Sanding the inside of a vase?

[Gary Chester]

I have a vase I'm working on that is just big enough for me to get my hand into for sanding the bottom, but small enough that makes me think that's not such a hot idea while the lathe is running.

What's your tool of choice to get this done safely. I'm thinkin' sandpaper on a padded stick of some sort.

[Harry Robinette]

DO NOT PUT YOUR HAND INSIDE WHILE RUNNING, Put a 2" or 3" sanding disc on an extension maybe 10 or 12" and hook it to a drill. A small round handle with that will slide onto the extension, hold the handle and turn on the drill.

[Bill Hensley]

What Harry said. I also made a couple of sanding stars cutting strips of sandpaper and mounting to a 1/4-20 stove bolt. It will fit into the extension and allows you to get at the sides of the hollow form.

[David E Keller]

I've done the pad on a stick thing and the mandrel on a drill... Both work for different areas and shapes. Your hand inside is probably not the safest option... I have small children with much smaller hands, so I'd make them do it!:D

[John Keeton]

Take a 1/2" dowel, and cut several sections that are about 8-10" long. Then cut a variety of bevels on either end, glue on some foam backed velcro strips to which you can attach a variety of grits cut from some sanding discs. I use a piece on the end of a straight cut dowel for sanding the very center to remove the mark/nub that sometimes remains. Works very well.

[Mark Levitski]

I have used my curved hollowing tool and bolted on a velcro sanding pad where the cutter head is usually attached. Then I added a pad protector layered on top to cover the bolt. I use it like I used the tool for hollowing, only now it is sanding. Depends on the size of your opening of course.
Otherwise, as others, I use my sanding drill/mandrel, especially for the actual bottom.

[Jim Burr]

I have some 6-12" hemostats we use on Bipass machines. DO NOT put your fingers in the holes!!!, just clamp up some 240 grit and have at it.

[Peter Blair]

Or, check out this thread especially the glass sanding technique.

If you could invent a tool for turning, what would it be? (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?180083-If-you-could-invent-a-tool-for-turning-what-would-it-be/page2)

[Ken Glass]

I have a few 1/2" and 3/4" dowels with cut foam sanding pads drilled in about an 1-1/2 and epoxied to them. Sometimes I trim the pads to the side contour of the HF or vase. I don't usually sand inside of a HF with a 1" or smaller hole.

[Dan Forman]

Pictures of any of these devices would be appreciated by the visualization challenged.

Dan

[Bill Wyko]

Here are a few options.
http://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/store/Abrasives___Sanding_Accessories___Sanding_Pad_Exte nsion___sanding_pad_extension?Args=
http://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/store/Abrasives___Sanders___Reach_Sanding_Ball___reach_s anding_ball?Args=
http://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/store/Abrasives___Sanders___Vicmarc_Inertia_Vacuum_Sande r___inertia_vacuum_sander?Args=

[Peter Blair]

Hi Dan. I am in the process of reinventing a BBQ roterissier spinner I use when finishing the Cake Testers I make and will post pictures as soon as I am done. May be too late for you for this project though.

[Peter Blair]

Greetings again. I took a few minutes yesterday and did a little, very little, work to my "Cake Tester" spinner to allow me to use it to sand the inside of hollow forms with broken glass as has been discussed earlier in this thread.
Here are a few pictures, pardon their quality I just snapped them with my phone.
As you can see I have used a rather substantial pillow block only because I had it hanging around. I modified the inboard end to fit into a BBQ rotisserie(sp) and added a chuck adaptor to the outboard end to allow me to attach any of my chucks. I can tip it to sand the bottom or under the shoulder. The small hollow form that is mounted is for demonstration purposes only. I has been once turned as is waiting it's turn on the Oneway.
I haven't tried it yet and am wondering if it turns too slow(6 rpm.) to work but if so I will devise a method to make it spin faster.
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[Nate Davey]

Nice design Pete, consider this idea stolen :D. I wasn't able to spin my lathe faster than about 150rpm without centrifugal holding the glass in place.

[Peter Blair]

Hey Nate. What speed would you think is ideal?

[Nate Davey]

Pete,

I honestly don't know, the key, I my mind, is the tumbling of the sanding media. I Googled various DIY tumbler specs and 50-100rpm seems to be the recommended speed.