What rpm do you sand pens at?

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turn at 3600
sand at 1200----if i am worried about how blank may behave when to much heat is applied from sanding, i then sand at my slowest 500 rpm.
 
I always sand at a speed that does not cause heat build-up in the wood. I believe heat is the main cause for cracking in many of the woods that we use and therefor I do all I can to not generate it in any stage of the turning process.
 
I sand on the slowest setting possible.

I found that if I sand too fast, the abrasive just "skates" on the surface and doesn't "cut."

Works for me, or so it seems. :)

Cheers!

Gary
 
GaryMadore said:
Hehhehheheheheheh

I was TOTALLY waiting for someone to come along and say, in all seriousness, that if you're good with a skew you don't need to sand...

(yup, have heard that BS before!)

Cheers!

Gary
Click to expand...
I AM that good with a skew, but I have to roughen up the surface so the finish will stick to it.
:biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:
 
I've slowly been adding RPM's, I had the mistaken notion that it would be easier to turn at 650 than 2400. I'm turning now at 2400 or so, and back the speed down to 1400 when I want to make sure that things don't happen too fast.

I've always sanded (all 2 months worth) at 650, I tried one last night at a higher speed, seemed like I may have to work on my technique a bit, the results weren't as good as I usually get.

Steve
 
Let's dispel the myth of speed and heat. Speed does not cause heat, friction does. Friction is defined as resistance to the movement of one body in relation to another body with which it is in contact. It is a measure of the force pressing the two objects together. Friction acts to resist movement of the objects. The energy used in moving the two objects, in this case the sandpaper against the blank, creates heat. For the same amount of energy being expended, i.e. the lathe turning at the same RPM, more pressure creates more heat, less pressure creates less heat.

In terms of sandpaper and its cutting action, speed is helpful. Remember that sanding is simply the process of replacing large scratches with smaller scratches. At high speeds, sandpaper shears as opposed to tears the material. This is desirable in creating a uniform surface.

Does that mean you should sand exclusively at high speeds? No. But it does demonstrate that it certainly can accomplish the same purpose as sanding at low speeds and may produce a better result.
 
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