Cheap but useful disk sander

[Chasper]

I don't have a disk/belt sander, it never made it to the top of my tool wants list. Sanders are also dust generators and I'd have to rig up dust collections just for it if I bought one. But after I tore up a painstakenly made segmented blank with an end mill, I wanted to try sanding instead of milling. It took about 10-15 minutes to make this out of scraps. It uses 6 inch self adhesive disks, and it works great. I can use the dust collection hood on my lathe.

I don't use a squared platform to keep the ends square, it wouldn't work because I often drill off center or at angles to show off the wood. I sand a little, examine and give it a quarter turn, repeat, repeat, repeat. When the brass tube starts showing, I put pressure where needed to make sure that the entire brass tube end sands clear at the same time, and I know it is square. For me this is about as fast as milling, and I also round the corners on the sander.

 

[rjwolfe3]

Very nice. Stupid question, what are you using to hold it into the lathe?

 

[jtate]

You could also make a stand that rests on the bed of the lathe so you could place the piece to be sanded at a perpendicular angle to the disc.

 

[Chasper]

Rob,
That is a screw on faceplate, 1" x 8tpi. The sanding disk holder attached to the screw on faceplate. Here is a better picture:

A stand or fixture of some sort to hold it perpendicular to the sanding disk would have to hold the tube perpendicular, not the blank, it usually isn't the same thing. Something to hold the tube from the inside would work, I get by holding it free hand.

 

[Monty]

Gerry,
Try putting your drill chuck inn the tail stock and chuck up a mandrel rod or something the correct size and slide the blank over that to keep it perpendicular to the disk.