sanding inside boxes

[Jackson]

I'm looking for some advice about sanding the inside base of small boxes. I turned a box today about 5 cm diameter and about 6 cm deep. It was a bit narrow to get my fingers in to sand the bottom. The sides were OK of course, I just had trouble getting the paper to lay flat on the base. I'd be grateful for any suggestions.

[M-R]

Try wrapping or glueing a piece of sandpaper to some dowel, or something simliar. The flatter the base the better :)

Good luck

[Cohuna]

I would try double sided tape to stick the appropriate grit sandpaper to a shaped piece of timber to suit your boxes or if you make lots of similar sizes and shapes then maybe use something more durable like an aluminium or steel form(s) will do the job. The offshoot of making forms to suit your box designs is one tends to be more consistant in quality of finish and one develops an efficient method or technique which may reduce time spent on getting the finish you want. Dont forget to design a handle for the sanding forms. Don't want to strain our pinkies do we.

hope this is of some help and good luck. :D :D :D

Cohuna

[rsser]

I have used a bit of dowel, with a slot cut down half its length. Feed the end of your strip of paper into the slot and round the dowel. Then I migrated to a set of those small drum sanders that fit into your power drill - they do a much quicker and more even job, tho you still have to finish sand by hand and dowel.

The bottom is more tricky. Some use surgical tweezers to hold the paper, or you can extend the paper past the end of the dowel slot and fold it back. UK mags have shown some spherical hook and loop sanders to fit into a power drill. With your size boxes, you might get some mileage out of extending the shaft of a 25mm hook and loop power disc sander.

Let us know how you go.

[Jackson]

Thanks for the assistance folks.

RSSER - I tried the dowel and liked it for the bottom of the sides, but didn't find folding the paper over so crash hot for the base.

I'm going to try Cohuna's suggestion and turn a sort of a elongated cone with about a 20mm base, something like a bell with a handle, and glue a velcro piece to the base. I can then cut hook and loop paper and attach it. This should be OK for any size up to boxes big enough to sand by hand.

Thanks

[Wayne Davy]

Another alternative is a Dremel or one of the cheap clones. Timbecon have accessory kit with small sanding pads ideal for this sort of thing (and powered too).

http://www.timbecon.com.au/productsdetail.asp?sectid=12620&parentid=12474&prodid=28061