Sorby SandMaster

[Tim Thiebaut]

I picked up one of these 2 weeks ago, and got around to useing it the past couple of days on a couple of projects I have going, and I have to say this is a great tool, it got my sanding time WAY down as compared to doing it by hand as I have been on the outside of my turnings, I even used this on an entire bowl I am doing...just need to put the finish on it and then its done. I cant even tell you how much difference there is in sanding I was completely impressed with this thing. It only came with a few sanding disks and I grabbed just a couple of extra packs while I was there to get me going, but plan on ordering some good ones from Vince soon. I dont have the extra money to buy a good right angle drill right now, so this was a nice compromise until I can get the funds up for one.

Now for a question, does anyone here have the Sorby "Micro" SandMaster? I have a couple of pieces with very narrow openings and there is no way the regular one will get in to sand, and I cant get my fingers in far enough to do it, does anyone here know if the Micro will go through and work in an area "under" "1 1/4 inches?

If not, or if you know of some tricks that would help me sand through such a small opening and to a depth of "5-6 inches please let me know what they are, I just cant bring myself to call it good and leave it like it is you know. Thanks, Tim

[Thom Sturgill]

Haven't tried the micro - I use a pair of long forceps (http://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/store/Abrasives___Sanding_Accessories___Sanding_Clamp___ sanding_clamps?Args=) that I bought. I will sometimes wrap a piece of sandpaper around a small wad of steel wool, hold it in the clamp and use that to sand with. You can also pad a small stick (popsicle stick or tounge depressor) with craft foam and use peel and stick sandpaper on top of that.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Haven't used one but do like Thom does. I use some foam and wrap with sandpaper then clamp with the forceps. Works pretty well.

[Tim Thiebaut]

Thanks guys, I will pick up some foam at the Hardware store this morning and give it a shot! Thanks again, Tim

[Don Watson]

Hi Tim,
I use a pair of Artery forceps that lock when nipped closed.
Ideal for getting into little places and keeping fingers out of harms way

take care
Don W

[Tim Thiebaut]

Thanks for the info Don, I meant to post here yesterday when I got done in the shop and then just completely forgot about it, this is what I did. What I found at the hardware store was some rubber bottle stoppers, I grabbed a couple that are "1 in diameter, I also grabbed some foam sanding pads that I found there, the pads are about a "1/4 thick...I cut a strip and taped it to the rubber stopper and made sure it would fall in such a way as to go with the rotation of the lathe when turned on. The rubber stoppers are tapered. I chucked the stopper into my spigot jaws and center drilled a "1/4 hole in the middle, and pushed a "1/4x20 by "5 bolt through the middle of the stopper with the taper facing away from me, added a washer top and bottom of the stopper then finaly a nylon lock nut. This ended up working very well to sand the inside of the small vase I am doing, and the taper on the bottle stopper rode perfectly from the wider top portion of the vase down through the narrow lower portion. I changed out the foam sanding strips I had cut several times going from coarse to fine and although it is not as good a sanding job as I can do on the outside, I am a lot more pleased with it then just leaving it unfinished on the inside. I grabbed some extra bottle stoppers in different sizes for future uses. Thanks for everyones input and help on this, Tim