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Alex Ku

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Nov 24, 2008
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Hi Guys,

yesterday I was sanding my first bowl and found that a piece of sandpaper in your hand does not work that good.

I have a Milwaukee Cordless Driver(like on the picture) I want to try for power sanding. It has low RPM which is good as far as I understand but it's not as small as close quarter drills that most people use.
My driver accepts only hex shafts. Do you know where I can get disc holder/mandrel with hex shank?

Other option is to get a flexible shaft($28) and connect it to a drill:
http://www.woodcraft.com/product.aspx?ProductID=03Z61&FamilyID=945
What do you guys think?

BTW I there any good suppliers of sanding stuff(other than big guys like Woodcraft, Packard etc.)

Thanks,
Alex
 

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Why not the shaft connected to a nice 1725 induction motor? Been using one for years. It's a lot easier on your arm than holding a drill and you can lay it on the toolrest like a rotary scraper to sand as the work goes 'round. Quieter, too, and no sparks to kick the family TV while you're hid - er - working.

http://s35.photobucket.com/albums/d160/GoodOnesGone/?action=view&current=150Sand.flv

Last hex mandrels I saw were on PSA disks.
 
Alex Ku said:
My driver accepts only hex shafts. Do you know where I can get disc holder/mandrel with hex shank?
...

BTW I there any good suppliers of sanding stuff(other than big guys like Woodcraft, Packard etc.)

Thanks,
Alex
Click to expand...

SuperGrit in Gettysburg PA deals in almost all shapes and sizes of sanding materials, including about three different formats of tiny disk systems.

No affiliation, etc.
Joe
 
I use a standard Dewalt 3/8" variable speed drill, about $65 . I tried several of the cheaper drills and burned them up. The close quarter drills don't seem to hold up as well and are twice as expensive.
www.thesandingglove.com has about all the sanding supplies you could want. I also use http://www.vinceswoodnwonders.com/ I have tried a lot of sanding discs and Vince's blue discs really last and cut very clean.
 
Guys,

what about self-powered/passive sanding device from www.thesandingglove.com ? Basically it is a handle with free rotating mandrel.
It costs more than a good drill.
What are the advantages of this device vs. mandrel + drill/flex shaft.
Why anyone would spend this much money for unpowered sanding device?
 
The basic guidelines I use are slow lathe speed and fast disc speed.

A cheapy version of the self powered is a length of 1" dowel with 1/4 hole (or shaft diameter of your velcro holder) drilled at 45 degree angle about 3/4 inch deep. Stick in the mandrel add a little wax if it squeals.
If you like this buy or make a better one with bearings.

My experience is these work well on the outside of the bowl and less well on the inside or not at all.

The big advantage of the drill power is you can sand effectively with minimal pressure.

Happy turning,
Al
 
Alex,
I am a fan of power sanding, if for no other reason that it is faster than hand sanding, and I am a production bowl turner. An 'inertial sander is better than hand sanding, but not as good as power sanding. You can stop the lathe and work on problem spots which you can't do with an inertial sander. Also, they don't work quite as well near the center of the bowl. I haven't tried one of the flex shaft type of sanders. Probably should some time. I prefer the angle/close quarter drills. You can get the expensive Sioux/Milwaukee (they are the same, just different colors) which last me about 400 or so bowls before the bearings wear out, or the cheaper 'clone' ones (like Harbor Freight). The one I used lasted about a month, or about 50 to 60 bowls before the plastic casing wore out. They are drills, and not grinders, and not intended for how we use them.

I also prefer the sanding supplies from Vince. Of all the ones I have tried, they seem to outlast the others about 2 to 1. The only exception are the green ceramic discs which come close. I haven't tried the purple ceramic discs from 3M. They are available only in sticky back and not in hook and loop. After talking to Mike Mahoney about them, I may have to 'experiment' some more. The major down side is that I would need an interface pad for each grit of disc.

robo hippy
 
We carry the 1/4" hex shaft pads, made by Tim Skilton. So does Packards and Crafts supplies, but I don't know if they have switched to the metric shaft yet. We pay a bit more for the 1/4", but I like the construction better. Sanding Glove, Vince and I all carry the same yellow pads with Micro hook also. Would not be tough to adapt them to 1/4" hex I bet. Get some 1/4" rod, drill a hole down the end and glue the other shaft into it. But a close quarters drill would work better, probably last longer. I have the old Sioux, which doesn't eat up bearings and a pep boys special. Same thing, just not as smooth and a 1/3 of the price.. Both work well, but the next one will have to have a keyless chuck.
 
I use a air powered angle drill i got from Grizzly for about $35 all metal comcstruction and no motor to collect dust but you do need a decent compressor. As far as supplies I just purchased a bunch of stuff from Steve and must say service was super fast and very satisfactory everything was geat quality and works as he advertized.
 
I use a conventional 3/8 drill most of the time, and a cheapie "close quarters" drill from HF as needed, about $20 when on sale or variously up to $34. The latter is unsuitable for production work of course, but has held up fairly well in occassional "hobbyist" use. Just use your "straight" drill for everything it can reach.

When the 80 grit gouge is required for tearout or toolmarks on the inside of a bowl (knowing that I am the only one who ever has these problems), it seems much faster to me to power sand a small area with the spindle locked and slow drill speed. Then rotate spindle to do the next area. After working all the way around, run the lathe at 100 or 150 rpm and resand area with same grit and higher drill speed. Then spend what seems like some extra time with 120 or 150 to be sure you remove all the 80 grit scratches.
 
Sanding Supplies

Hi Alex,
Power sanding I believe is the favorite means of sanding especially for bowls in my opinion. Most folks use a quarter drill of some sort to get the job done. I offer a number of mandrels all with round shanks. Two types with metal shanks one of which is a flat profile that folks are really enjoying. Innerface pads and film backed discs are available as well as new SIA discs and much more! If anyone needs a FREE sample or two please email me WoodNWonders@excite.com or call toll free 1-877-284-8969.

Thanks, Vince
Superior Abrasives at a Great Price
 
Power sanding vs. hand sanding seems to revolve around what a turner finds enjoyable about turning. There is something invigorating/rewarding that comes from presenting a bowl to the sanding stage with surfaces that can be easily hand sanded, beginning with 150 grit paper.

The great Chinese woodturning philosopher, Confucious wrote:

"Sanding by hand forces one to learn to turn "

Jerry
 
I hand sand my smaller bowls because I usually cut them clean enough to only need a little sanding. For whatever reason my larger bowls seem to need more work so it's simply faster to power sand these.
 
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