Sand-O-Flex flapper sanding wheels

[Alan Heffernan]

I ran across Sand-O-Flex flapper sanding wheels recently. Looks like they'd be handy for sanding bark and some rough terrain.

Looks like the flapper housing is $50+ and each of the refills is $13+. So it would be kinda pricey to get set up and before I take the plunge, I thought I would ask for insights here.

I would appreciate any experience or knowledge you have using them.

 

[Wally Crawford]

I use one on natural edge bowls to take off some of the rough edges. Like any tool, it all about how much use you will get from it. I use mine quite often and it works well for its intended purpose. I would buy a replacement if something happened to it.

 

[Michael Nathal]

I have never used one but the Youtuber "ThePapa1947" shows using it in several of his videos.

 

[Gord Cameron]

I have several (to avoid having to load different grits); they are invaluable in some situations. A very good place to watch them at work on turnings is the YouTube channel of Phil Anderson (aka Shady Acres Workshop). He turns oddly-shaped and live-edged pieces in almost every video, and on each one he uses his Sand-o-Flex.

 

[Alan Heffernan]

I use one on natural edge bowls to take off some of the rough edges. Like any tool, it all about how much use you will get from it. I use mine quite often and it works well for its intended purpose. I would buy a replacement if something happened to it.

I have several (to avoid having to load different grits); they are invaluable in some situations. A very good place to watch them at work on turnings is the YouTube channel of Phil Anderson (aka Shady Acres Workshop). He turns oddly-shaped and live-edged pieces in almost every video, and on each one he uses his Sand-o-Flex.

Gents, Thanks for the feedback. What grits do you keep on hand? I was thinking about getting three and have them loaded with 80, 120, and 180 grits. Does that make sense?

BTW, looks like you can get resin bond or glue bond sandpaper, resin being the stiffer of the two. Do you have any recommendations on that?

 

[Gary Beasley]

Look on Ebay for used ones. I got one and reloads fairly reasonable.

 

[Richard Coers]

I've been using one for about the last 40 years, almost exclusively with furniture work. Mine is an investment cast aluminum, and they sure aren't new tech. If you use the slitted paper, it tends to over sand the hard growth rings and leaves a texture in the wood. They aren't good for taking out gouge bruises or ridges left from the turning process. They are more like a light finishing buffer. I've never used 80 grit. That would chew up the wood more than smooth it. They do make a plastic one that is cheaper. https://www.industrialabrasives.com/plastic-sandoflex-unit-01648-p-765.html

 

[Denny Nebgen]

I have one and use it on occasion, mostly on live edge bowls. I was doing a hollow form a few days ago and was wishing they were made in smaller diameter to allow you to use them inside hollow forms.

 

[Gord Cameron]

As for the grits, I have an 80 but don't use it much. I mostly use 120, 180, sometimes 220, all glue bond, all scored. I get my wheels (mine are the plastic ones, they work fine for me) and refills from Supergrit. The Sand-O-Flex is relatively gentle, it tends to smooth more than shape; so, as Richard says, you can't really use it to repair serious tool marks.

 

[Randy Heinemann]

I've used Sand-O-Flex on curved furniture and other wood projects with curves. Owned it for about 30-40 years. It's a great help when the situation presents itself to sand a curved surface that's hard to get at. I have 80, 120, 150, 180, and 220. I have never used it on a bowl but did use it to sand the endges of 2 live edge round table tops. It worked great for that. Nothing else would work as well. However, with anytning live edge it's important to be careful to not sand off more of the edge imperfections than you want. Becasuse of that I'd recommend starting with a higher grit like 150, 180, or 220 to avoid over removing material.

 

[Gord Cameron]

By the way, a device that can be even better at sanding irregular / detailed surfaces, and much gentler (though correspondingly slower) is a sanding mop / abrasive mop. Not to be confused with the innumerable foam (or non-woven polyester) backed flap wheels out there, which are often too aggressive, a sanding mop can be a stack of scored discs, such as the ones sold by Stockroom Supply: https://stockroomsupply.com/collections/sanding-mops

Klingspor makes a device that is like a cross between a Sand-O-Flex and a sanding mop, which is excellent but, as with some Klingspor products, not well retailed and thus hard to find in some areas: https://www.klingspor.ca/products/abrasive-mop/mm-630

(You can see how much I hate hand-sanding.)

 

[hockenbery]

You can see how much I hate hand-sanding.)

Me tooo

I do almost all the sanding of hollow forms and NE bowls off the lathe after they have dried 3-4 days. With round Velcro pads.

Any detail like a foot, bead, groove, etc I sand on the lathe to preserve the detail.
I do my sanding with 3” Velcro pads (2” if needed) in a 90 degree makita drill.
I sit in front of a fan wearing a mask with an old towel on my lap to cushion the HF or bowl. I lightly move the disc over the surface keeping the contact edge of the disc in line with the growth rings.
I spot sand with 180, then the whole surface with 220 and 320
After the first coat of finish I sand with 400

Its quick and easy the makita does the work

I used a few flap sanders a long time ago but I found using the Velcro discs worked better for me and all the sanding marks get hidden in the grain lines.

 

[Richard Coers]

I have one and use it on occasion, mostly on live edge bowls. I was doing a hollow form a few days ago and was wishing they were made in smaller diameter to allow you to use them inside hollow forms.

If you don't mind using a sanding mop, you can get them down to 1" diameter. https://stockroomsupply.com/products/1-mini-mops

 

[Darryn Achall]

I always have 180 grit on the sand-o-flex. Works great for cleaning up bark, voids, and live edges. There are better options for most other types of sanding.