Power Sanding

[krellj@aol.com]

Question for anyone who wants to answer... In the absence of a grinder/sander, would anyone recommend power had sander (either orbital, vibrating or belt) to rough finish scales, say to 220 grit? Really for quick wood material removal.

[krellj@aol.com]

That would b hand sander....

[Whiskers]

Joe:

Take a look at a Dremel. You can shape and rough sand your scales with it and use it for polishing and cut off. You can find a lot of uses for this tool.

Whiskers

[Osprey Guy]

A big +1 on the Dremel! To this day it's still probably the single most often used piece of equipment in my shop. The list of uses for knifemaking is almost endless.

You'll want to use a "sanding drum" for the scales. It's a rubber cylinder that holds sandpaper sleeves that can be had in various grits. The bigger drums are best, preferably 3/4"...but they're not quite as easy to find. When you go looking for them, they're also called "expanding mandrels"...sometimes "drum arbors"...

I now get my sleeves locally from a jewelry supply house, so I haven't had the need to buy from the following outfit in a very long time. But they do have the 3/4" x 3/4" mandrels (you want ones with the 1/8" shanks...NOT 1/4" shanks), with the corresponding sanding sleeves (about halfway down the page):
http://www.qualitycarvingsupplies.com/store/page43.html

Maybe someone else can chime in with other resources for the larger mandrels and sleeves.

Also...Dremel offers three-jaw chucks to use in place of collets. I can't recommend them enough. Makes it sooo much easier to change burs.

As you get into it, you'll find more and more uses for the Dremel, not the least of which will be for fileworking backspines and shaping bolsters.

Have fun!

Dennis

[krellj@aol.com]

Thanks Folks. I have a Dremel tool (albeit the bottom of the line rechargeable kind) I'll get some sanding drums and go to town!

Thanks again.

[Osprey Guy]

(albeit the bottom of the line rechargeable kind)

Hmmmm.... If your main intent is to use it for rough sanding scale material, if the rechargeable Dremel is anything less than the 10.8 rechargeable Lithium variety I'd be a little skeptical of its usefulness for this application. More power (with easy, smooth strokes using a light touch) will give you better, cleaner results. Less power is more liable to leave grinding marks that could be a PIA to get out. But by all means give it a try (test it on a scrap piece of wood).

If you do decide to buy one, like anyone here will tell you, you should buy the very best you can afford. The old expression: "I can't afford to buy cheap tools." By the time you get to your 2nd or 3rd knife you'll wish you had bought the better model.

When I bought my Dremel 8 yrs ago I got the "professional" model...#398. And it's still going strong (I've only had to change the brushes a few times). I believe it cost me about $100. The Dremel models that you'll find at Home Depot, etc... 300 series and 400 series will probably be fine for your needs. Maybe someone else here has specific experience with those two models.


Dennis

[NJStricker]

I'll jump in here. I don't have any experience with those particular models of Dremel (though I do use them a lot, I just forget which model I have!).

My comment is to take a look at used Foredom's, especially when you start to get up in the $100 range. They are a bit more powerful than some of the Dremels, and in my opinion more controllable because of the flex shaft, handpiece, and variable power with foot pedal.

I found a used one locally for $60, and that included the flex shaft, 5 handpieces, and a number of bits. That's an exceptional price, but you can find used ones on Ebay or maybe even local pawn shops.

[krellj@aol.com]

Thanks all, I'll test what I've got to see if it will work. BTW, I just received my kit, and the scale material I ordered is at least .400" thick. The height of the bolster is roughly 1/8 inch. The handle will be pinned, so how thick should the handle material be? If I leave it at its current thickness, thene the pins will be too tall and peening them won't do any good.

[Osprey Guy]

Scales on most smaller folders are typically an 1/8" or less ("gents" folders are usually closer to 1/10"). You want to match the scale to the thickness of the bolsters (you CAN also sand the bolsters further down as well from their current thickness...that's up to you).

Which means you got a lot of sanding ahead of you...

Don't forget to wear eye protection and a respirator.


Dennis

[krellj@aol.com]

Thanks Dennis. I guess what I meant to say is that I need to plane the handle material down before I install it and peen the pins. I was thinking I should plane the .400" to just over 1/8 inch (maybe .150"). I really don't know how thick it should be to start in order to be able to peen the pins effectively. If I start too thisk, then and "mushrooming" of the pin will ultimately get ground or sanded off.

[Osprey Guy]

Make sure to leave a little extra thickness in the scales during rough sanding... You want to alow yourself some "room to move" for final hand sanding/finishing. Just take it a bit slower as you get near 1/8"... You can always remove material, but you can't add.

Regarding Foredom... Plenty of guys swear by them. I own a Foredom high speed "micromotor" handpiece (40,000 rpm) and it's great. I also have a GRS Turbo 850 (350,000 rpm), and a Foredom want-to-be from Grizzly. But I still find myself frequently reaching for my trusty Dremel. Unlike other Dremels mine has digital controlled variable speed (5000-35,000 rpm). I only use it with the flexshaft, which I find gives me much more "flexibility"...


Dennis

[krellj@aol.com]

Dennis,

I checked and my Dremel is 7.2V....probably too small. I did order the drums you recommended. I am going to HD to check on Dremels.

Thanks,

Joe

[EdStreet]

head over to harbor frieght and get the flex shaft they have, it's cheap and just as good if not better than the foredom's. has a foot pedal for variable speed. Also widget supply has a good assortment of attachments in this area. From what I have seen the dremel brand is just way over priced for what you get.

HF flex shaft

[krellj@aol.com]

Would you rather have one of these or for a little more mondy, get a Delta 1" belt sander?

[Osprey Guy]

The 1" belt sander will have very limited use... and after a couple of knives you'll be wishing you had spent your money on a better belt sander/grinder. Whereas the Dremel/Foredom, etc will continue to be an asset to your shop for years to come.


Dennis