Better Hook-and-Loop Sand Disc Holders?

[Eric Jacobson]

I use 2" hook-and-loop sanding discs with my power drill and the disc holders break on me every 5 or 6 bowls. I can see them starting to break early on...the white foamy part begins separating from the black plastic due to the stress and angles being applied while sanding. I glue them back but they break again and lose their alignment over time.

I've been buying a generic $7 disc holder from Highland Woodworking but I am getting sick of replacing them.

Does anyone have a solution?

I noticed one in the Craft Supplies Wood turners catalog called "Premium Disc Holder". It looks like it's all rubber and may be more robust. I may give that a try.

[Joseph M Lary]

I bough some for the Sanding Glove 2 years ago the only problem i get them hot and the velcro want to come loose. havent broke one yet

[Steve Schlumpf]

Eric - a lot of the problem you are experiencing is caused by excess pressure being applied while sanding. No big deal but some products can handle it - some not as well. I have been using disks and holders from Vince and have been very happy with the products. Make sure you get the interface pads - they will wear out but it saves the holder.

http://www.vinceswoodnwonders.com/

[Josh Bowman]

Also call and talk to Vince. Steve suggested I do and he had lots of ideas and advise.

[Cathy Schaewe]

I FINALLY broke the only holder I had, and have been using it since March on a very, very regular basis (almost daily). It came from Vince, and I'm very impressed it lasted that long, with all the abuse it took.

[Bernie Weishapl]

I have one from Vince's and one from CSUSA. I also have the first cheap one I bought for half the price of the above. It still works fine. Hopefully you aren't putting to much pressure while using it and ruining the velcro or the velcro coming off.

[John Keeton]

I get all my stuff from Vince, and very happy with them. The interface pads really make all the difference in the world - cheaper than replacing the holders.

[Don Geiger]

Check out www.thesandingglove.com (http://www.thesandingglove.com). Bruce Hoover, owner, is a really great turner and has built an extensive line of wonderful products specifically focused on sanding supplies and equipment.
Very high quality and wonderful service!


Don Geiger

[David Peebles]

Hi Eric,

I have tried a lot of them and my favorite is made by Tim Skilton. It lasts forever and holds the discs very well.

I just don't waste my time with others anymore. When I find something I like and it works, I tend to stay with it.

I am never sure of the rules with linking here, so just google it. I think you will find it to be a great addition to power sanding.

Best wishes,

Dave

[Reed Gray]

Another vote for Vince. I have never broken a holder, but have worn a number of the pads out. I do get an interface pad which goes between the mandrill and the disc. It is cheaper to replace the pad than the mandrill. Too much pressure and too high speed (both the rpm of the bowl and the rpm of the disc) will create more heat, and besides destroying the disc and pad, can cause your wood to get heat checks/small cracks.

robo hippy

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Get quality pads, 2 and 3 inch ones, slow down your lathe and your drill, angled drill will help to get a better position for the pad.
High speed will break down the pads, heat will degrade the sandpaper and harden the wood, all the wrong things to do, also use good quality sandpaper and not dull paper, so change it when it stops sanding.

[Jon Lanier]

I really appreciate this thread. Good insight and information!

[Bill Blasic]

Get the Stilton from Steve Worcester and you won't be disappointed.
Bill

[John Altberg]

Another vote for the Skilton. Have done 30 bowls with it and it is still in GREAT shape!

[Kyle Iwamoto]

Anyone compare Vince's and Tim's? I've used Vince's and am very impressed. I also have the CSUSA "premium" and they are much better than the other ones I have used, but not as good as Vince's. I just wore out my interface pad, and need to order more. I'm now wondering about Tim's.

[Neil Strong]

Hi Eric,

I have tried a lot of them and my favorite is made by Tim Skilton.


Another vote for Skilton, and should they ever need it Tim will rehab them.

.....

[Bill Bulloch]

I bought one from Bruce Bell, and Australian woodturner, when he was demonstrating at our club about a year ago. It is still in good shape. I don't know the brand name, but it's probably a Skilton. I looked at the Skilton web site, it's not user friendly, I could not figure out how to order from it.

[John Keeton]

Bill, I just did a search and it appears Lee Valley sells Skilton pads here (http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=49254&cat=1,42500). I didn't check to see if they have interface pads, though the page above does show a 'replacement pad.'

I can't speak to a comparison of Vince's and Skilton as I have used only the ones from Vince, though the price differential is considerable.

[Eric Jacobson]

thanks for the technique advice, Leo. Recently, I've been sanding with the lathe at less than 200 RPMs, but I'm not sure what my drill spins at. It has 2 gears. Maybe I should switch to the low (slower) gear. I'm not sure if I'll have the patience.

[Jake Helmboldt]

thanks for the technique advice, Leo. Recently, I've been sanding with the lathe at less than 200 RPMs, but I'm not sure what my drill spins at. It has 2 gears. Maybe I should switch to the low (slower) gear. I'm not sure if I'll have the patience.

Eric, you may find that "patience" is a non-issue. Sanding at higher speeds may simply wear out/glaze the paper requiring more work in the long run. Speed and efficiency aren't the same, and once I got a lathe with variable speed my sanding quality has been much better (at slower speeds) while requiring less time (I think).

[Bill Bulloch]

Bill, I just did a search and it appears Lee Valley sells Skilton pads here (http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=49254&cat=1,42500). I didn't check to see if they have interface pads, though the page above does show a 'replacement pad.'

I can't speak to a comparison of Vince's and Skilton as I have used only the ones from Vince, though the price differential is considerable.

Thanks for the source. I see what you mean about the price. I paid $16 for the one I got from Bruce Bell and it included some sanding disc. The one on the Skilton website is priced at $16, then there is the shipping. I am not to begrudging Lee Valley for wanting to make a profit.

[Eric Jacobson]

Thanks for all the help, guys. I just ordered the Skilton mandrel and pads from Steve Worcester. It sure looks like the same exact madrel sold by CSUSA. CSUSA calls it "Premium disc holder". Anyway, thought I would give Steve the business. He seems to have a nice niche in sanding supplies and has narrowed the choices down nicely.

I'll try to dig this thread up and respond, after some serious usage of my new mandrel Thanks, again.

[Barry Elder]

Many of the old sage's advice will apply here: Too much pressure produces too much heat, which tends to destroy mandrels. Bought mine from Skilton through Steve Worcester's site. Use sanding discs like somebody else was paying for them! A cheap mandrel is very expensive if you have to keep replacing them. Learning to sharpen your tools so that you can shave with them will cut your sanding time in half.:eek:

[David DeCristoforo]

I have found that the pads (unless they are very open cell soft foam) can be glued back on with CA. The first time one came off on me was when I was sanding the inside of a very thin turning from one of those weird Aussie burls that was full of huge worm holes. The edge of the pad caught on one of the worm holes and it knocked the whole thing to pieces...

[Reed Gray]

I got the CSUSA mandrill, which as others have said appears to be the same as the Skilton. There are other cheaper ones out there that are made to be disposable. Didn't like them at all, and most were the soft pads.

I have a couple of angle drills, some slow speed, with max rpm at about 1200, and some high speed ones with max speed at about 3200 rpm. I keep a piece of 1/4 inch cork taped under the trigger to keep rpm to about 600 or less. The slower speeds really are more efficient for sanding. Some do sand at very high speeds, but you have to just barely touch the wood.

I also found that a firm pad is much better for the coarser grits. My guess is that 120 grit on a firm pad cuts better than 80 grit on a soft pad. After 220 or so, then there is little difference in performance because you aren't sanding as much as you are buffing out scratches.

robo hippy

[Neil Strong]

The slower speeds really are more efficient for sanding. Some do sand at very high speeds, but you have to just barely touch the wood.



I'm a high speed sander and as Reed advises it has to be done with a very light touch.

.....

[Jon Lanier]

Eric - a lot of the problem you are experiencing is caused by excess pressure being applied while sanding. No big deal but some products can handle it - some not as well. I have been using disks and holders from Vince and have been very happy with the products. Make sure you get the interface pads - they will wear out but it saves the holder.

http://www.vinceswoodnwonders.com/

Steve, I had some money in my PayPal account and decided to pull the trigger and try Vince out. If they are not better than the Woodcraft Wavy Disc I'm coming up there to get you. :p

[Jake Helmboldt]

Steve, I had some money in my PayPal account and decided to pull the trigger and try Vince out. If they are not better than the Woodcraft Wavy Disc I'm coming up there to get you. :p

John, the Woodcraft discs I have are actually made by Klingspor. I've got a bunch directly from Klingspor that have been good, but the small batch I got at Woodcraft (in a pinch) were garbage, and overpriced garbage at that. The velcro backing came off just about every one of them in less than a minute of use. I assume they were old, and given the price at my local Woodcraft I wouldn't doubt that they've been on the shelf for a while.

I just got a bunch of the blue discs from Vince and they are great and his prices can't be beat. I also got a couple interface pads to save wear on my mandrels and their curved edges help conform to the inner surface of the bowl. I'll be shopping with Vince again.

[Vince Welch]

I use 2" hook-and-loop sanding discs with my power drill and the disc holders break on me every 5 or 6 bowls. I can see them starting to break early on...the white foamy part begins separating from the black plastic due to the stress and angles being applied while sanding. I glue them back but they break again and lose their alignment over time.

I've been buying a generic $7 disc holder from Highland Woodworking but I am getting sick of replacing them.

Does anyone have a solution?

I noticed one in the Craft Supplies Wood turners catalog called "Premium Disc Holder". It looks like it's all rubber and may be more robust. I may give that a try.
Hi Eric,
A couple things to note with Back Up Pads. The foam that is used with the white foam is a Latex foam. There are different densities of foam out there and some are better then others for what we use them for! The density is dictated by how much air is allowed within the foam. There is also a polyurethane back up pad that I have access to and is a great back up pad. But importantly as the foam is understanding about heat and speed which can cause the back up pad to wear prematurely. SAND EASY! Let the discs do the work. As you progress through the grits go down in speed! 400 grit is NOT as aggressive as 80 so you can sand at the same speed and expect the same efficiency. If you have any questions please contact me via email or phone 1-877-284-8969 and I will be happy to clarify. Thanks, Vince