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When to toss out sanding discs.......

Odie

Odie

Panning for Montana gold, with Betsy, the mule!
TOTW Team
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Last week, I had a slight burn ring on a padauk bowl that I couldn't tell was there, until I applied the finish. Had to re-sand the interior. The burn was caused by a sanding disc that should have been tossed. By the feel of it, there was still life left in the disc, but it burned a little on the endgrain of the interior. Some wood species may have been ok, but not this one.

So.......What input do you use to toss a sanding disc? Is it by touch only? I guess my sense of touch needs to be refined! 🙄 I certainly wouldn't have to worry about the cost of a sanding disc, if it takes me an hour to re-sand a surface......especially when sanding a surface that already has finish applied. Clogs up the discs pretty badly. 😱

ko
 
If it looks like it's been used then that's when I replace it, but sometimes it doesn't matter for wood that doesn't burn easily when ripping on a tablesaw. Maple and cherry are the worst about burning. Even though mesquite is hard, it doesn't burn when ripping.
 
I clean them with a small crepe rubber piece and feel like I get a little more use but anytime it seems like I'm not removing wood I toss them. I probably use them longer than I should and fuss at myself when I put a new disc on and it immediately removes the marks I was working to get rid of with the worn disc. I tell myself not to do that and yet I still do.
 
Bill Boehme said:
If it looks like it's been used then that's when I replace it, but sometimes it doesn't matter for wood that doesn't burn easily when ripping on a tablesaw. Maple and cherry are the worst about burning. Even though mesquite is hard, it doesn't burn when ripping.
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Bill......I remember once you said you had a hard time throwing away sandpaper......😀

Now, that's one thing I don't have a problem with. Throwing out used sandpaper is one thing that has been a great help to me in my sanding operations. I think I need to be more like you are with my sanding discs. It's hard, because the darn things are close to a buck apiece! 😱

I'm resolving myself to not be so frugal with the sanding discs.....starting right now! 😉

ko
 
odie said:
Bill......I remember once you said you had a hard time throwing away sandpaper......😀

Now, that's one thing I don't have a problem with. Throwing out used sandpaper is one thing that has been a great help to me in my sanding operations. I think I need to be more like you are with my sanding discs. It's hard, because the darn things are close to a buck apiece! 😱

I'm resolving myself to not be so frugal with the sanding discs.....starting right now! 😉

ko
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That was sort of tongue in cheek. Once upon a time I used sandpaper until there wasn't any grit left on the paper. But, I changed my ways when John Lucas said he would pay for it ... I think that's what he said, but I'm still waiting to be reimbursed. 😀
 
I use mine once and then throw them.
I buy boxes of 6" no hole discs and punch my own. Each disc costs me $0.77 (I buy a hundred at a time) and I get two 2" and two 3" out of each one.
 
Bill, check's in the mail!
Josh, sounds like a good idea- better safe than sorry, I guess.
 
The burn/burnish mark can be caused by a couple of things. For sure, loaded up and worn out abrasives can do that. Other contributors are too high rpm's, and too much pressure. For the abrasives to be able to cut efficiently, you need the proper speed. Too fast and you don't get enough traction for them to cut properly, kind of like a dragster burning off its wheels before the race: heat, and smoke, but not going anywhere fast. Too much pressure is the other culprit. Because all the cutting edges are spread out on a plane, minimal pressure works better. If your fingers are getting hot from hand sanding, then you are spinning too fast and/or using too much hand pressure. I keep my drill running at no more than half speed max, in the 600 rpm range.

Other than that, I use a combination of feeling the disc to see if it still feels sharp, and seeing how much dust is coming off. I use the blue discs from Vince, and some times they can feel dull, but still take off a lot of wood.

I used to punch my own discs, and have access to a 'clicker' press, which is used in leather work, but a small hydrolic punch press, and could easily punch through 5 layers at a time. I gave that up. While the discs may only actually cost .30 cents each, the time required didn't make up for the quality of discs I got from Vince, and the money saved wasn't worth the effort. Quality abrasives are a huge difference than the cheap stuff. Kind of like the PSA abrasives for the Porter Cable palm sanders, dull almost before you put it on the wood...

robo hippy
 
I shared a shop with a guy many years ago until he had a car wreck and passed away. His father passed away just a couple of years ago. I bought a few things from his dad's shop. The guy who organized everything for the widow and helped throw out all the junk said that he had many coffee cans filled with used sandpaper. Now this was a guy that made some of the most beautiful muzzleloaders I ever saw. he was also a good machinist and woodworker. Don't know why he would save old sandpaper, unless of course he was cheaper than me.
 
odie said:
Last week, I had a slight burn ring on a padauk bowl that I couldn't tell was there, until I applied the finish. Had to re-sand the interior. The burn was caused by a sanding disc that should have been tossed. By the feel of it, there was still life left in the disc, but it burned a little on the endgrain of the interior. Some wood species may have been ok, but not this one.

So.......What input do you use to toss a sanding disc? Is it by touch only? I guess my sense of touch needs to be refined! 🙄 I certainly wouldn't have to worry about the cost of a sanding disc, if it takes me an hour to re-sand a surface......especially when sanding a surface that already has finish applied. Clogs up the discs pretty badly. 😱

ko
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When in doubt......Toss it out.
 
Amen, Bill!
My aunt worked for a guy who dried paper towels on the steam radiator in the office so he could use them again. Can anyone beat that?
 
John Torchick said:
Amen, Bill!
My aunt worked for a guy who dried paper towels on the steam radiator in the office so he could use them again. Can anyone beat that?
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A shipwright friend once had the same pair of foam ear plugs I gave him a year before...

Seriously, I have a hard time throwing all that sandpaper out. I kept a couple of five gallon buckets of used sandpaper then tossed it. I was threatening to repurpose them as Christmas ornaments.
 
John Torchick said:
Amen, Bill!
My aunt worked for a guy who dried paper towels on the steam radiator in the office so he could use them again. Can anyone beat that?
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Don't know if I can beat that, but I buy paper towels perforated in 1/3 sheets, then tear those in half to stretch it out twice as far! 🙄

ko
 
Gretch Flo said:
Me TOO!!!!!, Why be wasteful????Gretch
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Hiya Gretch 😀

Exactly......no sense in throwing out usable towel without ever using it.

I grind tools down to the nub before abandoning them.

I use rags until they are dirty.

I re-use disposable gloves several times before tossing them.

I don't use every square inch of sandpaper.......probably 95% of it though.....

I am swearing off my frugal-ness with sanding discs.....working on that! 😵

Money is in short supply these days.......😱

ko
 
I keep a box 18 x 28 inches or so, toss sanding disc and misc in it.......I find myself raiding it for base adding yellow glue to dust for cracks....For wedges, etc
 

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At times, I can get really scrooge-like. Really, I have to be, because money is tight. I spend freely on shop supplies and wood, but wear raggedy old clothes and shoes with holes in them! 😱

Here's an example: I use my ebony pencils right down to the nub.....about 1/2" length! I do this by flattening the last little bit on the belt sander, and tie it to a rod that has a mating flat surface.
IMG_2720.JPG

I also shave with blades others would have tossed out long ago.....😵!!!!! (haven't figgered out how to re-sharpen them yet.......but, I'm working on it!)

ko
 
odie said:
At times, I can get really scrooge-like. Really, I have to be, because money is tight. I spend freely on shop supplies and wood, but wear raggedy old clothes and shoes with holes in them! 😱

Here's an example: I use my ebony pencils right down to the nub.....about 1/2" length! I do this by flattening the last little bit on the belt sander, and tie it to a rod that has a mating flat surface.
View attachment 22402

I also shave with blades others would have tossed out long ago.....😵!!!!! (haven't figgered out how to re-sharpen them yet.......but, I'm working on it!)

ko
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Love it Odie. I'm similarly scrooge-like. I re-use zip ties by sticking a razor knife blade under the catch mechanism. And I stopped shaving 25 years ago. 🙂
 
odie, I'm so cheap, they have my picture next to the word in the dictionary. I do like odie's idea of the pencil. I just go around the grounds at the local elementary schools. Lots of pencils dropped in the parking lot. A few have been run over but you can cut off the smashed part and use the rest.
Zach, I slip a thin screwdriver under the locking tab and pull. That is a short beard for 25 years of growth.
Will this thread never end? 😕
 
odie said:
At times, I can get really scrooge-like. Really, I have to be, because money is tight. I spend freely on shop supplies and wood, but wear raggedy old clothes and shoes with holes in them! 😱

Here's an example: I use my ebony pencils right down to the nub.....about 1/2" length! I do this by flattening the last little bit on the belt sander, and tie it to a rod that has a mating flat surface.
View attachment 22402

I also shave with blades others would have tossed out long ago.....😵!!!!! (haven't figgered out how to re-sharpen them yet.......but, I'm working on it!)

ko
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We must be twins. 😀

It's hard to sharpen a blade cartridge that has five blades, but if you don't mind a little stubble and a few razor burns, it's good for six weeks or so.
 
Hey forum, to follow Bill's post- no kidding, I used a razor, CVS pharmacy brand, for a bit over three months. I marked the date on the handle with a Sharpie and noted when I tossed it. Yes, I get 5 o'clock shadow at noon so a razor gets a workout.
Does anyone remember the original topic for this thread? 😳
 
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