conversion of 5" r. orbital sander to 3"

May 21, 2004 2 Replies

Has anybody done this? This would allow me to sand more of those tight spots on the inside of bowls without fighting the swirls or most other sanding system and a lot faster.


I just cut down a 5" pad to a little over 3"--had to avoid the dust intake holes. Didn't use it much though, since I don't turn bowls much larger than 10". I still prefer a 2" velcro pad in a drill, used with the lathe turning at a slow speed. With a little ingenuity and machining work, one could make a small random orbit pad to chuck in a drill.

Ken Grunke

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webguy Coulee Region Woodturners of SW Wisconsin
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I made an adaptor for my air powered random orbit sander to convert it from 5/16" female to 1/4" male threads which fit the 3M Roloc disk holders. The disk holders come in 1", 2", and 3" sizes. I usually just use PSA sandpaper, but I have also added foam pads and velcro to them as well.

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