OK, for sheet sandpaper storage, I built this little box with individual shelves. Cheap and efficient.
The paper cutter, courtesy of my dear old mom, who was a career school teacher.....gave me this antique paper cutter. Works great for cutting sandpaper into strips. The bulk strips of sandpaper are then stored in pvc tubes. I normally cut enough sandpaper strips to last me a couple months at a time, so cutting the strips isn't something that needs to be done very often. (In this photo, it looks like I'm getting pretty close to taking some time off to cut sandpaper strips!
-----odie-----
Odie, I like the built-in paper cutter. Good idea.
Does hook & loop last longer than flat sheets? I always assumed one bowl and toss it. That’s what’s keeping me from trying it.
Changing out grits in sequence on one pad results in the hook & loop tearing away from the pad relatively quickly. I use the Roloc system so swapping pads on the mandrel is as easy as a quarter turn on and off. Roloc
Hard to compare them. Power sanding with h&l is faster and I can stop at a lower grit when finishing with a random orbit than using hand-held sheet abrasives on a spinning bowl. If using the same abrasive type in the same way the backing won't make much difference in longevity. I mostly use the blue discs from Vince's Wood n Wonders and they are pretty durable. Depending on the situation I may use more than one disc of my initial grit on a piece but use subsequent discs on more than one.
At least some of the discs are mylar backed and will structurally last longer than typical paper sheets. However, the effectiveness of the grit normally wears out long before the backing on both of them.
Yes, cubitron is great stuff. Have you found a source for it in 2" or 3" h&l discs?
I punch out 2” discs from the larger ones. But I find that the plastic backing tends to break down quite quickly and the abrasive flakes off. Perhaps it depends on the shape of the bowl when sanding the inside.
3" H&L cubitron Xtract disks available at Taytools.com, for one.
Ok, for 3" sanding velcro disc, I use 4" PVC pipe, drill sight holes along one side to see how many are remaining for restocking, then cut an end cap glued off the bottom half way-up for ease of removing a single disc. If you desire, the end cap can be screwed down before gluing onto a board, or they stand well because I used schedule 40 PVC which weighs more.
Pretty fancy !!!!
Thank you!
Hey, @odie . I am trying to get my sanding station and process in order. I like your setup and can see why you would break down full sheets to strips.OK, for sheet sandpaper storage, I built this little box with individual shelves. Cheap and efficient.
The paper cutter, courtesy of my dear old mom, who was a career school teacher.....gave me this antique paper cutter. Works great for cutting sandpaper into strips. The bulk strips of sandpaper are then stored in pvc tubes. I normally cut enough sandpaper strips to last me a couple months at a time, so cutting the strips isn't something that needs to be done very often. (In this photo, it looks like I'm getting pretty close to taking some time off to cut sandpaper strips!
-----odie-----
View attachment 49536View attachment 49538
Howdy Doug......I don't know offhand the exact measurement of the strips, but I think the standard sheet is cut into 7 strips. If you look at the paper cutter, you'll see markings at the head, which I align with the edge of the sheet while I'm cutting them. It's not an exact measurement.....close enough is good enough for sandpaper strips.
Kevin I like that a lot. I might have to copy some of the when I move my lathe to the new shop.
I thought not having fingerprints was a good thing....... Boy we must live different....
Where did you get the punch? I haven't had good luck making one out of a hole saw and craft punches won't touch sandpaper. I did see a turner in the uk sells a couple of punches but I figured I could buy better sandpaper by the time you figure in the cost.
Thanks Odie. So about 1-1/2" strips. And, I can see the pro tip of label first and then cut. I can see why that would be important too.Howdy Doug......I don't know offhand the exact measurement of the strips, but I think the standard sheet is cut into 7 strips. If you look at the paper cutter, you'll see markings at the head, which I align with the edge of the sheet while I'm cutting them. It's not an exact measurement.....close enough is good enough for sandpaper strips.
I usually don't tear off any pieces of the strips, but rather fold them into whatever size is best for whatever I'm doing at the moment.
Best,
-o-
Being such a cheapskate that I am, I save peanut cans. I knew they'd come in handy for something!
I got a wad punch years ago from eBay. It punches through 2-3 thicknesses, using a club hammer and an end grain block under the discs, until the block gets too cut up. But more recently I’m laser cutting them. That does a neat job and is more accurate, so less waste. I use the offcuts for spindle sanding.
I couldn't find any 2 inch punches online other than the hydraulic one that needed a pilot hole, do they still sell them?
Too slick!
Actually I was thinking of 1 inch and smaller.
When I was looking I saw some at McMaster but pretty expensive -- https://www.mcmaster.com/products/punches/shape~round/hammer-driven-hole-punches-7/
Got a couple of those. Brilliant to organise your grits especially if you are using Vince's Woodturning Wonders 3" rounds.
