Lathe-
It’s a simple matter to make a holder for a sanding pad so the pad can be mounted on the lathe. The gist of the holder is a disk held by a scroll chuck. The spindle of the sanding pad is inserted into a hole in the disk. The clamping pressure of the chuck jaws locks the pad in place.
One advantage of this arrangement is that you can adjust the RPM of
the lathe and
thereby control the speed of the sanding disk. Reducing the speed makes the sanding
operation less aggressive, and if you use a soft pad, the sanding disk will actually
conform to the workpiece to a certain extent. This makes it less likely that you
will sand a flat spot on a curved surface.
Procedure
T
urn a spindle blank between centers to a diameter appropriate for the jaws of your
chuck. Typically this will be about 2”. Form a tenon on one end.
Mount the blank in your chuck using the tenon formed in the step above. Part off
a section of
the blank to produce a disk whose thickness, including the tenon, is
approximately equal to the length of the spindle of the sanding pad. For the pads
I have, this is about 1.25”.
Clean up the exposed face of the disk. Select a drill bit whose diameter is appropriate
for the spindle of the sanding pad. My
sanding pads have spindles that are nominally
1/4” but are actually a little under size. I find that a 15/64” drill bit gives a
better fit than 1/4”. A little too tight is better than too loose. Drill a hole all
the way through the disk.
Remove the disk from the chuck and run a saw
kerf part way across the diameter, as
shown in the photo at right.
Your holder is now ready to use. Insert the spindle of the pad into the hole and
then install the
assembly in a your chuck. The pad should be held securely.
When installing the holder, place the saw kerf in line with a gap between the jaws of the chuck.
An Application
The lathe-
