Question for Bowl Turners

[mnerland]

Just recently tried my hand at bowl turning. Wondering what type of tool can be used to sand the interior of the bowls. Wondering along the lines of some sort of a ball sander attached to a drill. What do you all use for this? I have a 10" lathe so my bowls are small. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[Mortalis]

I have a 2" sanding pad with a spongy interface on a 2" extension attached to an angle drill (could be any drill) and an assortment of different grit sanding discs. On smaller bowls I just hold sandpaper in my hand. Always remove the tool post before doing any sanding so as to avoid any interference. I also have an inertia sander but dont use it all that much but does get the job done.

 

[NJturner]

I use an air powered disk sander from Grex. It's a little pricey, but mine is 5 plus years old and still going strong. You need a compressor that will keep up with it - most mid-size pancake units will do it. It has hook and loop cushioned pads for the 2" padded disk and I cut most of my own paper to fit on it. Amazon

Kevin

 

[montmill]

They do make round sandpaper flap disks for drills and sanding balls are available. https://www.ebay.com/itm/3537447367...choXuwF3k4qjyWtJz1ZOyIS9gckLJrQAaAmkvEALw_wcB In my experience a one or two inch disk with a soft pad work just as well, maybe better.

 

[Gary Beasley]

The folks that supply the 2" disks also have a 1" size too. Useful for those awkward tight insides. You can also use the strips folded in half and wedged into a slot on a shaft for a makeshift flap sander to get inside the necks of closed forms.