4 Ingenious Things You Can Do With Sanding Machines
There are several ingenious things you can do with your simple sander that will blow your mind.
11/10/2018
Your power tools cost you a lot of money, so it’s nice when you can invest in something that has multiple uses. However, your orbital sander seems to be able to do just one thing: sand. Right? Wrong! Actually, there are several ingenious things you can do with your simple sanding machine that will blow your mind.
Here’s our top four ingenious things you can do with your orbital sander:
1. Transform it into a fancy edge sander
Imagine being able to take your sander and turn it into something that can create the most beautiful edges for inside curves. It’s actually not that hard, and you can even take this on as a do-it-yourself project. All you need to perform this task is a decent orbital sander, and you can check out https://www.sanderscore.com/best-random-orbital-sanders-reviews/ to find the right one for this job, as well as some scraps ¾-inch [19mm] plywood, a 2x4, and some U-bolts and wing nuts. You can create the housing easily and in the end you’ll have a jig that can attach to your drill or sander.
family handyman
2. Take cleaning your sander to the next level
Wearing out your sandpaper can be a pain because it means you need to go out and stock up on some new items. However, you might not realize this, but you can make your sandpaper look brand new again just by using something you have lying around the house: an old sneaker. Make sure you’re wearing hearing and eye protection before you start your sander, then press the rubber sole against the paper while it’s running. You won’t believe your eyes at how quickly your old sandpaper turns shiny and new again.
family handyman
3. Sharpen other tools with your sander
Your sander doesn’t need to have just one function. You can actually use it to take care and perform maintenance on your other tools, too. For instance, if you don’t have a bench grinder that can sharpen your tools, you can instead utilize your belt sander for the task. All you need is a fine-grit belt, and a stand that you can easily make from two pieces of scrap wood, and you’ll be able to make your chisels and other sharp tools perform just like they did the first day you bought them.
4. Catch the dust with this collector hack
Sanding puts a whole ton of dust and other particulate into the air, and over time, your lungs will suffer because of it. You can capture the dust while you sand by constructing your own collector using your shop vacuum cleaner, a 3x2-inch PVC reducing coupling and a magnet. Sounds pretty simple, right? All you need to do is bolt the magnet to the coupling and position this over the end of the vacuum hose. If you place the hose on your table, it will suck up all the dust before your eyes.
Developing intuitive ways to use your power tools offers you flexibility and versatility within your workshop. Your sanding machines are no different, and you can be creative to find ways that they can help make your life easier. Use this guide to inspire you to put your sanding machine to work!