Thread: New 1/2" sanding mandrel tutorial.

A while ago I posted a thread on how to make sanding drums for the 1/2" rotary tool sanding mandrel. I have since refined my method of creating them to produce more at once and constructing them to be less prone to catching and edge or fraying. The instructions to do so were given in a very abridged form at the end of the thread, but, I figured I'd write another tutorial for those who want to know

Anyway here is the tutorial. Enjoy

Good stuff. Thanks.

Many thanks for sharing this!

Great info Jason. I will give the home made sleves a try. I can see that they will be much cheaper and I will get a wider assortment of grits and abrasives.

BTW, your sleeves look factory made. I think that it will take me a while before mine come out that good and that easy. Your results are very encouraging.

Thanks Jason. I'll probably follow your lead on the tape as I didn't have much adhesion with Scotch.

This is an excellent presentation and the information is very useful for the do-it-yourselfer who does not have all the fancy equipment. Very good job.

Thank guys. I hope you find them as handy as I do

Ilija,
For me there is usually some inevitable fraying - with whatever tape I use - but it's usually so minor that is doesn't cause any problems. When you put the sleeve on the mandrel, you also want to be careful not to overtighten it, as this will expand the sleeve to much and cause it too lose adhesion or possibly tear.

I know I said it in the tutorial, and I'll say it again, avoid touching that tape. Fresh tape has quite good adhesion, but oily fingers can greatly reduce said ability.

Also, you'll notice in the last picture that I have the drum on the mandrel such that it protrudes past the top by about 1/8". When I'm working on blades, this part that sticks past is the part I use to do the work. It's pliable enough that I don't have to worry about accidentally putting too much pressure down and causing it to really dig into the metal, as is the case had I pressed the actual mandrel into the surface. Most of this is mentioned at the end of the first tutorial, but I see no harm in reiterating

Hi Jason,
That was a beautiful presentation. It was very very informative. Thanks for the information I will use it.

I was at Lee Valley yesterday and came across some sandpaper rolls. They aren't as much sandpaper as sandcloth. They looked to be some sort of canvas. I figure these would be great to construct the 1/2" tubes. The cloth would likely prolong the life of the sleeves; and, since it comes in rolls, they may also be wrapped continuosly without seams joining one strip to the next. I wanted to get some, but at $20/roll, didn't want to blow any more money. Once I get a few more bux I'm definitely going to try it.

Is the link broken to the tutorial?

Nick