My Sioux died after 15 years of heavy use. I took it to my repair guy and he told me he could not fix it. I bought the new Milwaukee... Ím going to check EBay, I miss my Sioux... Ím surprised by your choice of interface, I have that, found it way to harsh on the edges, leaves marks. I still have boxes of the Merit discs. Do you add something soft in between_ The discs go directly onto that, so I’m not sure how I could add a pad. Maybe I can resurrect that system with your help.
Howdy Emiliano.....
Actually, that newer model Milwaukee angle drill does fine with larger bowls with more gradual curvatures, and that's where I use mine. For tight curves inside the interior.....that's where there is trouble handling the Merit discs. If you try to sand inside a curve that is too tight for the rubber backers supplied with the Merit discs, the very edge of the disc will marr and dig in, creating problems that are difficult to deal with.
I went through the same frustrations as you have......until I discovered that you can easily adjust the circumference/diameter of the rubber backers. This is easily done by applying the spinning backer (on your drill) to a belt sander gently, and cutting down the diameter of the backer. Now, if you use a 3" sanding disc on a backer that's cut down to 2", then the unsupported edge of the disc is much more flexible. In this configuration, you'll find the unsupported edge of the disc is much more able to negotiate tighter curves than it could before.....without marring the surface of your bowl. If you decide to experiment with this, you'll find that various diameters of rubber backers will be useful for different applications. On top of that, there is the "flex edge" discs, as well as the standard discs.......both have properties than can be useful in bowl turning when used in conjunction with various diameters of rubber backers.......check it out, Emiliano!
You'll also discover that by positioning the spinning disc at various locations in the bowl interior, the Merit discs are capable of flexing quite a bit......more so in some locations, than others. Once you overdo it, the disc will fold in on itself at the edge, creating a "crease"......at that point, it's usefulness is limited, and depending on how much it's creased, it's usually better to toss it out and concentrate a little more appropriately on the positioning of the disc within the interior of the bowl, so that isn't so likely to happen......
For very gradual curves, the original size of the backer, that supports the disc right up to the very edge, is still very useful.....
-----odie-----