How to sand longer stock?

[Landlubber Mike]

Hi everyone,

 

I've decided on my next build to replace the kit would with better wood from Jeff at Hobbymill.  I'm thinking ahead about how to create and finish the keel and stem post.  I have the Byrnes table saw and disc sander at the moment, but was wondering, for the longer pieces, how do you sand them to have a perfectly straight line?  

 

On the disc sander, I think you're only supposed to sand on one side of the disc.  So for longer pieces that exceed the radius, can you use the disc sander?  Or is there some other way to ensure that long lines are straight?

 

Thanks!

[NMBROOK]

The cheap no thrills way I do this is to glue glasspaper to a long(at least 200mm) piece of wood.You get far more control than messing with a normal sanding block and if you make it long and narrow,you are less likely to 'dome' the face you are sanding.

 

Kind Regards

 

Nigel

[michael mott]

I agree with Nigel use some double sided tape and make yourself some long sanding sticks if you use the edge of a wider board it will remain rigid and be easier to hold.

 

Michael

[Landlubber Mike]

Thank you guys!

[ianmajor]

Mike,

 

An idea that I picked up from an ex tool maker is to clamp the long sanding device in a vice or on the bench then move the item to be sanded along the top. I have some long straight files which I clamp in to my vice for this purpose. One thing to watch out for when doing this (teaching granny to suck eggs here probably  ) is that the resistance from the sandpaper is backwards along the underside of the piece but your forward pressure to move the piece is along the top. This tends to give a rotating force that puts more pressure on the front edge of the piece that can, if not counteracted, result in tapering at the front of the piece.

 

It is a great way of doing your nails at the same time.  

[gjdale]

You could always invest in a Thickness sander from Jim Bynes Same fantastic quality as his other tools. Perhaps not applicable in all situations, but worth thinking about.

[Q A's Revenge]

Someone on here has a very useful looking jig used with a drum sander held in a drill press. Seems like a great idea as a budget thicknesser.

[Landlubber Mike]

You could always invest in a Thickness sander from Jim Bynes Same fantastic quality as his other tools. Perhaps not applicable in all situations, but worth thinking about.

I was wondering about this - can you use the thickness sander where the piece is fed through the machine on its thinner end?  Or do you build some sort of sled so that the piece stays perpendicular to the table?  

 

I did invest in a Byrnes thickness sander, but unfortunately it was damaged during shipping last week.  Jim has been very helpful in working with the shipping company.

[Landlubber Mike]

Mike,

 

An idea that I picked up from an ex tool maker is to clamp the long sanding device in a vice or on the bench then move the item to be sanded along the top. I have some long straight files which I clamp in to my vice for this purpose. One thing to watch out for when doing this (teaching granny to suck eggs here probably  ) is that the resistance from the sandpaper is backwards along the underside of the piece but your forward pressure to move the piece is along the top. This tends to give a rotating force that puts more pressure on the front edge of the piece that can, if not counteracted, result in tapering at the front of the piece.

 

It is a great way of doing your nails at the same time.  

Thanks Ian that makes a lot of sense and explains why my pieces never get sanded flat

[SJSoane]

 

I have found it helpful to sand in one direction for 10 strokes, the reverse the piece and sand again for 10 strokes. No matter how hard I try to keep things level, inevitably I do favor one hand or side more than another. Switching periodically helps even things out. And also check with digital calipers periodically at each and on each side, to ensure that you are doing everything evenly. You can press a little harder on one end or side to even things up as you go along. Checking often means you only have to adjust a little at a time, rather than dealing with a big taper at the end.

 

Mark