Makenzie Donahue uses the Apex EZ Sander, a new commercial-grade sander, to finish her metal sign.

Students unpack the EZ Sander, the only one being used in a high school in Idaho.

Evan Stavast hammers a section of a meat smoker into shape.

Evan Stavast used new equipment to make an elaborate meat smoker.

Makenzie Donahue uses the Apex EZ Sander, a new commercial grade sander, to finish her metal sign.

Makenzie Donahue uses the Apex EZ Sander, a new commercial-grade sander, to finish her metal sign.

Students unpack the EZ Sander, the only one being used in a high school in Idaho.

Evan Stavast hammers a section of a meat smoker into shape.

Evan Stavast used new equipment to make an elaborate meat smoker.

Makenzie Donahue uses the Apex EZ Sander, a new commercial grade sander, to finish her metal sign.

Mackay Junior/Senior High School may be the first school in the nation to teach welding students how to use an Apex EZ Sander, an industrial machine that removes rough areas, dross and mill scale on metal.

“When I talked to the company that makes them, I was told that they haven’t been selling these machines to schools,” said Trent Van Leuven, agriscience instructor and FFA adviser. “We’re the only ag program in Idaho to have this equipment. Using it, students are developing skills for careers in fabrication and manufacturing.”

The sander has eliminated the need for time-consuming hand grinding, reduced noise, improved air quality in the welding shop and sparked creativity.

The $15,000 sander was ordered last July and due to supply chain problems arrived in late March.

To pay for it, Van Leuven received a grant from Gov. Brad Little’s “Building Idaho’s Future” plan. The plan invests Idaho’s one-time surplus in infrastructure projects. Its educational sector is designated for Career Technical Education opportunities linked to local workforce needs.

The sander complements the ag program’s other metal-crafting equipment: a Computer Numerical Controlled plasma table students have been using for two years to make signs and a recently donated brake to bend sheet metal.

“A year after we received the CNC plasma table, the sander ended up on my wish list along with a metal brake,” Van Leuven said. “I was so surprised and grateful when coincidentally a local resident Rick Davis donated a brake to us after he retired from a fabrication shop.”

Davis helped unpack the sander and offered advice about fabrication.

“He’s been a great mentor to me and the students,” Van Leuven said. “With these three tools, it has saved an incredible amount of time and spawned a lot of creativity and increased the number of projects being finished. As these projects get finished, it really boosts students’ confidence in their skills.”

Davis said the equipment “teaches students programming, machine operation and maintenance. They’re able to use their creative skills to design a program, transfer the files and cut the patterns — all in a short time.”

Before using the brake, students had to design bend lines to be cut out of the sheet metal pieces.

“This meant that we had an open corner when the metal was bent by hand that would require welding and frequently some more work with the angle grinder,” Van Leuven said. “The brake has really facilitated some ingenious and much needed solutions.”

Before the new sander arrived, students used an angle grinder to deburr and finish metal.

“Running an angle grinder is an entry-level skill in the job market,” Van Leuven said. “On the other hand, being proficient at operating the EZ Sander is highly valued and impresses potential employers. These machines are becoming more prominent in fabrication shops.”

In some cases, an angle grinder can distort sheet metal, depending on the pressure applied.

“With the EZ Sander, students get a flat piece every time, and the finish is far superior,” Van Leuven said.

Using an angle grinder is also dusty and noisy.

“With an angle grinder, sparks are flying, and it’s loud,” Van Leuven said. “Students can’t help but make clouds of dust and metal shavings that are hard to clean up. The new sander has really improved air quality and practically eliminated any noise. It has features that enhance student safety, too.”

To operate the EZ Sander, students set dials to control how much metal will be removed. After adjusting the height of the sanding belt, they place a flat piece of metal on it. It advances inside the sander on the conveyor belt with four rollers while the sanding belt floats and spins to smooth the metal’s surface.

Accompanying the sander is a state-of-the-art $7,000 wet dust collector to hold the metal shavings.

“The hot metal shavings and dust run the risk of smoldering and causing a fire in typical dust collectors,” Van Leuven said.

He was surprised the new sander has saved money, too, by reducing the number of consumables requiring replacement.

“With as much sanding as we’ve done, I was certain we would have changed out a sanding belt by now,” he said. “If we would have been using flap discs or abrasives, we would have spent more money.”

The sander also saves time.

“What used to take an hour can be done in less than 10 minutes,” Van Leuven said. “It’s sparked creativity, too, because students have more time to devote to design instead of grinding and finishing.”

Max Bell made some tabs to hold his bike tires in line for his bike hauler.

Makenzie Donahue, who lives on a ranch, made an artistic metal sign featuring the silhouetted profile of a cow’s face.

“I loved being able to create something from metal that really spoke to me,” she said. “Being able to make art that helps define me is super awesome. We really appreciate the sander. Angle grinders are intimidating to some students.”

One student, Evan Stavast, built an elaborate smoker to flavor meat.

“I ran the parts for my project through the sander, and in about 10 minutes they were all cleaned up and ready to weld,” said Stavast, who plans to become a mechanical engineer. “This saved me about one to two hours of sanding with a grinder by hand.”

Van Leuven said other students ask Stavast for advice if they are working on a complex piece that folds up.

“Evan was always folding up origami, and now he’s making boxes, hinges, latches and other mechanical moving objects that amaze anyone who walks into the shop,” Van Leuven says.

He said the three pieces of equipment are preparing students for diverse careers.

“They’re definitely learning skills that can open doors for them after they graduate,” Van Leuven said. “I’ve also been fielding a lot of questions about the sander from other schools. I think they’re going to be quite common in education soon.”

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