJCf70Ry18wCectUmrUtrquhCU3rqFmiAk7LrSvxHakRD-ULt1yPa67CqOA8xChRZEJSH28C95boqCeG0Ng9NpX_BAXitJY0y4MpK6kzQMo5rDyvoPMOmWkEM/s320/image(1).jpeg" width="320" /></a>I have to admit that this was more than I could have dreamed, but we won
in both the Stock and the Modified class at the 2013 BSRA National
Championship race at the AWFS show in Las Vegas! <br />
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The top photo at right show the very last heat where we won against the incredibly fast sander from Western Dovetail. It's a perfect example of where these races are won and lost; which is at the starting line. Somehow I was able to get the jump on my buddy Max Hunter, and he assures me that it won't happen again! <br />
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The next photo is of my buddy Daniel "Cuz" Tripp with the Stock Sander Trophy and me with the Modified Sander Trophy.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUNRgmY7qpTY9joU7CKk2EpVQv9oJUccF8Fl8Wc9woEsmsuZuXoFBOwSonp5Efvhuy-kUj8nYxor8iL5SaN_ENNmWwPVG42ecHTowg24rRsn0I_qJiB82z-tXwT4mC7mAWGEh8xnlDPbE/s1600/image(2).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUNRgmY7qpTY9joU7CKk2EpVQv9oJUccF8Fl8Wc9woEsmsuZuXoFBOwSonp5Efvhuy-kUj8nYxor8iL5SaN_ENNmWwPVG42ecHTowg24rRsn0I_qJiB82z-tXwT4mC7mAWGEh8xnlDPbE/s320/image(2).jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
Next we have an awkward photo of be with a couple of the "Umbrella Girls". The one picture that I don't have yet is the grand prize that is shown on the large sign to our left. It's a neat auto-measuring stop for chopsaws and radial arm saws called a Tiger Stop. I cannot begin to tell you how excited I am to win it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeRL7f81aIYd7IZWT9UzK4bXJ1n2IQmrBUX7A8FzzDlHBHi971FcmdFAVeIdTWfpCaQzQzrZk3dgkFweAxYMDlhA8u4Iv7YlQAIclSMNunDxrqEhyIk0mpqlxpmZ9hIrPvmfObxRMPvyc/s1600/image.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeRL7f81aIYd7IZWT9UzK4bXJ1n2IQmrBUX7A8FzzDlHBHi971FcmdFAVeIdTWfpCaQzQzrZk3dgkFweAxYMDlhA8u4Iv7YlQAIclSMNunDxrqEhyIk0mpqlxpmZ9hIrPvmfObxRMPvyc/s320/image.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
Next is a shot of our trophy in our booth at the show, as well as the perpetual Champion's Trophy that will feature our names along with past and future champions. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiPtCRTLKUzdnvHirl2e147NZSwCIaTADHHi7TyHt0Sp3B9g325iQjYhePrVbywrDCp9Iz0hiN9k-82MZXm85QVrqtM7mhTDYpEgZWTpND7IAB4YlcZitijvsM-DvruM0gipxFPbMo4fw/s1600/image.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiPtCRTLKUzdnvHirl2e147NZSwCIaTADHHi7TyHt0Sp3B9g325iQjYhePrVbywrDCp9Iz0hiN9k-82MZXm85QVrqtM7mhTDYpEgZWTpND7IAB4YlcZitijvsM-DvruM0gipxFPbMo4fw/s320/image.png" width="245" /></a></div>
Finally is a shot of Cuz and our buddy "Brisco", who was Daniel's wing man and who is claiming to be our team coach. He said "I''m not saying that they won because of me, but this is the first year that they've won". Brisco, you are a special man. <br />
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I don't have any video from the race itself, but will add some if they surface on Youtube. Aristocobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14118083833420662872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5604316372090763739.post-19069966926931508822013-07-01T17:41:00.000-04:002014-08-26T16:02:46.604-04:00Well, ALRIGHT! It looks like the race is ON at the 2013 AWFS show!According to <a href="http://awfsfair.org/competitions">awfsfair.org/competitions</a> the 2013 AWFS official BSRA (Belt Sander Racing Association) Nationals are taking place at the show! I've got a lot of work to do because my last entries got spanked! This is great news though, 'cuz now I have something new to annoy my wife with this year.<br />
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This year they have announced that they are adding some addition action to the normal Stock and Modified racing categories in the form of a Demolition Derby, where sanders will crash head-on! There will also be solo crashes into a post of some sort! Should be very interesting.<br />
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Join in the fun July 25 at 4:00 p.m. in the convention center’s Central Hall, booth #9746 </div>
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Patent Place USAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16126439619461930235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5604316372090763739.post-9177556517831683952013-06-09T11:22:00.000-04:002014-08-26T16:03:11.396-04:00Scroll To The Bottom For New "Belt Sander Racer Confessions"<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP8oteoq2BPJ2D-AztoJrZ0rvSC5VVdLqZVDV07fZVsHbgSv3RRMPDbF_uIbcqlXl6vfJxcnb1CFE1si1R7W2rS75TbJ9etbtBDTvpOImm75DoCS8nDmhtSQaT8ZNEITCqlY3Cr2mTCJ7E/s1600-h/confession1234997684.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP8oteoq2BPJ2D-AztoJrZ0rvSC5VVdLqZVDV07fZVsHbgSv3RRMPDbF_uIbcqlXl6vfJxcnb1CFE1si1R7W2rS75TbJ9etbtBDTvpOImm75DoCS8nDmhtSQaT8ZNEITCqlY3Cr2mTCJ7E/s400/confession1234997684.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345349510312343314" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 336px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 290px;" /></a>While I did tell you lots of valuable info in this blog, because I am still actively racing there are still a few things I am keeping to myself. That said there are a few more tidbits that I'm planning on letting out in the days leading up to the next BSRA Nationals at AWFS in Las Vegas. Scroll to the bottom of this blog to see the new "Belt Sander Racer Confessions". ScottPatent Place USAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16126439619461930235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5604316372090763739.post-76386011632920205132013-06-06T14:16:00.001-04:002013-06-06T14:17:25.258-04:00Accuride Announces Guy Bucasas to Serve as Emcee for BSRA National Championship Belt Sander RacesAccuride reveals the return of crowd favorite Guy Bucasas, who will act as announcer for the BSRA National Championship Belt Sander Races and Crash & Smash Demolition Derby on July 25th in Las Vegas, Nevada at AWFS®Fair.<br />
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<img height="25" hspace="5" src="http://www.prweb.com/images/release-topquote.gif" style="border: 0px;" width="29" /><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">...these races are so much more awesome in person—it’s like a circus—how could you not have fun?</span><img align="absmiddle" height="25" hspace="5" src="http://www.prweb.com/images/release-bottomquote.gif" style="border: 0px;" width="29" /></h2>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Santa Fe Springs, CA (PRWEB) May 23, 2013</span><br />
Accuride and the <a href="http://www.accuride.com/BSRA/" style="outline: none; text-decoration: none;" title="Belt Sander Racing Association">Belt Sander Racing Association</a>announce they have secured Guy Bucasas as the event announcer for the upcoming <a href="http://www.cabinetmakerfdm.com/89029.html" style="outline: none; text-decoration: none;" title="National Championship Belt Sander Races">National Championship Belt Sander Races</a> set for Thursday, July 25th, 2013, 4 p.m. at AWFS®Fair in Las Vegas, Nevada.</div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The 2013 event marks the third time Bucasas will act as the announcer for the BSRA National Championships, where he has become a crowd favorite known for his running commentary and lively banter. In addition to the National Championships, Bucasas has emceed several BSRA regional races held at Accuride distributor locations along the west coast.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">“I have a lot of fun at these events,” says Bucasas. “And these races are so much more awesome in person—it’s like a circus—how could you not have fun?” I even race my own sander! I like to tell people, if you want to see speed, action, and the epitome of belt sander racing—do not look at my sander. Look at the one next to mine.”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">BSRA President Jamie Goodwin originally recruited Bucasas for the 2009 championships because of his effervescent personality. Goodwin said, “Guy is such a unique and eccentric person, I didn’t have to think twice—I knew he would be perfect!”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Bucasas wasn’t as sure as Goodwin about the venture, but once he arrived at that first race, saw the crowd-packed grandstands, spectators crammed up against the rails, pretty girls tossing Frisbees and T-shirts to the crowd, and the array of wildly festooned sanders, he knew he was in his element.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">“Here I am—someone who’s public speaking experience consisted of an oral report in a high school English class—now tasked with announcing the BSRA National Championship Belt Sander Races—and I love it. I love the excitement, the pageantry, and the clever and well-built sanders,” said Bucasas. One of his personal favorites was a sander designed to look like Seattle’s historic Kalakala Ferry.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The BSRA National Championship Races feature speed-obsessed competitors who race stock and modified belt sanders down a 75-foot wooden track. The fastest and best-dressed sanders take home trophies and special awards presented by Accuride.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This year, the event will include a new competition, the Crash & Smash Demolition Derby. Participants with sacrificial sanders can register for the head-on “Crash” segment or the “Smash” segment, where sanders will careen into a post specially designed to cause sanders to break apart. Contestants will earn prizes, with the most spectacular crash taking home a trophy.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">For more information or to register for the event, visit <a href="http://bit.ly/BSRAEvents" style="outline: none; text-decoration: none;">http://bit.ly/BSRAEvents</a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">About Accuride International:<br />For more than 50 years, Accuride International has been a leader in the design and manufacture of ball bearing slides and movement solutions for a broad range of applications across a variety of industries. Offering engineering and product design, application solutions, manufacturing expertise, and more, Accuride is a worldwide presence that can collaborate with companies in any industry, anywhere. For more information, visit <a href="http://www.accuride.com/" style="outline: none; text-decoration: none;">http://www.accuride.com</a>.</span></div>
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Aristocobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14118083833420662872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5604316372090763739.post-28012446071287981482013-06-01T20:36:00.000-04:002013-06-06T14:10:35.350-04:00We're entering at least TWO sanders in the 2013 BSRA race in Vegas!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheT6u5s52JB_Bn_jqPQqn2eRhFWmUoenHthgK9SqaNczpItHZaerLUSwW0k5LFwHg0HbKvxMIS4_QBQyvJG1YEP_2Z9WWqWGNbnZvQg-cpB8B2TFvj7qui2Li2IzRy04_ji2erQdRVv24g/s1600-h/Harbor+Freight+Sander+2.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355146239366948258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheT6u5s52JB_Bn_jqPQqn2eRhFWmUoenHthgK9SqaNczpItHZaerLUSwW0k5LFwHg0HbKvxMIS4_QBQyvJG1YEP_2Z9WWqWGNbnZvQg-cpB8B2TFvj7qui2Li2IzRy04_ji2erQdRVv24g/s400/Harbor+Freight+Sander+2.jpg" style="float: right; height: 360px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 355px;" /></a><span style="font-family: verdana;">I'm stoked because it looks like there will be both a Stock and a Modified class at AWFS in Vegas, so we've registered a sander in each class! We're getting a new sander for the stock category and now I need to get cracking on a new body for each of them. Our 2007 sander got smacked-up pretty badly, so we're going to start from scratch. The trick is the track Accuride made has side walls made from plastic lumber; and in the Vegas heat they swell-up a bit. That</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> means that though they say the track is 12" wide, it actually varies a 1/4" or more, so the body of the sander has to be able to accommodate the variation. </span> <span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />
<br />
</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">For those of you who are put-off by the cost of a sander </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">you might take a look at </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Harbor Freight. No, I'm serious! They have a 4" X 24" sander (</span><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">ITEM 96435-1VGA) that is only $79, and it looks <span style="font-style: italic;">just like</span> the Makita 9403 (I wonder why...). The 9403 has become hard to find and rather expensive in recent years, so I'm tempted to give this one a shot.</span></span><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> There was one person in 2007 who ran the <span style="font-weight: bold;">orange</span> Harbor Freight sander as a stock racer, but it made an embarrassing run, so make sure you modify it if this is your sander of choice.<br />
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Here's a late entry! </span>Harbor Freight just introduced a new sander that has some impressive stats, and with a light weight chassis, this might just be the ticket.<br />
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Here are the facts from Harbor Freight's site:<br />
</span></span><br />
<h4>
<span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">ITEM 97593-0VGA</span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-weight: normal;">"The magnesium gear housing of this belt sander is 75% lighter than steel and 34% lighter than aluminum, but superior in strength, giving this rugged tool a higher resistance to impact."</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2UDJlV6DCdKAIs3Ajopc68vkGi-KD7OFWshS3QkYdeLDT5qwhkQn5kwyeVueAXMUwD_HpJkDNdVX4jz2uFr5ManZpwXBJE6Wz59Xkr-3r9IJMh3yk2gm4xWZE0lMnh9JJBbCEaxW5oE7o/s1600-h/97593.gif" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361317720692963458" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2UDJlV6DCdKAIs3Ajopc68vkGi-KD7OFWshS3QkYdeLDT5qwhkQn5kwyeVueAXMUwD_HpJkDNdVX4jz2uFr5ManZpwXBJE6Wz59Xkr-3r9IJMh3yk2gm4xWZE0lMnh9JJBbCEaxW5oE7o/s400/97593.gif" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 396px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 334px;" /></a></h4>
<span id="xf_desc"></span><br />
<ul><span id="xf_desc"><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">
<li>Industrial ball-bearing mount 10 amp motor aggressively removes material in a variety of applications </li>
<li>Efficient dust collection system with dust bag </li>
<li>Large front handle with nonslip grip for increased comfort and control </li>
<li>Quick release lever for fast belt changes </li>
<li>External brush cap for easy servicing </li>
</span></span></ul>
<span id="xf_desc"><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">120 volts AC, 60 Hz; Amps: 10; Speed: 2750 RPM; <span style="font-weight: bold;">Belt speed: 1640 feet/minute</span>; Dust port opening: 1"; Belt size: 4" W x 24" L; Power cord: 6 ft; Overall dimensions: 14-3/8" L x 6-3/4" W x 7-1/2" H Weight: 13.6 lbs.<br />
</span> </span> <br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<h4>
<span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></span>Patent Place USAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16126439619461930235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5604316372090763739.post-29102812268385830252011-07-27T14:43:00.000-04:002011-07-27T14:43:21.203-04:00The Häfele America Co. 2011 BSRA Racing Team<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFtw_vgkmN0_TLKGNMRvbQneXxRlWusEm3D-KkYw2dT8RqDO_LIJLt0gyHXP5lGa2aDKrUBHOyAtM-3jy7WVLCKWK_BZo_pKRfwrRNUnV2fW32y3M_5dlz_2o28DB6mhDBBwSLOnChltHq/s1600/BSRA+AWFS+2011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFtw_vgkmN0_TLKGNMRvbQneXxRlWusEm3D-KkYw2dT8RqDO_LIJLt0gyHXP5lGa2aDKrUBHOyAtM-3jy7WVLCKWK_BZo_pKRfwrRNUnV2fW32y3M_5dlz_2o28DB6mhDBBwSLOnChltHq/s400/BSRA+AWFS+2011.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Patent Place USAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16126439619461930235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5604316372090763739.post-60277915233330853832011-07-27T10:17:00.002-04:002011-07-27T10:21:15.284-04:00The 2011 BSRA Nationals in Review<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/2Wyh1yZZdQM" width="560"></iframe><br />
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<iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/f_7dJ_JLjzA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
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<iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/SdTH9fppU3A" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Patent Place USAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16126439619461930235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5604316372090763739.post-16226686093238159922011-06-14T15:29:00.000-04:002011-06-14T15:29:29.290-04:002011 BSRA Nationals in the News<a href="http://www.woodshopnews.com/columns-blogs/187-may-2011-1st/500075-belt-sander-race-set-for-awfs#yvComment500075">Woodshop News</a> (May 2011)<br />
<a href="http://www.closetsmagazine.com/IndustryNewsLanding/tabid/90/Default.aspx?tid=2&cid=839891">Closets Magazine</a> (May 2011)<br />
Official Accuride <a href="http://www.wicnet.org/news/documents/.../NationalBSRARace-PressRelease.pdf">BSRA Press Release</a> (April 2011)Patent Place USAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16126439619461930235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5604316372090763739.post-45362468517831308732011-03-23T15:11:00.001-04:002011-06-14T13:04:41.923-04:00Posters using Comment Kahuna, Fast Blog Finder and other SEO tools are driving me nuts!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9z3FVstKvsfgoYAip44lELx6ZNZWxESstPMPyH8Uxgs5NT7AyHn33oQd-DbDafXz95AOwVHmD8DJ9-IAk3aBtNMeiPrTVlsXV9m_pgEw52PyBm-_544LmxKalOjbYmaqMuPFk8IGDvJpJ/s1600/Stop+Spam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9z3FVstKvsfgoYAip44lELx6ZNZWxESstPMPyH8Uxgs5NT7AyHn33oQd-DbDafXz95AOwVHmD8DJ9-IAk3aBtNMeiPrTVlsXV9m_pgEw52PyBm-_544LmxKalOjbYmaqMuPFk8IGDvJpJ/s320/Stop+Spam.jpg" width="157" /></a></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">For those of you civilians (non-web-geeks) who are here just for the woodworking and tool advice; God bless you! Unfortunately we have been besieged in recent weeks with outrageous amounts of spam comments on our blogs. One of the things that I’ll admit up front is that Blogger makes is a little tough to comment as it is. You need to first click on the title (which is a link) to get to the individual post, and then you are able to post a comment. Apparently webmasters and bloggers who are looking to boost traffic to their sites are using software such as “Comment Kahuna” and “Fast Blog Finder” to locate blogs that are somewhat related to the keywords they use on their own site, and which accept comments. From there they post a comment and a backlink to their site. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">This does two things:</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: small;">1.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>It may attract readers directly from the blog, or</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: small;">2.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>By having a non-reciprocal link from another, well respected site, it lends credibility to their own site in the eyes of search engines like Google. This is what is known as SEO, or Search Engine Optimization.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">What is sad is that this activity doesn’t have to be entirely one-sided; it’s just that the spammers are posting nonsensical and off topic comments all in the effort to serve their own desires. Look, to be honest with you I’ve posted comments on other sites with this very goal in mind, but when I do so I only reply to a post or thread that I am truly interested in, or where I feel my comment will add some value to the conversation.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">So, let it be known from this day forward that while I will continue to accept and even encourage comments, I will moderate them carefully. Feel free to backlink to your related sites and blogs, but if your comment is entirely self-serving it will be deleted.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Now, back to the shop. What are you building these days? </span></div>Patent Place USAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16126439619461930235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5604316372090763739.post-31328972945763834402010-12-02T20:15:00.004-05:002009-03-09T18:15:12.487-04:00Here's a video of our finished sander in action at the AWFS Show 2007I can not believe the irony in the description on the masthead of this blog, which I typed months before the actual race took place. That’s right, our sander launched out of the track in what was described by the MC as “The most spectacular thing I’ve seen in my 20 years of witnessing belt sander races!” In the end our efforts were rewarded by a second place finish, just .09 seconds behind first place! Not too shabby for a couple first-timers!<br /><br />We also became the first racers to have a video camera mounted on the sander during an actual race. The footage is part of the montage in the video below<br /><br />See additional videos of the race through the links in the thumbnail photos above. <br /><object width="660" height="525"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/vCu4wL2l92k&hl=en&fs=1&border=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/vCu4wL2l92k&hl=en&fs=1&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="660" height="525"></embed></object>Patent Place USAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16126439619461930235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5604316372090763739.post-69801493739303911142010-12-02T16:08:00.001-05:002009-06-09T14:44:42.401-04:00See, there's nothin' wrong with second place!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe7ZEbauSYx1ZJn0dq1iwgfKPHBDs-6hFU9OUpmPjBzR6SovG_TILpu4UBV4Lfcb-NIMwCmYYug4TcC8TDO7p4YvKYWr-Bis2m6e9d-IHWgs9Y45fOzhrh48NtCB5bbkMRYy-HYbvWwzIy/s1600-h/Belt+Sander+Race+AWFS+07+2"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe7ZEbauSYx1ZJn0dq1iwgfKPHBDs-6hFU9OUpmPjBzR6SovG_TILpu4UBV4Lfcb-NIMwCmYYug4TcC8TDO7p4YvKYWr-Bis2m6e9d-IHWgs9Y45fOzhrh48NtCB5bbkMRYy-HYbvWwzIy/s400/Belt+Sander+Race+AWFS+07+2" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5094197776782878898" border="0" /></a>Scott Jordan, President of Accuride, presents Hafele America Co's Scott Markwood with the plaque for second place at the BSRA race at AWFS 2007.<br />The ladies in the photo worked hard during the event by returning the extension cords to the center of the track between each race.<br /><br />My wife’s first comments upon seeing this photo was “Nice sleeves”. Followed by “No play for Mr. Grey”. Scott and I both thank you for your support Hon.<br /><br />Click the pic to Biggie-Size itPatent Place USAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16126439619461930235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5604316372090763739.post-52439536004632484792010-12-02T15:56:00.001-05:002009-06-09T14:44:59.710-04:00There She is!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxKWq-3HIh4V8hgyqQupk1Fv8qCiolzI7kkl9DPw_rjau6bxqm_fUXOqSFLT5xRGhbKxpZ7PTudupv-w_E3QGyg1EayS0odrDY6Wd2l4fgoypq5HlIHBT0PeALhCGJF3WsA9Fsa5Ij9qex/s1600-h/Belt+Sander+Race+AWFS+07.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxKWq-3HIh4V8hgyqQupk1Fv8qCiolzI7kkl9DPw_rjau6bxqm_fUXOqSFLT5xRGhbKxpZ7PTudupv-w_E3QGyg1EayS0odrDY6Wd2l4fgoypq5HlIHBT0PeALhCGJF3WsA9Fsa5Ij9qex/s400/Belt+Sander+Race+AWFS+07.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5094194529787603106" border="0" /></a><br />Daniel Tripp (left) is the world-famous "Sander Catcher" as seen in the videos above. The sander shown was the first "Häfele Functionality Racer" flown by Häfele America Co. at the AWFS show in Las Vegas July 2007. The building of this sander is covered in depth in the build-blog of the builder, Häfele America Co's Training Coordinator, Scott Markwood (right). <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.belt-sander-racer.blogspot.com">www.belt-sander-racer.blogspot.com</a><br /><br />Click the pic to Biggie-Size itPatent Place USAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16126439619461930235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5604316372090763739.post-84931353881260515632010-12-01T21:13:00.001-05:002009-06-09T14:45:23.106-04:00The moment of impact; The “Häfele Functionality” Belt Sander Racer heading off the launch pad!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRH9Ju4iXhVYsQralYtbwgaHqDVkhi58nlK06Y7q0884E7BlZkRxp9cMIOjkHNhPyRG8hbyH-lpoVNGgP8Wl8h9SZb02V3XYN5srI8fJUd4mdHomkXM98pit3lJBwPPCj5dskzjlyZrHYm/s1600-h/Hafele+Airborne.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRH9Ju4iXhVYsQralYtbwgaHqDVkhi58nlK06Y7q0884E7BlZkRxp9cMIOjkHNhPyRG8hbyH-lpoVNGgP8Wl8h9SZb02V3XYN5srI8fJUd4mdHomkXM98pit3lJBwPPCj5dskzjlyZrHYm/s400/Hafele+Airborne.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5095943659513866466" border="0" /></a><br />This amazing photo was captured by a Charles McMurray rep from CA and was passed on to me by Jamie Goodwin of Accuride. If you look closely you can even see the ghost of the sander as it surged forward and over the shock absorber at the finish line.<br />Looks like Chris Huff (On the right with the camera) had a nice front row view!<br /><br />(See the video at the link at the top of this page)<br /><br />Click the pic to Biggie-Size itPatent Place USAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16126439619461930235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5604316372090763739.post-35530955121691888962010-12-01T21:00:00.000-05:002007-08-07T17:30:55.152-04:00Here's a view of the crowd at BRSA race at the 2007 AWFS show<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggvdLuuJLvFRRZH5KQCP_TvQsYBe39oFoCtHwfo08j3XjqJZf1pfV7hHEaRf1Nn1yCz40CqHEOBj2hFo-5QaKSQ5105T1v2HVlIOdnFkh2XRNmrORtEb0C6FVfKx4mHmtW4bXbRJmju2iC/s1600-h/BSRA+Crowd.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggvdLuuJLvFRRZH5KQCP_TvQsYBe39oFoCtHwfo08j3XjqJZf1pfV7hHEaRf1Nn1yCz40CqHEOBj2hFo-5QaKSQ5105T1v2HVlIOdnFkh2XRNmrORtEb0C6FVfKx4mHmtW4bXbRJmju2iC/s400/BSRA+Crowd.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096073414770845986" /></a>I just read on AWFS’s site that thousands were in attendance for this race. Now, I'm told that there were seats for 500-600 people, and there was by my estimates at another 200 or so standing at any one time, but they cycled in and out. So, if I use my 1970’s public school “New Math” skills it looks like there were at least 7000 in attendance! 700 or 7000, either way it was a great first-time attendance and I’m sure it’s only going to grow from here.<br />Man, that's one long track!Patent Place USAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16126439619461930235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5604316372090763739.post-25015599280790998562010-07-23T14:28:00.000-04:002011-06-14T15:30:33.148-04:00"Valkyrie" Belt Sander Wows Crowd at Second National BSRA Race in Las Vegas July 16th 2009<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAqla8rFNT1pInbS5RtfKD3l1zxk5gsl_1_JdCudqAhSBiQPVxB1hHr8mWGoK0aLzK3931YK-v00HXpctjT1Ha5s_JUao09SFEN9hOMkjg2xJmI8iHFzy_xukF-RE1q_eXLBfEAPS0bDcs/s1600-h/Valkyrie+5.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360614685491758434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAqla8rFNT1pInbS5RtfKD3l1zxk5gsl_1_JdCudqAhSBiQPVxB1hHr8mWGoK0aLzK3931YK-v00HXpctjT1Ha5s_JUao09SFEN9hOMkjg2xJmI8iHFzy_xukF-RE1q_eXLBfEAPS0bDcs/s400/Valkyrie+5.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 225px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 400px;" /></a><link href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5Cpum9%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml" rel="File-List"></link><link href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5Cpum9%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_themedata.thmx" rel="themeData"></link><link href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5Cpum9%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_colorschememapping.xml" rel="colorSchemeMapping"></link><style>
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<div class="MsoNormal">I'll post a few more pics and videos shortly, but I just have to share this one. The chrome sander in these pictures is called Valkyrie, and it’s the offspring of Scott Rhodes or Rhodes and Rhodes Millwork in New Jersey.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">The skeletal sander featured a Porter-Cable 690 router motor as its power plant, and despite its visual impact it didn’t quite have the stuff on the raceway. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwz0_4hQFVaRr5hh7NT2T8JIlTY3u00SuVhQ0t-FppBXI3QjPHKywQy2xL0zBTZszm-64gaTqWUPg6dvZgtasox11LTMLYy1sg1WYnXbW9Lan79TJgddAL3eWyfGN4R8rfIMugq7Ex52oQ/s1600-h/Valkyrie+2.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360611745261639010" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwz0_4hQFVaRr5hh7NT2T8JIlTY3u00SuVhQ0t-FppBXI3QjPHKywQy2xL0zBTZszm-64gaTqWUPg6dvZgtasox11LTMLYy1sg1WYnXbW9Lan79TJgddAL3eWyfGN4R8rfIMugq7Ex52oQ/s400/Valkyrie+2.jpg" style="float: right; height: 225px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 400px;" /></a>Scott’s design did net him the Judge's Choice trophy for its engineering, and he tipped his hand a bit when he said that he has a back-up design that features a 3hp router under the hood!<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">We look forward to seeing him rip-up tracks in the future. Nice work Scott!<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Click the pics to Biggie-Size them.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "; font-size: 10;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
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Here's the view from the finish line. Looks much more decisive from there than from the starting line. <br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/x3TIOM_TxLk&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/x3TIOM_TxLk&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="385" width="480"></embed></object></div>Patent Place USAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16126439619461930235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5604316372090763739.post-17068757458786887522010-07-22T11:22:00.000-04:002011-06-14T15:30:51.795-04:00Ellie Bird Wins the 2009 BSRA Nationals Stock Sander, and rubs it in my face!<style>
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<div class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 100%;">On Friday morning July 17th 2009 I drag myself into the Häfele America Co. booth only to find my competitor, Ellie Bird from Fastcap standing in front of her trophy on MY workbench! Next to Ellie is Häfele’s own Skye Russell, who was Ellie’s wingman during the race. <br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 100%;">In Ellie’s heat against my stock sander we both had our best run of the day and she still beat me; so props to her and to her pit crew back at Fastcap. <br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 100%;">The bottom picture is Ellie talkin' smack at the starting line. It's important to note that it's not bragging if you can actually do it! <br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 100%;">FYI, the little fellow on top of Ellie’s sander is none other than Paul Akers, owner chief cheerleader of Fastcap. <br />
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Patent Place USAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16126439619461930235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5604316372090763739.post-9920529967234474412010-07-21T18:31:00.000-04:002011-06-14T15:31:16.428-04:00Stupid Harbor Freight Belt Sanders!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg09UFtoQ59Mstn6ErnykGJb4opyDmrc4AszTpimwLL4-dfy8ZVry2v9ApsbiT778COGvasJRu0ir5giSyPRaYKYssJfOWWVTTf5vTn-n-TDR8sGkt93dD-EDMDOeIHl-a8t49fTKkOJ0HH/s1600-h/sotexbsra.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361052203576301858" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg09UFtoQ59Mstn6ErnykGJb4opyDmrc4AszTpimwLL4-dfy8ZVry2v9ApsbiT778COGvasJRu0ir5giSyPRaYKYssJfOWWVTTf5vTn-n-TDR8sGkt93dD-EDMDOeIHl-a8t49fTKkOJ0HH/s400/sotexbsra.png" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 182px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 350px;" /></a>I don't know what I was thinking, but a few weeks ago I wrote a post where I suggested that you could do worse than racing a Harbor Freight belt sander. Little did I know that 4 of the top performers at the 2009 AWFS <layer id="google-toolbar-hilite-0" style="background-color: cyan; color: black;">BSRA</layer> belt sander race would be just that! I'm not saying that these folks from Texas took my advice (because they're sanders predate my post), but I was dismayed that a Chinese clone of my Makita sander could kick my sander's butt so handily! I suspect that it is a faithful copy, but it is much lighter, which gave it an advantage on the track. The fastest sander on the track, the Silver Bullet, set two track records but a hard tumble at the end of the track took it out of the running. Check <a href="http://sotexbsra.com/">sotexbsra.com</a><br />
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In the end my stock sander was knocked-out of the running by the eventual winner; A Ridgid sander raced by Fastcap's Ellie Bird.<br />
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My modified sander, which took second place in 2007, suffered from over-engineering! I watched videos of the 2007 races over and over to try to learn what went wrong, and I came to the conclusion that what I needed to do was to keep the sander from listing. With that I made a body that was easily 3-4 times heavier than my original. I also had a neat flame-shaped flame coming from the back of the sander.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRk7EqkNP1E4boaOAuXDjAeFMe8PNBfbviKS7Y3nlw8TSIexI9Bf46dO7KiLTwu2Tmv_Fy-iQx1xVSH2VoskcDmMrIYhI3QeKQVwJ7HnIIMV69ObEsx8vineCYw-IpVxdNd4jsFoYXI2po/s1600-h/DSC01053.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361051980247308482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRk7EqkNP1E4boaOAuXDjAeFMe8PNBfbviKS7Y3nlw8TSIexI9Bf46dO7KiLTwu2Tmv_Fy-iQx1xVSH2VoskcDmMrIYhI3QeKQVwJ7HnIIMV69ObEsx8vineCYw-IpVxdNd4jsFoYXI2po/s400/DSC01053.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 225px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 400px;" /></a>The race was Thursday night, but late Wednesday I got the word that the local NBC affiliate would be at the track at 5:45am and that the promoter wanted some of the racers to be there to simulate some action. EXCELLENT! Even though I do not do mornings, I was able to be there and we got the chance to make a few runs down the track. It became immediately apparent that I had a big problem. We took our sanders back to our booth (we were also exhibiting at the show) and between demos of Metabo drills and saws, Sioux sanders and Leica lasers we slashed about half or the weight off the body of our sanders and disconnected the light bulb just in case it is draining more power than I expect. You'll notice in the video when I lift the sander to prove that there's a belt on it that the rollers on the front have been removed; along with much of the side pieces. This may have helped, but not enough.<br />
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To make matters worse, Ellie Bird (the eventual Stock winner) was also working within our booth and was ten feet away. While trash talk is fun, it turns out that it's mostly fun when you are doing it to someone else! In 2007 our modified sander ran the track in under 3 seconds, while this year it's fastest time was 3.8. Clearly we messed-up with all the extra weight.<br />
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More pics and info to come.Patent Place USAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16126439619461930235noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5604316372090763739.post-46742095679622805682010-07-20T11:42:00.000-04:002011-06-14T15:31:31.659-04:00Moovit Belt Sander Gets a Last Minute Modification<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRxJHfsJjLSGjn7UhWaCAmCcOxBGtNJYa58mzWF-kN9As-OI4XFgPsisUQmxoaO7pIOHMMErVkMZHSmkOdRvw6EmtWGCKg6XWixe3Riv0qDGW7uj6eihj-YhyblgPGpdNBFtNa1MKK6prz/s1600-h/Moovit+BSRA+1.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361310527147173586" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRxJHfsJjLSGjn7UhWaCAmCcOxBGtNJYa58mzWF-kN9As-OI4XFgPsisUQmxoaO7pIOHMMErVkMZHSmkOdRvw6EmtWGCKg6XWixe3Riv0qDGW7uj6eihj-YhyblgPGpdNBFtNa1MKK6prz/s400/Moovit+BSRA+1.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 300px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 400px;" /></a>As I mentioned in a prior post, following a trial run on the morning of the race we took our two sanders back to our booth in an effort to lighten them up a bit. If you compare the photo at right with toe one in the prior post you can see where the side of the sander body has been modified. The body was shortened by 2", and the side was shortened to eliminate the front bottom roller.<br />
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The bottom photo shows the results mid-race, as our sander jumps the stop at the end of the track moments before our opponent reaches the stop.<br />
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While not as dramatic as the "flight of the sander in 2007, this happened to many of the sanders and clearly indicates that Accuride needs to improve this portion of their track. As I mentioned before, the sander with two track records was knocked-out of the running after crashing to the floor after the stop failed to contain the sander. Perhaps a simple polycarbonate box over the stop?<br />
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Click pics to Biggie-Size them.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_UhQ6kUFKR6EcXbN5jB2t2ajgtopKUKCJPIujZKUfVt5kPelWH5rwLQB78RYKX1UCbzbSr8ADbdd2Ijs_nulV6bl-OZ2__YTIoFKQ4TIg9X5IVd6CkwLRcp105-GXsKeFoYPW5tmYQvy_/s1600-h/Moovit+BSRA.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361310652429089522" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_UhQ6kUFKR6EcXbN5jB2t2ajgtopKUKCJPIujZKUfVt5kPelWH5rwLQB78RYKX1UCbzbSr8ADbdd2Ijs_nulV6bl-OZ2__YTIoFKQ4TIg9X5IVd6CkwLRcp105-GXsKeFoYPW5tmYQvy_/s400/Moovit+BSRA.jpg" style="float: right; height: 313px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 400px;" /></a>Patent Place USAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16126439619461930235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5604316372090763739.post-44652917379715247262010-07-06T22:45:00.000-04:002013-06-07T10:16:23.721-04:00<b><b><b><span style="color: red; font-family: verdana; font-size: 180%;">The posts below cover the step-by-step (sort of) build of our Award-Winning Belt Sander Racer</span></b></b></b>Patent Place USAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16126439619461930235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5604316372090763739.post-9313581740824117232010-07-04T19:48:00.000-04:002013-06-07T10:14:49.869-04:00The most logical first step was to remove the belt cover.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKL0pCAnt7r59phx1BnbBginVJhe4k0_LeaEN76cg7Yp8JOHLr90mLqNwWcKMZQQclF7fHQSeGvQMYTAT7ozinx1seZvC1ljUuFyNjFzRdXpZh8QC0YLgZccxCAPz31qdpENUYxLFGChx_/s1600-h/Beltsander%5B1%5D-1.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5078677591773846594" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKL0pCAnt7r59phx1BnbBginVJhe4k0_LeaEN76cg7Yp8JOHLr90mLqNwWcKMZQQclF7fHQSeGvQMYTAT7ozinx1seZvC1ljUuFyNjFzRdXpZh8QC0YLgZccxCAPz31qdpENUYxLFGChx_/s400/Beltsander%5B1%5D-1.JPG" style="cursor: hand; float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" /></a>With only a single screw to hold it in <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivyGMUqnQmiKMMpvnX3FWhmny_SNMRjLx1CvLF4TrvCPQrC1pnVHSsQyYIVTd7awyu61GzQU4HUMpJH-K9Uo2goOT6_EP4DN_8QRkOdouVddvnRwo2wVu-SHCPqHON4LafB1VOfMkKcesW/s1600-h/Beltsander%5B1%5D-1.JPG"></a>place this was simple enough. If you take a look you"ll notice that this photo was obviously staged because the small pulley is shown slightly loose on it's shaft. It looked like the quick fix to speeding this bad boy up would be a quick swap of the two pulleys, but when is anything worth doing ever simple?<br />
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Patent Place USAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16126439619461930235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5604316372090763739.post-22340034512008916402010-07-03T23:58:00.000-04:002013-06-07T10:14:04.085-04:00Removing the drive belt is an easy task.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOGo303McQgTRjGiBcbFqqZd83yJ0G_ZhMmvuTVttxdf7Tkvfmb95bn0jrzwOx5KMKn-GwBveZVuMzldD1ZVXU1f53-7PtpRZVN10uCty9zDzFgxk96pbMwZ0udJTZ2yi6s4yduT2FvSQD/s1600-h/Beltsander2.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5078681594683366498" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOGo303McQgTRjGiBcbFqqZd83yJ0G_ZhMmvuTVttxdf7Tkvfmb95bn0jrzwOx5KMKn-GwBveZVuMzldD1ZVXU1f53-7PtpRZVN10uCty9zDzFgxk96pbMwZ0udJTZ2yi6s4yduT2FvSQD/s400/Beltsander2.JPG" style="cursor: hand; float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" /></a>The belt is a toothed or <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">cogged</span> belt, which means it's going to have to go. Why? Well, at the speeds that we're shooting for a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">cogged</span> belt will be ripped to <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">shreds</span>, and believe it or not we need to <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">accommodate</span> a "little" slip between the belt and the pulley upon start-up, so as I said, the toothed belt was bad news. Notice that the shaft at the center of the small pulley is now sticking out from the pulley just a bit. This is because I twisted it back on the shaft after noticing that in the previous staged <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">photo</span> that I failed to spin it all the way down for the previous pic. Anyway, grabbing the belt and pulling it away from the sander while rotating the large pulley slowly was all it took to remove the belt.Patent Place USAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16126439619461930235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5604316372090763739.post-49504266330346069192010-07-02T20:54:00.000-04:002013-06-07T10:13:14.884-04:00Well looky here! The pulleys have taught me a lesson. Just call me the Tool Whisperer.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ-n1Z-9UeXCty_906FaXKxgG6CdteAWBNlHjbv-UJbfA-poZojveFyo26bMBiejf_QRWrF70Mnhil6QhBqXGHIX3n2AG_ovLaajDBXBWJ-oe-65GmJgZurG5Hm6rGaCMn3TVoasSWxFte/s1600-h/Beltsander3.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5078685769391578258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ-n1Z-9UeXCty_906FaXKxgG6CdteAWBNlHjbv-UJbfA-poZojveFyo26bMBiejf_QRWrF70Mnhil6QhBqXGHIX3n2AG_ovLaajDBXBWJ-oe-65GmJgZurG5Hm6rGaCMn3TVoasSWxFte/s400/Beltsander3.JPG" style="cursor: hand; float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" /></a> This pulley taught me several things:<br />
1.) It pays to take your time thinking about how tools are made and the forces that are at play. This shaft turns counter-clockwise and therefore must have left-hand threads.<br />
2.) If this one has left-hand threads then the large shaft must have a right-hand thread. Crud! So much for my first thought about simply swapping the two. Oh yeah, I'm going to use a poly-v belt so I have to replace the pulleys anyway. (I've got to get more sleep!)<br />
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You'll notice from the photo that the pulley has a recess that is needed to allow the pulley to seat in the shoulder of the shaft while leaving room for the plastic housing that restrains the bearing. My plan to replace this pulley will require either a similar recess on the replacement pulley, or perhaps a washer that can slip on the shaft and space the new pulley proud of the plastic case. Hummm. I think I'm going to sleep on that one.Patent Place USAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16126439619461930235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5604316372090763739.post-52924643806060566622010-07-01T21:53:00.000-04:002007-06-23T17:45:48.626-04:00I'm torn over whether to disclose this idea or not...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8ulDDUPqG1fx99K0JJaHS6r4vYHhPsrhreLTPEom7FPImxI_csgQ_oBXtU2TNyTyiq7wJcqPgkw7AYAKRBBDNWcJV5dgVDVYV1ELQtS36C3lMyQwiz7zT3xGrDRobVRHbZPNA6wMTjWqE/s1600-h/P1000533-1.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5079072307858283682" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8ulDDUPqG1fx99K0JJaHS6r4vYHhPsrhreLTPEom7FPImxI_csgQ_oBXtU2TNyTyiq7wJcqPgkw7AYAKRBBDNWcJV5dgVDVYV1ELQtS36C3lMyQwiz7zT3xGrDRobVRHbZPNA6wMTjWqE/s400/P1000533-1.JPG" border="0" /></a> I guess in the interest of promoting the art of racing I'll go ahead and share this idea. I'm sure I'm not the first to think of this, but I've never seen it discussed. We're about to remove the exhaust fan. Why? Well, let me ask you this; Why do we need it? We aren't really sanding anything, and as I see it, it's just offering resistance. Seeing how these races last all of 2.5-3 seconds every fraction of a second counts, and this part just isn't needed. The cover came off with four screws.<br /><div></div>Patent Place USAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16126439619461930235noreply@blogger.com0