Sanding discs.. what do you like ?

[Rick Fisher]

I am new to turning and have been using the Klingspor sanding discs on the Australian backing pads.

The discs don't last long at all. The heat of sanding wrecks them super fast.

The backing pads seem the same. They aren't really cheap considering how long they last.

I ordered some of the new wave discs to try them out, with the wavy edges.. Does anyone know who makes those discs ?

I am curious what people suggest ?

Sizes are 2" and 3" ..

[Reed Gray]

For me, dollar wise, and for cutting ability, the blue discs from VincesWoodNWonders work the best. I do have a clip up on sanding if you go to my You Tube channel. The biggest thing about sanding is speed and pressure. While you would think that high speeds cut better, on advice from Vince, I started sanding at slower speeds, in the 600 rpm or less. I found it cuts way better, and for pressure, only the weight of the drill. If you are sanding at higher speeds, it is like a dragster burning out its wheels, lots of heat and no traction. His discs are 3 3/8 inch diameter, so same as the wave I think, but solid. I prefer his firm interface pads for grits through 180, then the medium pad for grits 220 and up.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7rV_Y9vwoTl18_dSSaffjw

robo hippy

[Joe Meirhaeghe]

I like the Norton & 3M disc from the Sanding Glove. Maybe a little more expensive but they are high quality with consistent grain size giving a fast cut with even scratch patterns. I've tried the blue disc from Vince 5 or 6 yrs ago and just didn't like them as well as the Norton or 3M. I don't mind paying a little more for quality, I find it usually pays off in the long run.

[John Keeton]

I have used Vince's blue discs since I started turning and they work well and are affordable. Plus, I like supporting another turner and a small business.

I can't compare them to any others as I haven't had the need to try anything else. The grit seems to be very even and I have no difficulty working thru the grits with them in short order.

[Justin Stephen]

I also use Vince's blue discs. I have tried a couple of others, one I liked a lot and one I didn't, and went back to Vince's discs as they were just as good as the other brand I liked and cheaper.

[Grant Wilkinson]

Mine is another vote for Vince's blue discs. I sand fast following advice from the late Bill Neddow, but with very little pressure. Both the discs and the backing pads are holding up very well.

[terry mccammon]

Count me in the Vince column. I used his blue disks for several years. However this summer he starting offering green disks which so far I like even better. His stuff is first rate, and count me with John K, I like supporting a fellow turner and a nice guy.

[Peter Lamb]

Try Vince's new green discs. They seem sharper and may last longer.
I think though not sure yet that they may be better than blue.

[Prashun Patel]

I like Vince's discs, 2sand's Indasa Rhyno discs, and Abranet for the coarse grits south of 100. The Abranet is pricey, but it lasts much longer than either of the other discs.

The biggest revelation for me, though was getting a quality mandrel and backing pad. For this, I HIGHLY recommend Vince's mandrel and all manner of innerface pads. They really make all the difference.

The Abranet also comes with its own innerface pad which is a must as it will generate heat. I use that pad with conventional discs too; it's thinner and can be used nicely when a hard backer is required.

[Scott Hackler]

Another vote for Vince. Good products, good prices and good guy.

[Reed Gray]

I did try the Dry Ice discs from Norton, and while they cut very well, I found the 'wearability' to be almost identical to the blue discs from Vince. It was some years ago, but then, their cost was more than double what Vince's blue discs were. I got home from my evening swim last night and the phone rang. It was Vince. He wanted to know if he had sent me samples of the green discs, and some new mandrel that he had. I have only sanded a couple of bowls with the green discs, and didn't find that they had any advantage to the blue discs. Vince said he felt pretty much the same way, though he thought the 120 grit green disc was a bit sharper than the blue disc. Not positive about that. I did get some samples of discs from him that were similar to the Abranet discs, complete range from 80 to 400 or 600, can't really remember. I tried them out and found that they cut much slower than the standard abrasive discs till you got up into the 220 grit range. Too much open area I am guessing. I tried some of the Astra Dot discs years back, and felt that was pretty much true for them as well.

robo hippy

[ken kruizenga]

I like the white Rhino paper from Industrial Abrasives out of Reading PA. I also like the disk to over hang the mounting pads so they offer one yard sheets of hook and loop paper, so I cut my own disks, it is kind of a hassle but they are fairly cheap. I hate to call myself cheap but generally on the 3" disks only the outside 1/2" of grit is used I cut them down for the 2" disks. Industrial Abrasives also have the foam mounting pads which seem to work good enough the foam does tend to rip just above the shank. They have kits that of the 2" and 3" mandrels for less than 12 bucks

[Dennis Ford]

I use disks from Vince, Klingspor and a couple of others; all are good. If the disks are breaking down from heat, you are using too much pressure and/or too much speed.

[David Delo]

I like Vince's blue disks. Tried a batch of the newer green disks but couldn't keep the disks on the pad when using inside of a bowl. Worked well on the outside but not on the inside. Using a slug of Mirka gold right now from Turningwood. Seems to cut a little better but I don't think they last quite as long as the blue disks.

[Lee Watermann]

I had,have, the blue and green. The greens would fly off often and would go through 7 or 8 on a bowl. the blues were a little better. the 220s and above were terrible. Most recently I got the whites and have done two bowls without losing one disc. I still have some blues and greens and switched back and off they went and once they fly off they will not go back on. No more blues and greens for me especially 200 and above. Can't wait until I use them up. I use them for hand sanding now.

[Reed Gray]

Hmm, Lee, I wonder what is going on. I haven't had them come flying off, and can get a couple of bowls per disc. High speed? Slow speed? Too much pressure? Our results are so much different.

robo hippy

[Rick Fisher]

Wow. Great advice here.

I ordered some of the new wave discs from Lee Valley. Just a few to try them out. I think its true I am putting too much pressure on the pad and overheating it..

Vince's blue discs sound like the disc to try ..

[Thom Sturgill]

I have used the Norton Dry Ice, Vince's Blue, Green and Tan disks, and Klingspors disks (straight and wave). I like the Dry Ice when I use the lowest grits though Vince's Green seem to work well. The blue disks seem too stiff. In the 180-320 grit I use Vince's disks - they work very well. I also like his interface pads, especially the rounded ones for inside of bowls. at 320 and above I tend to hand sand with lubrication.

[Prashun Patel]

Try Vince's mandrel. I find it better than the ones I used to use from 2Sand, which ripped above the mandrel as you say.

[Marc Tuunanen]

Vince is great, but I have started using abranet discs from 2sand.com. Abranet has a mesh build and the dust goes through and won't clog as fast. You can use air to blow it out clean or tap on the lathe. Works great and lasts a long time. Cost is on par maybe a bit higher but it lasts a long time. Been informed Vince carries Abranet as well and will probably give them a try to see the price difference. Whichever you use, use it like someone else bought them is the old saying.

Marry Christmas all,
Marc

[Lee Watermann]

don't know Robo, I even have a hard time pulling off the white. My mandrels are from woodnwonders and I thought I would try different discs before I blame the mandels. I have pads for every grit and don't want to change them. The backing sticks on better. I tried every speed and pressure but the greens fly off quite often. Today I sanded three bowls that required a lot of infill and I lost one white on the edge of the bowl. Perhaps the pads will be different from different suppliers but the whites work where the blues and greens do not on mine. If I experience something else down the line I will report it.

[Greg Just]

My preferred supplier of disks is http://www.abrasiveresource.com/ They are a local Minnesota business and give our turning club a discount on all purchases and a quantity discount on larger purchases. Shipping is always free which helps in reducing the unit cost per disk. They had a Black Friday special recently and I stocked up on 3" blue disks.

I have no affiliation with this company other than a happy customer.

[Rick Fisher]

I tried the wavy discs today .. ( they arrived ) . They seem super durable compared to the Klingspor.. What do folks think of those ?

[Robert Willing]

One more vote for Vince I use the rubber disc cleaner between sanding, just ordered more blue.

[Vince Welch]

Just a FYI, I had a small issue with some of my new Green discs that has been resolved! If you had an issue with these or any of my discs please contact me for replacement discs.
Thank you, Vince

[Robert Willing]

I have been using Vince's blue disks for some time now and just ordered more. I do not have anyone else to compare to but our turning club recommended his disc. They seem to last, I clean them with the rubber sander cleaner, just use light pressure. I would suggest checking the disc every so often while sanding it makes cleaning them easer and keeps them from building up excessive material. Between grit grades I dust what ever I am sanding, and the dust is sucked into my DC system. I use a bench brush. I always run my DC system while sanding on the lathe.

[Ben Pierce]

The Indasa Rhynogrip discs cost about 60% more than the blue discs (from 2Sand). Anyone have an opinion on whether the longer life is worth 60%?

Are Vince's blue discs the same product as the 2Sand blue? I'll give them a try. I've always used the discs from 2Sand and they seem fine, but I sure do go through them.

[Prashun Patel]

Yes I prefer the indasa to the blue discs. I almost prefer indasa to abranet even on a ros if it weren't for the dust collection of abranet.

Indasa rhynogrit lasts so darn long it's good for misers like me.

[Hayes Rutherford]

I've tried a lot of disks since this thread started and most all are pretty good. I still think the best bang for the buck is Rhynogrip in the 36x39" sheets. I cut it lengthwise with a utility knife and cross wise with scissors from harbor freight. I put the square on the pad then trim it round with scissors. I know this sounds time consuming but I prefer it to a perfect die cut edge. I figured 3" disks were costing .11 each which is cheap for good quality.

[robert baccus]

I think all the above mentioned discs do a good job at drill speeds. However I use air grinders a lot and at 10,000 rpm only one brand never fails. Power Lock discs are made of very heavy paper and never go flying. A bit higher I agree. ALWAYS buy the flex edge discs for wood--the standard stiff discs are for metal--very good for that by the way. This combination requires very light pressure when sanding and last a long time.