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I'm improving, but I still give myself the occasional extreme manicure on the disk sander.

I wish I had a hand powered one ( to use for the really little things) like the one on alberidesigns.com, but am not willing to spend $650 (or anywhere near that) for it. Has anyone made something like that? you'd need a machined flat disk, but I can't see that the parts would cost very much or that the engineering would be very complex.

If you've made one, I'd love to hear how, and see a couple pictures.

Thanks, Beth

Beth, you want to give us a URL for that? The website name you have above doesn't exist....

Dave F.

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Cambrian Guitars

"There goes Mister Tic-Tac out the back with some bric-brac from the knick-knack rack"

One of these should be easy to replicate:
http://www.dickblick.com/products/logan-precision-sander-elite/?wmcp=amazon&wmcid=feeds&wmckw=17187-1001

Jeez, I hope I usually have better attention to detail than that....it is Albertidesign.com.
Thanks for the head's up!

I hadn't seen that Logan precision sander. Could MDF be used to make the disk? The rest of the design seems pretty straightforward

Beth:
I think that I bought my sanding disk at Sears. It connects to a quarter horse motor shaft using a connector. You could start there and build up whatever you need.

Bob

Their website is going through some changes, but Gilbert of Gilbert Tuning Machines, has a 5" disk sander for use on a drill press that is a very good thickness sander. I use mine all the time for backs, sides, fingerboards, purflings, bindings, etc. It does take a good set up and a drill press table of some description is necessary. The sanding disk is about $50 and has a 1/2" arbor, and the disk is about 1" thick and pretty heavy, which helps keep it smooth when sanding.

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

Usually, I find that a precision hub is the most important part for something like this: secure, big enough, and ~no wobble.

Cast-iron pulleys make good ~precision hubs: https://www.surpluscenter.com/sort.asp? ... ELEN=10000
Or sprockets.
Pillow blocks are easy as they self-align and lock to the shaft: https://www.surpluscenter.com/sort.asp? ... ELEN=10000
Or bronze flanged bearings, if aligned: http://www.mcmaster.com/#bronze-sleeve-bearings/=fdtuji
Or I've superglued ball bearings into BB-ply holes, with superglue to the shaft, too.

An MDF disc could be attached to the hub with machine screws tapped into the hub, or epoxy (though screws let you replace it easily). If the MDF disc isn't much bigger than the hub, it should stay flat during humidity swings.

Hmm, I may make one, too!

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David Malicky

Thanks All,

David, those ideas and links are great, and just what I needed. I want to make this for situations where the workpiece is really small, or I want a more controlled removal of stock. I have 2 bench sanders, but they aren't always safe or convenient for an application.

Oh, man! Now, you've done it, David.... Those are some really interesting links. I think I'm sucked into another project.. Thanks alot!

I have no help to offer on this topic, but I do like the idea of "Extreme Manicures" as a TV show.
dang. Now the producers of Survivor will steal that idea for sure.

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http://www.CostaGuitars.com
PMoMC

I already have one and so do most of us. For the delicate sanding jobs I use my 6x48 belt/10" disk sander by hand operation. I spin the disk by pushing the sanding belt with one hand while holding small parts with the other. Works well enough to get the job done.

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Fred Tellier
http://www.fetellierguitars.com
Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/FE-Tellier-Guitars/163451547003866

I think Todd's got a really good idea here--I was on the verge of suggesting it and then I scrolled down and saw his post. Seems to me the advantage of a foot treadle sander is that you'd have both hands free to hold and guide the work piece.

Anytime, Corky! Anyone else want to join Projects Anonymous?

Yes, Todd has a good point on having 2 hands free. For that and also a simpler build, one could mount the hub directly to this:
https://www.surpluscenter.com/item.asp? ... e=electric
But one would need to know how to safely wire a switch, and the capacitor probably needs a shroud.
Is that RPM about right?

Or for super light duty and slower rpm, there are these:
(needs a shroud, and shaft probably has play): https://www.surpluscenter.com/item.asp? ... e=electric
Too slow?: https://www.surpluscenter.com/item.asp? ... e=electric
If too much play in the shaft, they might instead replace the hand crank via pulleys, though a faster motor would be better for a pulley drive.

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David Malicky

I love Todd's idea of a treadle - operated disk. Todd, what is the flywheel ?

treadle.....>old bicycle i have kicking around....>hmmm

Todd will probably answer with some pics as examples, but a flywheel is a larger, heavier wheel that you get going via your hand or foot treadle. The weight of the flywheel, once in motion, tends to keep it in motion. This energy is then transferred via a belt, rod, or shaft to your actual sanding disk. Think of a spinning wheel. The large wheel we normally associate with them is really a fly wheel that transfers energy to a small part of the device that twists and takes up the yarn. Or google up "great wheel lathe" and you will see examples. Flywheels don't have to be big, but they need to be heavier and more massive than the working part of the machine.

Fred: That's a great idea. If the belt sander is already set up for a disc, just pulling the belt would do it. It's not the sander cares whether it's turned on when it moves. Clever.

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Adam

If I had $650 to spend I'd think about getting a drum sander first. Just my 2 cents.

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"Preoccupation with an effect gives it power and enhances the error"
from "Your Owner's Manual" by Burt Hotchkiss.

An automotive brake disk makes a good flywheel--balanced, the mass is near the perimeter, and free from most any repair shop.

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David Malicky

If the goal is to save your fingertips, I can's see how a hand (or foot) powered sander is going to accomplish that. If it is powerful enough to be useful for the tasks we commonly use these things for, it will certainly have the capacity to give your nails a 'makeover', and then some. I think it is a better idea to devise holders and jigs that keep your fingers away from the disk (or belt), and get spend the money on a better machine. In my experience, generally bigger is better, as it is more stable, the abrasive stays cooler, and it is useful for more tasks. It's probably also easier to concentrate on the task at hand if you don't have do double duty as motor.

I've shown this picture here before, but here's my nut holder / fingertip saver. I've got others for similar specialized tasks

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Rian Gitar og Mandolin

I do agree for the most part, Arnt, and I do have excellent 6 x 10 AND 4 x 6 Rikon belt/disk sanders. The other issue though, is how aggressively they remove ALL material (not just my fingernails). For some tasks (admittedly, not many) I would like a slow and more controlled removal. Like all things luthiery, I suppose there is a learning curve to the fine use of aggressive power tools, and maybe I won't need to worry about this as much as I get more experience (I never used a belt sander or any large power tool prior to 2 years ago).

Thanks for all the replies. I appreciate the discussion. Beth

Would a router speed controller work on a disc sander??? I do way too much stuff by hand because my disc sander is too agressive. I'll try a speed controller on it later today.

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I didn't mean to say it, but I meant what I said.
http://www.brackettinstruments.com/

A router speed control only works with "Universal" motors (the loud, high speed kind in shopvacs, portable power tools, etc). A standard AC induction motor (the smooth and quiet kind), if single phase, can only run at the speed it's design for.

One idea for smaller parts: attach a small fine-grit disc to the center of the disc sander, then cut a matching hole in a full-size coarser-grit disc to surround it.

Or simpler, grind some steel on your regular disc, but only near the center. The grit near the center is also moving slower than the periphery -- built-in speed control.

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David Malicky