Ryobi sander conversion to Hook and Loop

Karson, I’ve got the same sander & I KNOW what you mean when you mention how time consuming it is to change the paper. I thought about doing this conversion but I’m concerned about losing the control of thickness of very thin pieces due to the “give” of the velcro as compared to the original Aluminum to sandpaper. Please let us know if there any problems controling thr thickness.

Thanks

-- http://www.grandprairiewoodworks.com http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6453794

Looks like once you get use to it, the belt changes will indee be faster.

BTW, you really got to love those folks at Supergrit. Was over there the other day and they are just as nice if you but 1 sanding disk or a 1000.

Lew

The aluminum drum was a nice hard surface to sand to but I think that it’s going to be ok with the hook and loop. I usually do a final sand without turning the crank to let it go one last time with the same setting.

But I didn’t feel any variations across the surface of the wood if that was what you were asking about.

-- What happens in the workshop stays in the workshop. No wait that doesn't sound right. Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

Lew I’m going to have to meet you there some time and go and get a cup of coffee. Some time when I’m visiting my daughter in Reistertown, MD

-- What happens in the workshop stays in the workshop. No wait that doesn't sound right. Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

Thanks Karson. I usually leave 80 grit on & send the piece thru 2 or 3 times to get rid of as many deep scratches as possible before I have to use the ROS to get ready for finish. If I do this conversion, maybe I can
use finer grits on the drum & cut down on the dreaded sanding time!! Thanks again

-- http://www.grandprairiewoodworks.com http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6453794

Very good conversion Karson. I have the woodmaster 725 with the sanding head in it, and I really enjoy it. Works great on wide panels .

-- Mike, Bruce Mississippi = Jack of many trades master of none

Hi Karson , I have the same DS from back in the ‘90’s. I use my DeltaX5 to do the heavy sanding and then run the stock thru my Ryobi with finer grit paper to clean it up . It still works great and beats that X5 any day of the week for finish quality . I often thought about the velcro changeover , but haven’t attempted it yet . Thanks for the post and let me know how it works out for you after a while . Thanks : )

-- You know you're getting old when you know the difference between you're (you are) and your (belonging to you) AND how to use them in a sentence .

Karson – I am glad you posted this. I was thinking about doing this the other day when someone posted where to buy sandpaper. I was checking out Supergrit because that was one of the places recommend and is also about 45 minutes from me. I have never been there but will now. You will have to let me know how it works out for you after you have put it to some use.

Does the PSA hook material have an adhesive on it?

Yes the hook portion is PSA . Make sure your drum is clean. I used alachol to wipe down the drum.

-- What happens in the workshop stays in the workshop. No wait that doesn't sound right. Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

Great innovation Karson.

-- Grumpy - "Always look on the bright side of life"- Monty Python

good Idea well done

-- Jim from Heirloom Woodshop Southern Oregon

Karson, How do you like this sander overall? (Before and after the conversion)

We just got one it at work and I have been trying to justify bringing it home. I love my small homemade sander but it would be nice to have a full size version for table tops, etc. Let me know.

-- Check out my new website! http://www.blakeweberwoodworking.com

Hey Karson,

Could you give me the direct link to where you ordered the adhesive-backed hook+loop roll? And could you also tell me how much (length) you ordered?

I ended up getting this sander and I’m going to do the conversion. I did the same thing to my home-made sander. Thanks for this blog post.

-- Check out my new website! http://www.blakeweberwoodworking.com

I am also a little concerned about the modifications (all the grinding) that you had to do to make the hood fit after the added bulk from the hook & loop. Does it still get an adequate seal for proper dust collection? I didn’t realize the clearance was that tight until I went back and re-read the details of your blog.

If I decide not to do the conversion, could you tell me (link) where you got your sanding rolls from for this machine? Were they 1” wide or 3” wide?

Thanks again.

-- Check out my new website! http://www.blakeweberwoodworking.com

Blake the place that I bought the psa hook and the loop paperwere from Supergrit.com There link is in the top part of the description. I got 6 feet and I needed 7 feet because it was about 3” too short but I used the cutoff from the first end to put on the second end.

The paper is 3” in width. I bought a 25’ roll of different grits. The grinding wasn’t a problem. in fact on my sander the metal strip was already sanded down because at some times the paper came loose and it sanded it down until such time as you could shut off the sander. The bolt on the front was a replacement nut that wasn’t a locking nut with the nylon insert. I had to shorten the bolt a little by grinding it off also. A 2 minute job.

The back grinding was a 5 minute job. Grind a little see if it fits, grind some more and see if it fits. Not a big problem.

I didn’t use the internet to order, I called them on th phone to confirm what I needed.

-- What happens in the workshop stays in the workshop. No wait that doesn't sound right. Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †