Power Sanding

[Chris Jenkins]

I'm a newbie to turning, thus my cutting technique well - sucks. Naturally I am getting a bit better every time I play around... Though right now I am sanding with old 5" discs from the ROS. I've been reading and watching as much as possible and I see a lot of "power sanding"

Do you need anything special to do this (as I only see the little chuck and not the tool in the pictures)? Or is it just a sanding pad chucked in a cordless drill or air drill?

Chris

[Joe Tonich]

All I know is this drill is the cats meow.... http://www.cpomilwaukee.com/reconditioned_tools/drills_and_hammer_drills/close_quarter_drills/

You can get em cheaper off the-bay. I use a 2" pad with it.

[Daniel Heine]

Hello,

Harbor Freight has basically the same drill for 39.99!!

Dan

[George Tokarev]

I like the Power-Loc system, because I turn a lot of neglected wood, and they're less flexible than the velcro-mounted stuff. Nice resin-over-resin adhesive for long life, and as long as you're sanding with the lathe on, no real problems with digs. I use a flex shaft on a washing machine motor so I can sand as if I were cutting the wood with a supported tool, which I'm actually doing when I support the handpiece on the rest.

For the finals I go to a 3" velcro so the scratches scribe larger and less visible arcs. You can even sand with the lathe stopped with them, but be careful you don't dig or you won't be able to use a shiny finish.

[Mark Pruitt]

I have the Power-Lock system as well, and have had mixed results with it. It may have been as much my technique as the tool itself; nevertheless, on the recommendation of several Creekers I purchased a Grex pneumatic ROS and have found it to be an outstanding tool.
http://www.packardwoodworks.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=123211&Category_Code=

http://www.packardwoodworks.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=123720&Category_Code=

[Al Wasser]

When you get some sort of power sanding setup, you need to play with sanding in both directions, ie forward and reverse. You can also get one of those small angle drills at overstock.com for about $40. They do save a lot of sanding time, but for me it does not eliminate all hand sanding

[Paul Engle]

Chris I use an inertia sander 2" and the wave disc and my 5 " orbital works great on the out side of bowl and both sides of plates etc , on and off power for just about everything and like , is way quiter than a screemin drill and I can concentrate on the work. As you get better you will find the sanding gets quicker cause your gouge work is getting smoother requiring less sanding .

[Steve Schlumpf]

Chris, I use the 2" Sorby inertia sander. Works OK but have to keep the bushing clean or it will seize up on you. I finally took the velcro pad off the Sorby and put it in my drill and use it that way. Much faster and a lot more control. It makes a little more noise but I wear ear plugs and have the DC running at the same time, so I don't notice that much.

[Vince Welch]

Hi Chris,

Good Question! Power sanding is generally accomplished with a 3/8 angle sander. There are many out there. A good mandrel with a firm pad is generally preferred. I strongly suggest to always use an innerface pad. Why? Innerface pads are less costly then madrels for starters.

Using a Random Orbital Sander (ROS) provides a very nice finished surface. ROS is best used at higher grits. That is 280-320 and higher. The best word that I can used to describe the sanding action is a finesse type of sanding action rather then a spinning action we get from our drill. There is a noticeable difference in being able to use a ROS but it also has some requirements. I suggest using at least a 60 Gallon tank compressor and his type of unit will require a 220 volt outlet. Recommended PSI is 90 on these units.

I have some sanding suggestions on my site that you may find helpful. Also feel free to contact me with any questions you have and I will try to answer them for you.

Vince
(http://www.VincesWoodNWonders.com)