It's been recommended to me that I should try just using a sander to shape limbs instead of the saw. I've never done that, though, so I'm wondering if any of you have, and what you thought of it...? If you liked it, what's your setup?

Thanks.

Check a few posts down. There was a recent discussion about profiling limbs without a bandsaw.

Shoot musta scrolled right by it. I was searching around just earlier today in between stuff at work. Thanks for the heads up.

24 grit!!--go slow--keep moving--do not burn it!

For bowery I'd much rather have a sander than a bandsaw...

On fibreglass bandsaw. If wood/bamboo then bandsaw then sander.

I use a Grizzly benchtop oscillating spindle sander to grind down to the width profile of my bows.  It works if you don't want to ruin a bandsaw blade on fiberglass or don't have a blade conducive to fiberglass.  Takes a little while, but I can usually have a bow profiled in about 20 minutes and that's with a straight hill style bow with thick limbs.  Thinner limbed bows are much quicker.  The one downside to using a spindle sander is that you can't get real straight lines.  I get the limb profile close with the spindle sander then straighten the edges by hand with a rasp running along the limb edge.

A Drum/belt/spindle sander is more versatile.

I use the bandsaw for cutting lams and tapers and various other operations.  Primarily resawing. I do my profiling with a stationary belt sander.  Much less squealing, sparking, and smoking that way.

I use both. I have the rigid spindle sander they sell at home depot. I just cut outside my drawn lines then the spindle lets you sand right to your line at a perfect 90°angle. In theory you could do the same on the disk on the side of my big shop grade belt sander but its a much smaller surface to work on. I also use the spindle just to get a perfect 1.5 inch, 2 inch, whaterever 6 ft strip w perfect 90° sides to draw the bow on . Even just that is worth it. My favorite things about it is sanding with precision and perfect 90° angles.