I could really use some advice from those of you with machine/woodwork experience. I've always had a problem (a frustrating one at that) sanding to flat using my belt sander. It's a Rockwell 4" belt sander with 1/2 hp and I'm using something like 180-ish grit paper. I inevitably run into problems when trying to create a wedge, spacer, or sometimes just slimming down a piece of wood (for scales and the such). What happens: I always end up with an angled bit of wood. This is caused by, I guess, putting too much pressure on a particular part of the wood as I hold it against the sander. I'm very conscious of this problem though, and I try hard to distribute an equal force. I've also tried using a block of wood to hold the bit down against the sander, but invariably, I end up with two sides that are not parallel (or just plain flat). Making wedges is really tough; I don't feel as though I have any control over the taper that I'm putting on. Is there any trick(s) to sanding flat (or having control when tapering), or am I just horizontally challenged? Also, Is 4" too narrow of a sander to work with? Thanks for any help.