Posts: 7,421
Threads: 1
Joined: Sep 2005
For years I've spent frustrating moments trying to align my sanding discs to the vacuum holes on my random orbital sander.
The other day I was joining some plywood panes with 3/8" dowels and I had an "ah-ha" moment. I stuck two of the dowels in the sanding pad holes and then slipped the sandpaper disc over the dowels. Voile! Perfect (and instant) alignment.
Why had I not thought of this before? It was so obvious.
Of course after installing the sandpaper I had to remember to remove the dowels.
I managed that.
Just in case anyone else has not figured this out I am posting here.
No animals were injured or killed in the production of this post.
Posts: 4,867
Threads: 0
Joined: Jul 2003
Location: McKinney, Texas
I've seen where someone drills holes in a piece of wood in the same arrangement as a sanding disk. Puts dowels in the holes about a half in high or so, then put a sandpaper disk over the dowels then set the sander down over the disk, and its all lined up.
"Oh. Um, l-- look, i-- i-- if we built this large wooden badger" ~ Sir Bedevere
Posts: 12,888
Threads: 0
Joined: Jan 2010
Location: Lewiston, NY
(10-22-2018, 08:12 AM)Large Wooden Badger Wrote: I've seen where someone drills holes in a piece of wood in the same arrangement as a sanding disk. Puts dowels in the holes about a half in high or so, then put a sandpaper disk over the dowels then set the sander down over the disk, and its all lined up.
I think that idea was shown in a recent issue of WoodSmith.
John
Posts: 7,421
Threads: 1
Joined: Sep 2005
(10-22-2018, 08:12 AM)Large Wooden Badger Wrote: I've seen where someone drills holes in a piece of wood in the same arrangement as a sanding disk. Puts dowels in the holes about a half in high or so, then put a sandpaper disk over the dowels then set the sander down over the disk, and its all lined up.
OK. I could see how that would work. But more effort than the two dowels. So I don't think it is worth it as the two dowels worked perfectly.
No animals were injured or killed in the production of this post.
Posts: 8,399
Threads: 1
Joined: Mar 2000
Back when I had a five-hole Porter-Cable sander, I took an idea off the Woodsmith shop hints page and made an MDF holder for five different grits of paper. Each grit had two dowels spaced into the MDF so that I could hold 10 discs of each grit. When I wanted a new disc, I just slipped the sander over the dowels, pressed down, and, voila, the new disc was affixed to the velcro sanding pad on the sander.
Posts: 200
Threads: 0
Joined: Dec 2010
Really slow people like myself just use Abranet, problem avoided.
Posts: 2,840
Threads: 0
Joined: Nov 2006
Location: Western NY
The Bosch ROS has said apparatus built into the case lid, but plastic and not wood.
I tried not believing. That did not work, so now I just believe
Posts: 2,501
Threads: 0
Joined: Oct 2005
I just flex the disc into a U(Velcro to the outside) with 2 holes at the bottom of the U. Line up the 2 holes with the 2 corresponding holes on the pad and stick it down.
"There is no such thing as stupid questions, just stupid people"
Posts: 5,186
Threads: 0
Joined: Jan 2014
Location: Santa Maria, Ca
(10-23-2018, 08:01 PM)CARYinWA Wrote: I just flex the disc into a U(Velcro to the outside) with 2 holes at the bottom of the U. Line up the 2 holes with the 2 corresponding holes on the pad and stick it down.
Mark Singleton
Bene vivendo est optimum vindictae
The Laws of Physics do not care about your Politics - Me
Posts: 2,382
Threads: 0
Joined: Dec 2011
Mesh discs don't worry about the hole alignment and seem to hold longer.
Simon