The FastCap FastBreak sander is a specialized hand sander designed to make sanding the edges of melamine quicker and more accurate.
This tool can be used on melamine, some other laminates, and also edgebanding, and it can ease two edges in a single pass.
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The FastBreak sander is 6″ long and features a unique concave sanding edge that envelops the material to be sanded. This holds the sand paper at 45° to the edge allowing you to quickly add a uniform chamfer to both sides of the material.
FastCap bundles the FastBreak sander with three pieces of sandpaper, one 80-grit and two 180-grit pieces. These conveniently store in the body of the sander.
The FastCap FastBreak can work with materials 1/4″ to 1-1/8″.
Price: $11.99 for the FastBreak
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There is also the FastBreak XL, which can sand the edges of materials 3/4″ to 2-3/8″ thick. FastCap says that this is the size you want for breaking the edges of doors. Both the FastBreak and FastBreak XL use the same size sandpaper, with the FastBreak using one sheet and the XL two.
Price: $19.99 for FastBreak XL
Buy Now (via Fastcap)
Buy Now (via Amazon)
FastCap sandpaper refills are $7.69 for a pack of 10 (180 grit), and you can also cut your own sandpaper to fit the FastBreak.
Discussion
I picked up one of these sanders a few years ago and find it a useful addition to my sanding tools. Initially I purchased it to handle the task it was designed for, which is to round the edge on FastCap’s edge banding product FastEdge.
The shape of the sander has a lot of benefits, obviously the most important is the inside of the sander. The curved shape provides a nice uniform angle to the sanding and it does it on both sides of the material in a single pass. It also fits nicely in my hand, which makes it really easy to run across the material.
However, I’ve also found it useful for cleaning up the edges of other materials. I recently brought some clear acrylic and the edge was really sharp. A couple passes with the FastBreak and the edge was nicely rounded, and importantly it only sanded the edge and nothing more. It’s also useful for rounding the edge on plywood when I don’t want to go to the trouble of using a router.
In general I think the Fastcap is a pretty innovative company. They have a number of products that I really like, especially the micro flush cutting pliers that Benjamen reviewed, not to mention Kaizen foam which I use in my workshop. I also appreciate that they are a local company, located only 100 miles from where I live in Washington State.
At only $11.99, it’s a really useful addition to your hand sanding tools.
FastCap Video
Here’s a quick look at how the FastBreak works:
Hilton
As opposed to cupping a piece of sandpaper in your hand?
I love gadgets but not sure on this one.
William
Try that after making 10 cabinets out of Plywood/melamine and see how your hand feels.
PETE
Maybe he has robot hands…
Hilton
No sissies where I come from. I normally use one of those sanding blocks.
Jared
My initial impression was that I could make something up pretty quick to do the same thing – but then I saw the price tag and thought, “geez, might not be worth the bother”. Looks pretty well made and the design is better than the DIY solution I was envisioning too.
Ben V
I think that’s what got my interested in the first place!
Apollo
EXACTLY same thought Jared…
like a notched 2×2 or 4×4 and the sticky back standard size paper I already buy and dont have to cut.
Nathan
For something already made the price is about right. Question on the paper I assume it’s easy peasy to cut your own?
with that in play – looks nice to me. irony what I normally use for edge knock down is a 1/4 sheet square sander
Ben V
Yes, it’s easy to cut your own. I don’t think there’s anything special about the paper it comes with.
Altan
Expensive for a little piece of plastic, it is not a great innovation also, If it was made of metal I would buy it for that price.
Evadman
I also use kaizen foam and such from FastCap. The best thing about FastCap in my opinion is that the pricing is reasonable for their tools and products. I’ll spend the dollars on one-off tools, or try things I normally would not, because the price is acceptable.
Totally random stuff like their masking tape with holes punched in it for filling nail holes with putty. I actually use it for painting, and I never would have tried it if not for the price.
For $12, I have no problem picking this up even though I am not a woodworker by trade. I do some stuff with MDF, and the edges hurt my hands after working with it. This sounds a lot easier than getting out my router. This would be a no-go if I had to use special sandpaper, but being able to cut your own from sheets, means I can use the bulk sandpaper I have around.
DC
Looks cool but nothing a sanding block can’t handle. I just finished making 2 cabinets so when I go into full production and redo our kitchen I’ll think about getting this.
fred
I think we bought a couple of the smaller ones about 10 or 11 years ago to try out.
I don’t recall a groundswell of emotion about them (as in “we need one of these on every truck). I don’t recall trying them in the cabinet shop.
I like Fastcap’s inventiveness – and I think that they are willing to try out new ideas for tools presented to them by others. That’s always a good thing – and while the invention of a truly remarkable new tool is not an everyday occurrence – some of Fastcap’s seem to fit well with niche users.
For breaking edges – before there was sandpaper and electric-powered routers – cabinet and furniture makers used rasps and block planes – or dedicated chamfer planes or radius planes. The old Stanley #28 and #29 cornering tools – are now being reproduced as the Veritas (05K50.30) – and they were another quick option for solid wood. But a pair of these – or a modern-day chamfer or radius plane will set you back quite a bit more than one of the Fastcap tools.
Ben V
I had no idea they had been around that long! I guess it means they found a steady market for them!
ktash
I’ve had one for quite some time. I’ve used it a lot. Yes, you can do the same thing differently, but this makes it so easy, does both sides at once. If you are making a lot of shelves with edge banding, this is great. While it’s not a “must have,” it is something I’d replace if it got lost. It’s held up well. Most of my shop furniture has edges broken with this, when you don’t need to route a roundover, but want a softer edge quickly. It depends on what you make as to whether you’ll use it a lot or not. Holding a block at 45 degrees is much more tiring than using this, and cupping the sandpaper is also more tiring and you may scratch where you don’t want to.
Never thought of using it for other sharp edges, like plastics. Good idea.