Extra-Long Drum Sander

When he started building the Arched-Top Clock, Issue #138, WOOD. magazine Design Editor, Kevin Boyle was faced with a plan that looked as if it would require hours of tedious hand sanding. Dreading this, Kevin created a drill-press attachment using parts he scrounged in the shop. The spindle itself is a length of 2" PVC plumbing pipe, a size that worked well for the clock s curves, but you can easily adapt this idea to other diameters of pipe.

Use a circle cutter to make slightly oversized wood plugs for the top and bottom of the spindle. Add the carriage bolts and nuts, chuck them into your drill press, and power-sand the plugs to fit perfectly into the pipe. Be sure that you fully countersink the PVC for the wood screws that secure the plugs so the heads don t protrude and scratch your work. Trim the sandpaper so the ends just meet or have a slight gap overlapping the paper would make a bump.

Construct the base assembly by cutting a piece of ¹⁄₄ " hardboard and ³⁄₄ " MDF to identical size. Drill a 2¹⁄₂ " hole through the hardboard, and a ¹⁄₄ " hole through the MDF. When you set up the sander, carefully check that the spindle is square to the table. Run the sander at 500 rpm or slower. Because of the low cost of building these spindles, you may want to make one for each grit you frequently use.

If you like this project, please check out our 330+ paper and downloadable woodworking project plans at the WOOD Store.