power sanding

[Charles Bouchelle]

What are you folks using for power sanding bowls? have seen some mandrels that fit into drill chucks but some seem to want you to buy their own sanding pads,and that gets pricey.So what do you use and where to get it. And I guess size is 2 and 3 inch?? Also does everyone use the spinning sanders that are on the handle that spin when you touch them to the revolving bowl on the lathe? Not self powered. thanks

[David E Keller]

I use one of the 3inch drill chuck mandrels. I have purchased sanding disks and cut my own from larger hook and loop shapes... I'd love to find a source for 3" discs that was reasonable, but even at the current prices, it's worth it. My finish is better with power and much faster.

[Clark Harbaugh]

Check out www.2sand.com. They have some great products at reasonable prices.

[Bernie Weishapl]

I power sand. I don't like the non-powered ones. My first one years back wore out in a short very short time. I bought two $29 HF angle drill when they were on sale for $19. Figured for that price if it went belly up no big loss. The first one is still going after 2 yrs. I use the 2" and 3" velcro sanding pads with the wavy sanding discs. You can get them at several places including CSUSA, Packard Woodworks, Vinces Woodnwonders (has probably the best prices), etc. Makes pretty short order in sanding.

[Jim Podsedly]

I also use the same drill as Bernie from Harbor Freight.

I have had good results with sanding discs from Vince. The key is to not let the discs get too hot:

http://www.vinceswoodnwonders.com/Blue_Flex_Discs.htm

jim

[Doug Wolf]

I use a 5" random orbital sander without pluging it in. Just let the disc spin freely and it works on the outside of the bowl and the inside on larger bowls.

[Kyle Iwamoto]

The passive sander has it's place, although I rarely use mine. CSUSA and Woodcraft have reasonably priced kits, if you want to experiment. I like the wavy discs too, but they don't seen to hold up as well compared to the round discs. I got the wavy discs form WC and the round ones from CSUSA. I'll have to check out the paper from the posts.....

Don't let the pads get too hot, heat melts the glue that holds the velcro on. Then you have a fairly expensive small sanding disc. Since I got 2 kits, I have 2 pads, and rotate grits to let them cool. I suck at turning, so I'm a sanding pro.... My favorite tool is the 80 grit gouge.

[Steve Schlumpf]

I use the cheapest variable speed electric drill I can find - along with Vince's Blue Flex 2" disks and mandrels. Works great for me.

[Reed Gray]

I power sand exclusively. It is much faster, and I get better results. I have tried every abrasive disc out there except for the purple ceramic ones from 3M which are only available in PSA (pressure sensitive adhesive). The best deal for durability and value are the blue discs from Vince. Some discs are cheaper, but I get 2 to 4 times as many bowls with Vince's discs. Other discs are more expensive, but they don't last any longer. They come over sized (2 3/8, and 3 3/8 inch). I use the 3 inch discs on any bowl that I can fit them into. A 3 inch disc has twice the surface area that a 2 inch disc does.

I never considered the inertial sanders as you can't use them with the lathe turned off, and some times that is necessary. You can not power sand around bowl details as the power sander will wipe them out or change them losing the effect you were trying to get, but I just do plain and simple shapes, so no problem to me.

I prefer the angle drills as opposed to the right angle drills as they are easier to get down into the inside of larger bowls. Keeping your lathe speed down helps keep the heat down. Keeping the drill speed down (I have a piece of 1/4 inch cork under the trigger) keeps the heat down, and I get about 25 to 30% more bowls before the bearings need to be replaced. Use an air hose to blow them out every time that you use them. The pneumatic sanders keep my compressor running non stop, which I figure is a lot more costly than running the small angle drills. Random orbit sanders do okay for finish grits, but not well at all for coarse grits.

I do use interface pads, which means I buy a good quality mandrill for my drill, and use add on pads for my sanding purposes. The pads are much cheaper to replace than the mandrills. I prefer a firm pad for most of my sanding as 120 on a firm pad will cut much better than 80 grit on a soft pad. The really soft pads are fine for finish grits (320 and above). The firm interface pads from Vince are great as well. They have a quarter round profile on the edge, and conform much better to the inside surfaces of the bowls than the ones that have a square profile.

robo hippy

[Brad Vaughn]

I also use the same drill as Bernie from Harbor Freight.

I have had good results with sanding discs from Vince. The key is to not let the discs get too hot:

http://www.vinceswoodnwonders.com/Blue_Flex_Discs.htm

jim

Just like Jim I use the same and you cant go wrong with Vince's disk I to have found don't let them get hot.
I had one Harbor Freight fail out of the box but they replaced it and it is going strong.
Brad

[Leo Van Der Loo]

I use one of the 3inch drill chuck mandrels. I have purchased sanding disks and cut my own from larger hook and loop shapes... I'd love to find a source for 3" discs that was reasonable, but even at the current prices, it's worth it. My finish is better with power and much faster.

I've made my own with a sharpened pipe, made them from long 3"wide rolls, but I got a link here that's pretty good in price IMO, hardly worth making them myself anymore, they have low cost mandrels also, you need a pad on them for contour sanding on bowls.

The passive sanders, I got one does work on the outside of bowls and to an extend on the inside of bowls, but when getting close to the center there's not enough SFPM (surface feet per minute) to spin the disk around, so I hardly ever do use it.

http://keenabrasives.com/Mini%20Hook...ng%20Discs.htm

[Jonathan Harvey]

Wow Leo thats on heck of a deal. Just placed my order. :-)

[Vince Welch]

HI Charles,

Over time I have had many conversations concerning sanding abrasives. One thing for sure... as wood turners and the way we use abrasives we are pretty tough on our abrasives for sure and not all abrasives are the same. There are basically 3 different elements that make up an abrasive. What type of backing, the adhesive\glue, and the abrasive itself. I created a PowerPoint to help people better understand what to look for in abrasives. For me it is about more than a good price it is about reducing my sanding frustration and raising my sanding success! Having the right abrasive for the right application makes all the difference. Sanding a bowl is obviously different then sanding a project between centers. Here is a link to my site that list what makes a quality sanding abrasive and I hope you find helpful and useful. Letwoodnwonders@excite.com me know if you have any questions. Vince

http://www.vinceswoodnwonders.com/Ed...lity%20Sanding %20Abrasive.htm

[Dennis Puskar]

Great place for sanding disk, thanks Leo.

Dennis

[Charles Bouchelle]

Thanks Vince,but your web page link is down