Sanding wheels tip.

[beeg]

Here's another way to sand wooden wheels.

http://www.woodsmithtips.com/2014/12/04 ... paign=8854

Last time I did it, I just inserted an arbor in the wheel, held onto the arbor while I let the wheel spin on the belt sander, keeping finger pressure on the wheel so it wood knot spin as fast. Worked fine for me.

[JPG]

If you leave the 'wheel' free to rotate on the center, applying it to the moving sanding surface at an angle, the wheel will self rotate. Light touch to start!

[rlkeeney]

I have made a few hundred wheels.

This jig is only useful for a single wheel size.

It's expensive when compared to a couple of pieces of plywood and an a dowel.

I find disk or belt sanders work best for sanding the wheels round.

I usually save all the tips from Woodsmith but didn't bother to save this one.

[beeg]

This jig is only useful for a single wheel size.

I thought that was the purpose of the swing arm and slot?

[masonsailor2]

Another method that works well on the SS is to make a jig that uses the miter slot clamp from one of the feather boards attached to a piece of plywood with a dowel center for the wheels. You can then clamp the jig to the SS table and use the disc sander to sand them round. Just set the quill stop to the desired point to achieve the diameter you want. The other advantage of this jig is that it can be clamped in the same manner to the band saw table and used to rough cut the wheels. I have one on the wall somewhere. If my explanation is too vague let me know and I will post a picture of it.
Paul

[rlkeeney]

This jig is only useful for a single wheel size.

I thought that was the purpose of the swing arm and slot?

To get the wheels all the same size you need a positive stop for each size wheel. If you try to do it by eye your wheels may not be the same size. Been there done that.

With the right jig and a belt sander you can make wheels all the same size from square stock. It makes a lot of dust but it works.

[rlkeeney]

Another method that works well on the SS is to make a jig that uses the miter slot clamp from one of the feather boards attached to a piece of plywood with a dowel center for the wheels. You can then clamp the jig to the SS table and use the disc sander to sand them round. Just set the quill stop to the desired point to achieve the diameter you want. The other advantage of this jig is that it can be clamped in the same manner to the band saw table and used to rough cut the wheels. I have one on the wall somewhere. If my explanation is too vague let me know and I will post a picture of it.
Paul

I've made wheels this way. It works well.

[Lodgepole]

Yes, I would appreciate a photo of your jig. And, possibly, some rough measurements.

[masonsailor2]

Jig2.jpg (321.01 KiB) Viewed 6417 times

Here are some picks of my circle cutting jig. I’m sorry I couldn’t show it attached to the main saw table but I have the lathe rest bolted on. I think you can get the general idea though. The platen with the dowel in it rides in the channel to adjust the diameter and I just use a grabber to hold it in place. I don’t know if you can tell from the picture but the dowel has been sanded flush and resized several times as there were different hole sizes needed over the years. Its fast and easy to make.
Paul

[dusty]

Wheel Jig.png (32.33 KiB) Viewed 6404 times

I use this jig for sanding the wheels that I make. But actually the last time I used it I was making hole plugs to be used when I painted the Shopsmith equipment (headstock and carriage).

I typically use the belt sander for this task but a similar jig could be made for use with the disk or drum sander. The later two would be most appropriate for sanding larger pieces like round tops for side tables or lawn furniture or for tops on the plastic buckets I use in the shop as seats.

I cut the pieces to approximate size using the bandsaw before going to the belt sander. This approach saves on sanding belts. The pivot pin needs to be relatively stiff in ordser to get truly round wheels/plugs. Over time, my jig has been drilled for a variety of pin locations that were required for different size wheels.

Remember, the table on the belt sander tilts and is adjustable in distance from the belt (this allows for tweaking of the diameter).

When doing the hole plugs, I wanted a slight taper so that I could tap the plugs into the holes and they would stay put. The belt sander was idea for this. A slight tilt on the bvelt sanders table and I had the beveled edge that I wanted.