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Make a sanding pad for your electric drill.

A good turning needs a good finish needs good sanding.

supplies for a sanding pad

If you have not tried power sanding with an electric drill and velcro backed sanding pads, but want to try, or for that matter like it and want more pads, here is how to have them for pennies. You need some scrap 3/4" plywood, a couple of 1/4" washers, a couple of 1/4" nuts, a 2 1/2" long, 1/4" carriage bolt, a strip of 2" wide velcro (hook side) and a piece of rubber backing material. I use the stuff from a camper's sleeping pad, but an old mouse pad will do.

preparing to cut the plywood disk

Draw a 2" or so circle on the ply and drill through the center with a 1/4" drill. Cut the head off the carriage bolt. Choose a spade bit for countersinking the washer and nut in the plywood. I use a spade bit instead of a Forstner because the tip of the spade will automatically center the countersink cut much like a counterbore.

plywood cut on the bandsaw

The disk is countersunk and cut from the ply with the bandsaw.

sanding disk assembled bottom sanding disk assembled top

Then the assembly is made with nut, washer, disk, washer, nut. I put a drop of thin CA on the nut threads to make sure they do not come loose.

disk in woodlathe shaped disk in woodlathe for shaping

Next I mount the whole thing in a Jacob's chuck on the lathe. Alternately you could use a drill press or even a hand drill and rasp it to shape. I turn it down to a little under 2" diameter although you can work to whatever size suits you.

2" disks on sanding disk

Pause for a moment and take out a 5" disk for your random orbital sander. Mine uses 8 holes for dust collection. Using a disk cut to under 2" note that you can draw 4 circles on that 5" disk.

disk cut into quarters

Actually, I am not bothering to cut out the circles, I just cut the disk into quarters.