I often use a belt sander to grind chisels and other pieces of metal. After grinding the bevel on one of my chisels recently, I resumed my work and noticed the smell of wood smoke in the air. Searching for its source, I spotted small burn holes appearing in the sander’s cloth dust-collection bag. I immediately emptied the bag to find a mass of smoldering wood dust ready to burst into flames.
This is just the kind of thing that can lead to a tragedy. If you use your belt sander to grind metal, always remove the dust collection bag before doing the work.
Robin Ferguson, Snowmass, CO
