Bamboo Diameter Sander Motor Question

Hi,

I am planning on building a sander to to remove the outer layer of Tonkin bamboo and shape it down to a prescribed circular diameter (14mm maximum) and need some on advice on the type of motor I should use.

I plan on having two motors (running opposite directions) with two aluminium 2" x 2" cylinders attached two them with 40 - 80 grit sand paper belts. I will build a frame to house these motors and a mechanism to move the two motors apart installing a Calliper to get precise measurements (like on a workbench). I will then attach the bamboo to a slow rotating power drill and move it in and out of the two rotating cylinders using a guide on the entry and exit to provide stability to the bamboo.

I am a fairly experienced bamboo worker and will heat straighten the bamboo before passing it through this machine. For the past 5 years I have sanded these canes down on a bench / belt sander, but now I am looking for something with a little more precision.

I am basically worried that I will pick a motor that doesn't have enough power i.e. when I move the bamboo in and out the cylinders will stop turning. I have been reading various websites and think that I roughly require a 240V (I am in the UK) Single Phase Motor with 250 - 300 Watts, and I'm not sure about the RPM or Amps required. I would ideally like an Induction motor as I believe they are quieter but I think they are more expensive than an Universal motor. I realise that I could use power drills but I'm looking for something that I can leave permanently set up. I was also thinking about adding a speed control to the motor wiring.

I am a complete novice when it comes to motors so any advice on the type of motor or how to wire them up to a UK power supply would be great!

Have you thought about using a couple of cheap (harbor freight) angle grinders or die grinders. The arbors would let you attach a sanding drum or simply use a set of flap wheels for the sanding. Wire them into a router type speed controller.
Mark

Hi, thanks for your comments. I have considered this but I really want to move away from power tools as they can tend to be a bit bulky and I think a motor on it's own would be lighter. Thanks again for your thoughts.