If you work with wood, you gotta have good sanding tools. This design was inspired by a post from Woodsmith® by Logan Wittmer, Woodsmith® and ShopNotes® author, craftsman, and media personality.
Wittmer published a tip about making use of torn belt sander belts that still have a lot of life in them, but were damaged so they couldn’t be used on the machine. He created a very nice handheld sanding block using a piece of hardwood, dowel, threaded insert, and threaded knob.
To see Logan’s original tip, visit www.woodsmith.....
We took Logan’s idea and added a couple of features to it while solving a different problem. We have a Jet® 16-32 Thickness Sander that uses long strips of cloth-backed 3” wide sanding paper. When purchased in bulk and cut to length, we have a lot of moderate length pieces left over that we want to put to use.
Wittmer’s idea was a great solution. We made some different sized blocks, and put some finger grooves along the sides to make the block easier to grip and the hand to fall automatically where it should. We also rounded over the back edges where the gripper dowel is to make it a bit easier to load.
The design is readily accepting of enhancements and customizations, so have some fun. One we may try in future renditions is applying a piece of recycled mouse pad on the bottom for a soft bottom sander for more delicate work. Use YOUR imagination!
We’ve been so pleased with the results that we intend to make a full set of these for various grits. Having them ready to go is a great convenience and makes it easier to finesse our projects a bit more along the way.
Sure, you can buy your own sanding blocks, but why? With just a bit of material and some enjoyable time in the shop, you can JUST DO IT YOURSELF!
14 окт 2024
