Sage Advice

Charlie,

Hey, how do you know the quality of size consistency? Or how well a given grit, in fact, cuts? Size might not mean the same as cutting ability.

Oh, and "Abralon" means nothing to me :-) Is it a brand? I guess I can google it when I get a chance.

IMHO walnut tells the tale of good tool technique and sanding. Like a black car versus white it shows everything. One catch seems to bruise the wood deeply. And sanding sealer followed with Briwax has a fantastic feel and sheen. Having a reversible and variable speed lathe sure helps get a great finish if you're looking for more than OK. All the sanding isn't done in the same direction and that seems best to show on endgrain.

Enjoy your posts, Charlie, keep up the good work.

TomNie

I've been using an ummm.... "Mini pistol grip pneumatic sander" (also known as a right-angle die grinder to the rest of the world) for power carving for a while now. I have been using the quick-lock discs, but for close to $.50 each, they're quite an investment every time I have to buy another box of them. They last long enough that it's not putting me into the poorhouse, but they're still just a little pricey.

The reason I mention this is because this velcro stuff is a whole lot less expensive, and the sander he's selling appears to be a standard-issue die grinder. Since I've already got two of them, I'm wondering if you think they'd fit a standard 1/4" collet. Normally, I'd assume that was the case, but the shanks look pretty thin in the pictures.

The 3M system is precisely what I am using, though I order the disks through work in bulk. Grit assortment isn't nearly as important with what I do, as I just use it for medium-level hogging after getting it roughed out with a saw and drill. Final finish on my stuff is always a chiseled surface or hand sanded. (The power carving is nice for taking off a lot of material to reduce the risk of shearing off a bit hunk of something you wanted to leave on, but not much beats a good chisel for the fine work!)

I'll try out what you've got listed on your site- nice description and instructions, btw! I've already got a couple of the holders, and I think I've even got a little felt laying around somewhere, so it should be easy enough to get together with a little velcro.

If I get really ambitious, I might turn some rubber on the lathe to replace the felt as well. It's stinky, but works. I only know that little tidbit because had a belt sander at work that had an unbalanced tire a few weeks ago that was shaking the thing like crazy, and a little temporary tool rest and a bit of sharpened scrap metal made quick work of truing it. Might make for a good pad if I can find some soft rubber, and be little easier to glue than felt.

somewhat OT --- I don't know about you, but "use it like someone else was buying it" tells me to use it up until it's totally dead so I don't wast what someone else was paying for - whereas if I am buying it, I can toss it when it's starting to get dull - in fact now that I think about it, I actually resent that expression due to the disregard for value to others that it implies - and yes, I've heard it and it annoys me every time.

snip------------o

Not a bad suggestion, but I live about as far away from an ocean as anyone can. Probably not a lot of diving suits around, though I confess I've never really looked!

Hi Prometheus

I also live a long way from the ocean, but not far from the lakes, there are all kinds of people that like to dive or sail and have wet/ dry suits. There is a good chance you have a sporting store that carries the suits, or a place that gives lessons for scuba divers, and they in turn might know some persons that are active in the sport, connections connections. I got one from my sons FIL, he apparently hasn't (like many of us ;-))), the same figure as he had some years ago, anyway he asked if I had any interest in it (the suit), as they were moving out west and didn't want to take it along, so now I have a complete suit missing some small parts that have now found a new use, it also is a dandy seal on the vacuum chuck.

Have fun and take care Leo Van Der Loo

But I bet you live near a computer store. I have a foam wrist pad that sits in front of the keyboard that's about an inch or so thick and 3" wide. I've made several sanding disks with it and still have plenty left over for more. Just a couple bucks...

...Kevin

If you check out Vinces site, he talks about sanding, and it got me thinking. I have the slow speed Milwaukee/Sioux drills which go at about 1200 rpm. He said that you should be sanding around 600 rpm. I tried it, and it works just as well as the higher speeds: you get the same amount of stock removal in the same amount of time, and the heat is greatly reduced. robo hippy

I have to post this for my good wife who wonders why I keep so much 'junk'.

"But it's broken, you'll never use it!"

"I might need some of the parts someday." (whining)

I do believe that- I used to sand stuff on the lathe as fast as possible, but after trying it at a slower speed one day, I now do it all at 300 RPM. Less heat, and the paper lasts longer.

Perhaps the higher speed of the die grinder means I ought to stick with the 3M discs that are designed for that. To get a pnuematic tool that slow (at least, my pnuematic grinder) you have to give up pretty much all of it's torque.

I'll try it out, and see which one works better- if the velcro rig just isn't up to the speed, I can stick with what I've got, because it is working.

Exactly

I've used those too, but they're only a quarter inch thick or so. I like having three or four times that much padding as a rule. Just personal preference however - nothing that says a mouse pad is wrong...

...Kevin

Sounds like an excellent choice. Been using the same principle for years. Power Locks followed by Velcro foam backed.

Of course, sandpaper isn't free, which is why I will go to an extra sharpening to avoid using it.