Bowl sander

[Charlie Plesums]

As a cheapskate, I have been putting off spending $20 to $100 for the small sanding kits (sanding pad, paper, arbor, etc) to do the inside of bowls. I give up! Ready to bite the bullet. But now I find more choices than I can cope with.

I know that I want a relatively small system (2 inch) that runs in an electric drill (and have seen the recommendations on the drill options) but what kind of pads to use and arbors, etc. Such as


New wave sanding kit, with hard and soft pads and apparently glue-type paper that attaches to the separate pad that velcro-attaches to the mandrel

Sorby seems to have a similar kit to the New Wave (how is it different?)

White Rhyno - similar

Hi-Per Gold - similar

Power lock starter system.

Flex Edge - seems to be a special paper that hangs over the edge of the Power Lock disc

There also seems to be too many choices of the inner pad - thick vs. thicker, disc vs. donut.

Any suggestions on how I should get started - primarily to sand the inside bottom of bowls (where the wood travels slower under the sandpaper when sanding on the lathe).

[Cecil Arnold]

Charles, I find that the 2" wave disks on a velcro sponge rubber pad works well on the tighter curves of bowl insides, but revert to the reguliar 2" for most other things as they are cheaper. The Sorby sander works well if you don't need to remove much, but if you find you need an 80 grit gouge you will need a power sander. Amazon has a bargain angle drill (about $40.) that looks like the Sioux that sells in the $160 range. You can check a thread here started by Ken Salsbury on this item. The angle drill also works with the hard rubber and screw in disks you can find in some tools stores. I'm sorry I don't know the proper name for this set-up, but have used it and it really eats wood and helps cover most major mistakes. You can also get the velcro pads that can be chucked to the angle drill to use either of the 2" pads you may chose. There are extensions available for this from Packard and others. I know this is starting to sound confusing, but I'm trying to get used to new tri-focels and it is hard to concintrate.

[Steve Knowlton]

Charlie, I Have The Sorby And It Works Great. I Also Bought An Inexpensive 3/8" Drill With High Rpm. Then I Bought The Twist On Pads. I Found The Twist On Work Good To Get It Down To 220grit, Then I Go To The Sorby. Steve

[Jack Savona]

I also use the Sorby and the inexpensive angle drill with the velcro pad. The combination of the two works very well, each having their own uses.

The problem I find is with the velcro system. I find the disks don't adhere well after 3 or 4 uses. I've used compressed air to clear out the hooks and loops, but find that the disks often fly off at higher speeds. I think it must be the velcro on the holder and am in the process of trying to find more heavy duty velcro to replace it or a better backing to make my own disks. The next step might be to buy those 1 yd. x 1 m. velcro sandpaper sheets for $15 ea. Each sheet should yield close to 400 2" disks.

Jack

[Adam Howard]

Call me nuts, but I bought a $35 angle drill off Ebay, and it looks exactly like the Sioux. Works great so far.

As for the sanding pads..... I tried the Sorby, and didn't like it. After a short life, the pads stopped sticking.

Now, I'm using the Powerlock. You can get the head at Woodcraft for something like $12, and pads are $8/10pk. So far, I like these much better.

[Charles McKinley]

Hi Charlie,

The source for the meter by yard sheets is:
www.industrialabrasives.com

Industrial Abrasives
642 N 8th Street,
P.O. Box 14955
Reading, PA 19601
800-428-2222

As of January they are $15.75 a sheet. I ordered 8 sheets,80 to 600 grit, and the shipping was $8.00.

I wished I had bought a few of the cheaper velcro pads and this sandpaper. The starter wave set was ~$50 and I think I only gat about 5 disc in each grit. The person that told me about this was here or at WC and said just cut squares It worked like the Waves.

[Jack Savona]

Chuck, do these velcro pads from the large sheets stick any better? I guess at the low cost of each piece, no need to be of any concern, right?

Jack

[Fred Ray]

Charlie: You can get more advice on this subject than you ever dreamed. I use the wave discs mostly especially on inside curves. I cut my own in the coarser grits when needed. I use the milwaukee and Sioux close quarter 3/8 vs drills ( I have one of each). I find the slower speed better (0 - 1300 rpm). The cheapest alternative is a broom stick with a nylon or teflon insert at a right angle near the end. Drill a 1/4" hole in the nylon for the shaft of the sanding pad to run in. Put a second insert in the other end of the stick at 45 degrees. You've basically built your own Sorby sanding system for next to nothing.

Another good idea - Buy the cheap Harbor Freight 1/4" right angle air die grinder ($19.95 on sale) chuck your disk in and use it as a friction sander, hook up air you've got a power sander, put a $3.95 HF inline air regulator on it and you've got a variable speed power sander.

If you ever have the opportunity to see a demo by Bruce Hoover from Virginia (the self proclaimed president of the I Hate to Sand Club), check it out. I spent 4 hours of a demo on nothing but sanding with him and I promise not one second of it was boring. He's got more ideas for sanding than you could imagine.

[Charles McKinley]

Hi Jack,

Mine are still sticking alright but it is still fairly new. I haven't turned a bowl in a while. From what I have read heat is the killer of the velcro hooks. The recommendation I read was to sand at slower speeds.

The best way I have found to cut the squares is to fold the paper over and use a knife. I'm interested in suggestion for a faster way.

[Jason Solodow]

Hey Jack-
I use a Milwaukee 3/8 angle drill with the Powerlock discs for my coarse sanding, then I switch to the Sorby sander for the final. Here's a couple of problems I've noticed.... If you get a bad sanding disc, when the heat builds up you can sometimes have the sandpaper seperate from the velcro, then when that files across the shop, (unless you're really fast with the sander) the hook portion of the pad will get torn up on the bowl. Now you need a new pad.. Also with the Powerlock system, I've had a time or two where the disc has come off and gone airborne, then you get a black mark on the piece that will have to be sanded off. Most likely, both of these are probably because I'm still new at turning, but I don't know.

Oh and Chuck, I saw a thread somewhere about that you can get a circle cutter for sandpaper that works like a punch...I'll see if I can find it again and then I'll post the link...

Gotta go, work to be done....
Jason