SANDER HEAD for SPINDLE

[chodges]

Has anyone tried adapting a hook & loop pad by adding a center shaft that could be chucked into a spindle collett for surface sanding?

When we use a large "table surfacer" type router bit to mill a big glued-up plank nice and flat, it sure would be nice to use the ShopBot to sand the tool marks off too.

[Gary Campbell]

Charlie...
Make sure that the sander head is rated for the RPM you run it at. Very few rotary sanding heads run at more than a few thousand rpm.
Gary

[mwpfeifer]

Charlie,
You might want to check out the following link. http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=49254&cat=1,42500 (http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=49254&cat=1%2C42500)
Lee Valley handles a Tim Skilton sanding pad that is hook and loop. The largest they handle is 3 inch dia. I use these pads chucked in my drill press for sanding the inside bottom of boxes and trays that I have been making. Don't know why it would not work on the BOT provided your spindle has a low enough rpm, Mind goes down to 5K which is pretty close to the speed I run the drill press. Only issue I have had so far is if I apply too much pressure on the pad (it has a foam core) the sand paper loop backing pulls loose from the paper. As long as I don't get too agressive it works great!
Mike

[jon]

Hopefully you have a spindle, and can turn the speed down to almost a crawl for sanding purposes. 3M makes a product called roloc (spelling?) that are scotchbrite discs that quickly screw into an arbour, which can be mounted into the 1/4 inch collet. I've been thinking along these same lines, being as I spend more time sanding than milling, on selected parts. I would like to see a foam insert, same shapes as router bits used to mill, impregnated with abrasive. Eg 3/4 ball cutter, run part file, change bit for sanding 'cutter', also a 3/4 ball shape, then run the part file again. I believe this would work quite well, and you could go to finishing stage right off the machine.

Has anyone else done this yet?

[twelchPTM]

i have tried using the scotch-brite type pads you are speaking of unfortunatly I have a pc router not a spindle so the rpms are to high and the arbour blows apart. I have been considering manufacturing an arbour of my own that can handle the rpm's and also spring loading the shank so as to get consisent pressure across the board

[knight_toolworks]

I think unless it is spring loaded it is not going to be practical. gettign the pressure just right would be a real pain.