Sanding HELP!

[Jim Eller]

I'm sure this is a dumb request but........

As you can see from the attached pic, I'm making a bunch of puzzle chairs.

They are 3/4" plywood and I am putting a filler(Timbermate) on the edges to fill the edge grain. This stuff works great but I'm tired of hand sanding all of the edges and looking for some "POWER" ideas.

I have a spindle sander which I can use in the 3/4" rounded areas but on gentle curves, I find I really have to be extremely careful or you get a "bump". I also use dowel rod with paper attached to do these areas.

I have big and small belt sanders and RO sanders but they just don't seem to be that handy on the edges. Especially on inside curves.

Is there a power tool(electric or air) I'm missing from my arsenal that would help this project? I've seen these 1/2' and 3/4" wide belt sanders but have never used one.

Right now I'm in the mood for an early Christmas present to make my life easier.

[Chuck Isaacson]

you need to take yourself to the Home Depot and get their Oscillating Spindle Sander. It is supposed to be one of the best. And it also converts to a small 6" edge sander. Quite versatile. I am hoping that Santa brings me one this year..

Chuck

[Jim Eller]

you need to take yourself to the Home Depot and get their Oscillating Spindle Sander. It is supposed to be one of the best. And it also converts to a small 6" edge sander. Quite versatile. I am hoping that Santa brings me one this year..

Chuck

Chuck,

I do have that machine but I still find if you are not extremely careful, it will put "bumps" in you project. Especially with the small radius drums.

I was hoping for some sort of a hand held solution that doesn't eat a lot of material in a short period of time.

I will agree, the Ridgid sander is a great tool to have around. I just wish at times it were variable speed.

Jim

[David DeCristoforo]

The "trick" is to keep your stock constantly moving and use light pressure against the drum.

[Jim Eller]

The "trick" is to keep your stock constantly moving and use light pressure against the drum.

Ya right David:):)

That's what I try to do but it doesn't always work for me. .....and usually in a highly visible spot.

I guess I'm lookin' for another miracle tool. ...or and excuse to buy something.

But, I will try again.

Thanks,
Jim

[David DeCristoforo]

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=16902

[Glen Butler]

Perhaps I don't quite understand what you are doing, but it seems an ROS should be able to hit most of what you are sanding. Then it would just be some hand sanding in the hard to reach areas.

[Rick Lizek]

Try a bandfile or the 1" belt sander...

http://search.harborfreight.com/cpisearch/web/search.do?keyword=belt+sander&Submit=Go

[Caspar Hauser]

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=10188

[Jim Eller]

David: Those may help. I can slow the drill press down.

Rick: Bandfile is what I was thinking about but I have never heard anyone express pros or cons about it and have never used one.

Glen: The ROS is a little clumsy to use on a narrow edge for me. It would only part of the edge and doesn't work that well for me for inside curves.

Oh well. I'll go back to doing it the way my grandfather did it.

Thanks for the input.

Jim

[David Christopher]

Jim, why not one of these

http://www.amazon.com/Porter-Cable-9444VS-Variable-Profile-Sander/dp/B0000222XM

[David Keller NC]

One other thought - perhaps you'd be better off not sanding, but smoothing the edges with a smooth file. These work very well on wood and materials other than the metal they're designed for.

[Rick Lizek]

David: Those may help. I can slow the drill press down.

Rick: Bandfile is what I was thinking about but I have never heard anyone express pros or cons about it and have never used one.
Jim

Bandfiles are great tools. They can sand parts other sanders can't touch.

[Glen Butler]

Jim, why not one of these

http://www.amazon.com/Porter-Cable-9444VS-Variable-Profile-Sander/dp/B0000222XM

Would you think oscillations are so small that he would be faster hand sanding?

[Charlie Doret]

I do have that machine but I still find if you are not extremely careful, it will put "bumps" in you project. Especially with the small radius drums.

Jim

You might try hiding most of the drum to give yourself surface off of which to reference the part that you're sanding, at least for the outside sections of curves. Take a piece of scrap that's wider than the diameter of the sanding drum you want to use on your spindle sander. Bore a hole in it that is a little bigger than the drum such that the hole overlaps the edge of the piece of scrap. Drop it over the drum on your sander so that the drum just peaks out past the edge of the scrap. This will let the scrap act sort of like the tables on a jointer while you're sanding, and so long as you keep your stock moving you're not likely to get the bumpy surface you're worried about.

[Jim Eller]

You might try hiding most of the drum to give yourself surface off of which to reference the part that you're sanding, at least for the outside sections of curves. Take a piece of scrap that's wider than the diameter of the sanding drum you want to use on your spindle sander. Bore a hole in it that is a little bigger than the drum such that the hole overlaps the edge of the piece of scrap. Drop it over the drum on your sander so that the drum just peaks out past the edge of the scrap. This will let the scrap act sort of like the tables on a jointer while you're sanding, and so long as you keep your stock moving you're not likely to get the bumpy surface you're worried about.

Charlie: Sounds like that is worth a try.

It gave me another thought of putting like a router guide pin on the table so you can use that as a source to reference off of instead of having to use just the spinning drum.