Lathe Speed For Power Sanding

[Mike Turkley]

Before my 3520B I would sand on the slowest setting of my HF34706 lathe, which was somewhere around 600 rpm’s. Now that I have the 3520B which the slowest speed in which the piece actually turns is 50 rpm’s. I know 50 rpm’s is too slow so I start somewhere around 400 rpm’s. Is this too slow or do I need to go faster?

Then there’s the angle drill speed.

Blasted digital speed display makes me want to get technical!:rolleyes:

Indifference to bowl size, what speeds do you do your power sanding?:confused:


Thanks

MikeT

[Jack Savona]

I use the slowest lathe and drill speeds I can. I want bite instead of burnishing.

Jack

[George Tokarev]

Safe speed. As to the sanding itself, speed is not part of the friction equation which heats and hardens the surface and ruins your paper. Pressure is, so use as little as possible.

Faster speeds on the abrasive make dig-ins from momentary pauses or angle problems deeper. More abrasive passing in the same time period. Overcome the dig problem by moving the piece, and move it fast enough so you can bridge soft spots, not dig, just as you do when roughing, to prevent following with the tool. I suppose if you really get your piece speed high enough there won't be enough time to cool between passes and the surface will gain heat even with little pressure, but that's just speculation.

It's another of the "rule of dumb" things we hear repeated often that sanding slower produces a better surface. Sometimes it's even championed by someone who extols the capability one of those 15K OPM pneumatic orbitals in the next post!

[Glenn Hodges]

I usually turn a bowl about 120 RPM when sanding. I prefer to sand with a drill as fast as the drill will go.

[Neal Addy]

Mike, 400 RPM is fine.

[Reed Gray]

I turn green wood to final thickness, then let them dry and warp. I can't sand at high speeds without a lot of bouncing. I use the blue discs from
www.VincesWoodNWonders.com, and after talking to him, I find that slower speeds work better. He does have a good commentary on sanding at his web site. The lathe is at around 100 rpm, and the drill at 600 rpm. I now have a piece of 1/4 inch cork under the trigger of my drill to control the speed. With the higher grits, you can slow down the drill even more. This doesn't increase your sanding time. Heat is the enemy of wood and sanding discs, and sanding pads. Slower speeds on both the lathe and drills will reduce heat, along with the amount of pressure you apply.
robo hippy

[Dennis Peacock]

I spin the bowl slow on the lathe and crank up the speed on the drill. When I'm hand sanding I'll speed up the lathe a tad but not so much as to generate too much heat. Remember that a lite touch when sanding will allow the abrasive to work instead of you having to work. ;)

[Mike Turkley]

Thanks for all of your suggestions. I'll try slowing down a bit and lighten up the pressure on the sanding. I have been having to pause very frequently to prevent excessive heat build up.

MikeT

[Keith Burns]

I sand with the lathe at 50 to 100 rpm with the close quarters drill at full speed. And yes, I do use a high speed Grex ROS for finial finish sanding. If you are sanding by hand and it gets hot, you are spinning to fast