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Thread: Making a Sandpaper "Holder" for Spindle Work?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
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    Laurinburg NC
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    134

    Making a Sandpaper "Holder" for Spindle Work?

    I am a flutemaker and sand a lot of flute blanks...not hundreds but enough to know about the wear and tear on my hands and repetitive motions. I have gotten better with my lathe tools to minimize sanding buttttt I still have to do some.

    I was thinking on making something that would sort of have the shape of a flute or spindle and hold a piece of sandpaper...have a sort of 1/2 circle shape ...Have a way to hold the sandpaper with the screws or whatever out of the way and be easy to change the different grits. or change out the part holding the sandpaper to another one with another girt size (?) if possible quicklyI would use it while the blank is in the lathe but lathe not running and just go up and down the blank...It would have maybe a total length of 12" or so... I have used the Sorby sandmaster but after a while they get where they dont work or spin that good anymore...I hope you all can follow this...


    I have some arthritis and am 61 and hands bother me some from so much work in plants and at home...Thanks for any help!!

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Lewisville, NC
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    1,359
    Mike,
    Don't know how this would work for your need, but I have occasionally needed to hand sand some convex and concave shapes on curved sides on small boxes, (9 -12 ") etc. What I have done is cut sections of PVC pipe along the long axis of the pipe and glue in velcro on the inside or outside curve. One of the larger ones in pictures below was made from a section of a concrete tube(stiff cardboard) Then cut a short, shallow groove in the back side of the pipe for a strip of wood used as a handle/grip. Then just cut sections of sandpaper that fit the inside curve of the PVC and sand away. You can also glue in a thin sheet of cork to allow a little give if needed. The nicer handles are for shapes that I am going to be reusing over and over. It definitely cuts down on hand cramps from gripping.

    Jim

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  3. #3
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    TX, NM or on the road
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    845
    I made game calls, used to be a lot of them, as in 100 at a time. I power sanded using the 3/8" right angle drills from Harbor freight. I had several drills each had their own custom color based on the grit. I also tried foam sanding blocks that I made, I cut the shape of the call, then glued EVA foam in the groove and used hook and loop sandpaper. They held the 4x4.5 sandpaper for vibrator sanders. I could grab the grit, slide it back and forth a few times and move to the next grit. I still had to do the lanyard grooves etc., by hand.

    Both methods worked, but as the drills died, I switched to the foam pads. The foam pad method was little slower but was considerably cheaper.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
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    SoCal
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    An expansion on Jim T's great idea. Use an oversized piece of pipe-half, wrap a dummy flute in wax paper, fill the pipe-half with bondo and make a more precise fitting mold. PSA paper and away you go.
    "A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".


    – Samuel Butler

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    Laurinburg NC
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    Thanks Guys! Great ideas!!!!

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jul 2003
    Location
    Winterville, NC (eastern NC)
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    2,360
    How about a router bit that is a few mils larger than the diameter of the flute blanks. Mill a groove down the center of the plank, apply some sticky back sand paper and boom, bobs your uncle.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    Laurinburg NC
    Posts
    134
    Yep that would definitely work!!! I have the router too!! Gonna try some of these ideas this week!! Thanks!!!! Hmmmmmm I did have an Uncle named "Bob"

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