# HAS ANYONE MADE A SHOP SANDER LIKE THIS ?



## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

I've been eyeing one of these puppys 



 for a while now after I saw Charles Neil use one on his Mastering Woodwoking show. The're are two reason's I'haven't purchased one ,#1 I don't have a lot of loose funds right now #2 At $ 139. it just seem like it would be fairly easy to make one with some MDF and a hand full of screws and a turned knob. Has anyone made their own shop made version ?


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

Fist time I have seen one Jim. Looks like a simple build.


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

That's what I thought Bob I just thought I would see if anyone had made one.


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## AJswoodshop (Mar 2, 2012)

I think a couple people have built one. But it looks pretty new to me, looks interesting though.

AJ


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## JoeLyddon (Apr 22, 2007)

I can see it being very useful… almost like a Shooting Board!

I think I would Make one before spending $140+ for it…

Some MDF… bearing, etc. 
Doesn't look all that bad to me…


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

Hi AJ
You could put one together and see how it works?


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## alba (Jul 31, 2010)

Jim, if you make one use a heavy flywheel

it then can build momentum

jamie


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

Hey Joe
As you can see I'm trying to talk someone into making one to have them tell me what to look out for when I build one) Pretty lazy huh?


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## AJswoodshop (Mar 2, 2012)

No, I don't now how to put one together.

AJ


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## b2rtch (Jan 20, 2010)

I would rather buy one at HF.
At $ 50/hour you can one or two by the time you are done making one and buying the material.
Around $45 after 20% off

http://www.harborfreight.com/4-inch-x-36-inch-belt-6-inch-disc-sander-97181.html


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## dbhost (Jul 20, 2009)

Never seen one like that before… Looks to be something easy to build except how would you weight the flywheel / sanding wheel?


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## jaykaypur (Oct 22, 2011)

I have one and it works like a charm.


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## canadianchips (Mar 12, 2010)

And where do you plug it in ?
Seriously, looks like a cool, portable sand disc that might be used for one time jobs.


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## wiswood2 (Apr 12, 2008)

Grizzly has them for 169.95 ,1 hp. motor,tilt table,dust port.with miter guage, I have one and use it every day,
Chuck


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## b2rtch (Jan 20, 2010)

The only way I would use something like that is if someone else was turning the crank for me.

It looks like Jim is turning "green" on us.


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

I guess your the same as me AJ you wanting to see how some one else did it LOl
I already have a disk sander Bert but this has the advantage of having a lot of control as to how much you take off.
db I was wondering about that since I haven't seen one in person. I was also wondering if anyone sells the little adjustment pins they show in the video.
Jay is the wheel that holds the sanding disc heavy ?


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

Like this Bert LOL
http://lumberjocks.com/projects/16898


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## b2rtch (Jan 20, 2010)

I would estimate the "fuel" consumption to be around 3 liters of red wine/hour


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## JoeLyddon (Apr 22, 2007)

*Pretty sneaky, Jim…*

Another way this is different… It is Reversed when on one side… from the other side…
In order to be Electric, one would have to have a switch to flip for the spinning Direction… and of course, there might be a problem if it were spinning pretty fast when the switch was flipped… OOPS… bad design… if not handled properly…

The hand crank is the best way to handle it… as they did… LOL

I think I'd make the diameter of the disk as large as I could… Then think about embedding some weights around the edge to be more like a Flywheel…

I don't think I'd use all that much… I think I'd go the Shooting Board for now…


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## derosa (Aug 21, 2010)

I like having my sanding disc built into my lathe which gives me an very odd sized 8.5" disc. Set it to its slowest speed with a high grit paper and there would be a lot of control over material removed, if I needed to set a precise 45* like this I'd built a secondary top that went right on top of the table that was only set to that angle. Course at the highest speed setting with a 60 grit disc it takes off material like you wouldn't believe.


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

I just can't imagine why Jim. 
I can fine tune in incredibly small increments on my power one. 
I just see no use for it. 
Sorry
It would be very easy to build one but you can accomplish the same thing by clamping a piece MDF with sandpaper glued to it onto your table saw fence and sliding the molding back and forth on it with your miter gauge. You already have all that.

This is a slightly different use and on an old ShopSmith 10ER but the concept works if you need that fine a cut.


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

Jim, Why don't you check with Bridge City tools? Maybe they will make one for you? ;-))


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

Hey Paul if I could do work like You I'd buy a chain saw and some sandpaper to get the job done )

Yea Bob I can see Bridge city being really cost effective like maybe $1250 for a nice brass job LOL


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

You're too kind Jim.


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

It would be a nice compliment for their joint master or what ever that saw is called ;-)

Paul, He is telling it like it is. Your work is awesome!


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## rance (Sep 30, 2009)

> I'm trying to talk someone into making one…
That is funny Jim. Fact is, I've wanted one too but figured I would build one. There are times when I wish I had a variable speed control on the stationary belt/disk sander and this tool would do just that. But for the life of me, I can't recall why I wanted one, but I still see the utility in it. Sometimes I turn on the sander and turn it off. As it is coasting down, I use that as my slow speed.

Clever idea Paul with using the TS/miter gauge/sandpaper thing. Attaching/unattaching the sandpaper would be bothersome to me though.

Jim, looks like pillow blocks under the table would work just fine.


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## EMVarona (Aug 21, 2010)

Yes, I made one similar to this before. The device is used for making picture frames basically to correct errors when cutting miters. When I got a lathe, I dismantled it and used the same disc with the lathe. http://lumberjocks.com/projects/37000 . It costs some amount at the picture frames supply shops.


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## Jim Jakosh (Nov 24, 2009)

Hi Jim, that is a a hand tool that I don't use much but Jamie is right about making it like a flywheel to conserve momentum! BUT, with what you say about control on how much you take off, you may not want it spinning freely. One turn may be all you need so it is quite different than the power sanders in that respect!! It is like a round shooting board without a plane!!

I have a angle block made for my belt sander that I can set at a precise angle to sand to . I made the belt sander when I worked in the tool room and it uses 4×36 belts


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

I watched the video Jim. I really can't understand that this is a better option than a motorized disk sander. I use mine for some very fine work making segmented rings for turnings and it works perfect for that. I can see it would be a big advantage in a picture framing shop where noise and dust would be a big issue, but that is about the only advantage I can see. Please let me know if I am missing the point here.


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

Thanks for your input everyone.
Ed that's a very good approach the only thing I wonder if it might be hard to find or costly to find the shaft you used but I think there can be another way to approach that. thanks for sharing your cool jig.

Mike like Jim said you may only need one turn or less to clean up an angle so when trimming smaller moldings you can easily remove to much off of the piece your working on. This type of jig is not meant to replace a disc sander, I have a pretty nice disc sander and it does a great job for most sanding jobs I just find it kind of a pain to hold small pieces on it hand turn the disc by hand a little at a time.


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

*Rance*, The paper is on a piece of MDF not on the fence.


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

Jim, why not just rig up a hand crank for your power sander?


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## JoeLyddon (Apr 22, 2007)

*ED!

Thank you for posting your Project of yesteryear!
*
I am wondering about the NUT to mount the disk to the shaft…
Right-Hand or Left-Hand?
Whatever it is, when it's being turned in one direction, *the NUT MAY have a tendency to UNSCREW… Yes/No?*

*Has this ever been a problem with your Sander?*

Also have you ever thought of a Hook & Loop method of holding the sandpaper to the disk?

Thank you.


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

Bob That won't work on my disk sander because I have a motor and a guard in the way. Ed and Paul have great ideas I may give them a try.


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

*JIM*, If you want a custom tuner specifically for 45 degrees or picture frames, and you decide to give my idea a try, you could very easily make a little sled for your miter slot to go with the sandpaper / MDF thingie.


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## Tennessee (Jul 8, 2011)

I bought the HF 12" 1HP with a tilt table a few years back for $89 on sale. Came with a dust port and runs great. By the time I put 5-6 hours into making something, I could make something to sell and buy the HF. Kind of a toss-up to me, but any time I can get another piece of work out there, I'll do it.


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

Thanks, another good idea Paul


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## rance (Sep 30, 2009)

>The paper is on a piece of MDF

Uh…, well, OK, now I like that idea. 









Reading is aparently not my strong suit.


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## EMVarona (Aug 21, 2010)

Thanks, a1Jim. As far as I recall the pillow block and the shaft were not that expensive, then. Even so as an after thought I considered using less expensive materials. One alternative is my favorite, the good ole bicycle hub. A simple wooden (home made) pillow block with bearings will also do. In so far as the shaft is concerned, an ordinary 1/2 in. pipe with a flange, I imagine will, work well.

Thanks, Joe Lyndon. It happens that the shaft maker (without my saying so) made the ends with left-hand and right-hand screws, with matching nuts. In the end it was a very useful feature. Furthermore, the device may be cranked either left or right and that was OK or may also be swung back and forth and the result is the same. The hook and loop will have a "cushiony" sanding surface which I feel will affect the precision of the job. The same is true with the double- sided foam tape.

If the purpose of the devices is for picture frames only, an ordinary shooting board using a sanding block works. I did that before making the disk sander.


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## casual1carpenter (Aug 16, 2011)

I have been watching this thread not with the intention to build one just to follow the design consideration process.

A question was asked about the thread direction. Is this a valid consideration? If the nut and flange holding the wheel are torqued higher than the force used to rotate the wheel by hand, would it even think about coming loose? This is not a high speed or motorized unit but one controlled by intelligent human mind.

Suggestions were made about weighting the wheel. What purpose would this serve? My thoughts when watching the vid were that the wheel is rotated with one hand and the piece to be sanded held with the other. If your initial cuts are reasonable this should take minimal rotations. It is not like you are going to wind it up to get it spinning and sand as it free-wheels under momentum forces alone.

As to the fine adjustment pins, would not those cam like circles with a slightly off center hole that I saw in someones posting work just as well? You could also consider combining a Tee Nut slot and a stop block along with several holes on the centerline of that rotatable guide fence and you would have infinite angle adjustment. Providing you can accurately set the angle (protractor or protractor-square, or simply cut a piece of scrap on the table saw with an accurate miter gauge)

I am additionally considering the shaft. Should it spin using the mentioned pillow blocks? Or would a fixed shaft with bearings used in the wheel attachment give a truer stability when setting for accuracy?

I apologize if I seem to dispute some of the other posters thoughts. At times in the past I have made a bad presumption and followed a poor logic chain. Often this is not a problem in the end result, but the degree of difficulty, time and possibly expense in doing the project. An example would be that in looking at motorized units some had a tilt table feature which would allow for X-Y-Z axis adjustment. That to me seems like a good reason to custom build the unit, but everyone's usage will differ and the time, effort and additional expense might not be justified, unless you needed the compound angle ability.


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

Thanks again Ed

Thanks Casual
Your points are well made ,I'd thought about a few of those points myself. I can't quite picture the stop system your referring to,but it sounds interesting. Thank you for the illustration.


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## casual1carpenter (Aug 16, 2011)

Jim - these are real basic drwg but you should be able to see what I had trouble putting into words, I hope. In the cam one the cam could be rotated around the off center bolt, depending of how far your hole is off center the variance would change.

Personally I like the tee slot but I have the router bit, LOL. I thought that cam thing was interesting when I first saw it and have been waiting for a place to use it, like a new toy.










As to the top itself I envisioned a sort of hinged top with a lock system not shown above to allow precise angle adjustment for compound angles or if the shaft is not quite right, LOL.

The primary worktop would hold the adj fixtures shown here and utilize two shop made miter slots and guides.


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## tblank (Apr 8, 2010)

Near my place is a Habitat for Humanity outlet store called RE-Store. They sell re-claimed materials and tools as well as appliances. Long way of saying, there are always several electric motors around from older washing machines and the like. I bought a 3/4 HP. motor for $15.00 and made my own wheel with one layer of 3/4 MDF and the sandpaper layer 1/2" seven ply. Bought a shaft with flange to screw to the wheel from Habor Freight. Balanced the wheel by drilling holes in the back plate. Made the sanding platform articulate past 45 deg. from flat/square to sanding surface. Total cost: $30.00. Use it all the time.


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

Thanks for the tip tblank

Very cool Casual
Thanks for the drawings now I get it. Seems like a good way to go.


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## TechRedneck (Jul 30, 2010)

I don't know about this for fine detail work. Seems to me for that price you can get a nice little low angle block plane and use a shooting board.

Edges and corners would be crisper and cleaner and you can dial in a shooting board taking less than a thousand of an inch.

If you could make one ot these it would be fun however.


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## derosa (Aug 21, 2010)

Kind of a spin on ed's idea is to skip the hub and go for a bottom bracket. I'd go with a sealed cartridge square taper style. The bearings and spindle are all contained, similar to a hub, and you would just need to create the bracket that holds it in the same fashion as it would hold the hub. The one side can still have a crank arm and pedal attached for turning it. Then you just need to turn a thicker disc which will give you your flywheel weight, mortise a square in the back to hold it on and recess the bolt hole in the front. The square taper means that the piece will be fairly rigidly attached to the spindle. 
If you need such a piece I can probably come up with a bb and crank arm for you.


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

I'm pretty sure the adjustment pins are just metal rods with a set screw going through. You could make one from a dowel pretty easily.


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## KOVA (Nov 21, 2011)

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## CplSteel (Jun 22, 2012)

Never made one, I would start with a bike crank and bottom bracket off of any old bike I could find on craig's list. Screw it to a MDF circle, build up a frame, drill a hole and put a washer and nut on the other end then make yourself a little table.

I am sure it will be harder then that, but it's where I would start.


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## helluvawreck (Jul 21, 2010)

If that's some sort of handcranked job (where's the motor?) I wouldn't really have a use for it. You can get a faceplate and motor off Ebay or out of the junkyard and make a good heavy duty one out of wood.

helluvawreck aka Charles
http://woodworkingexpo.wordpress.com


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