"Shopflee" Sanding Device - Build your own.

[tdubnik]

The "Shopflee" is my take on a quick and dirty Sandflee type device that anyone can build. All you need is the router/shaper fence and a sanding drum. The one that I built uses a 3" sanding drum which is the longest one I have at the moment. I have a 6" drum on order and will build a 6" version when it arrives.

The pictures are of a proof of concept version that I put together in about an hour. I replaced the wooden fence on my shaper fence with one made out of MDF. On the final version I'll probably use a good hardwood fence. I used the sanding drum itself to sand the contour into the ends of the fence by snugging the fence until it just barely slid in the slot. I then set the depth so that the front of the fence was even with the front of the sanding drum. I slowly fed the fence into the drum and let it sand to fit.

I used my shaper insert in the table and hooked the DC3300 to it. When I did this there was virtually no escaping dust.

To adjust the sanding depth, I set the sanding drum to the center of the shaper insert. I then adjusted both halves of the fence to be even with the front of the sanding drum and in line with each other by using a straight edge. I then locked everything down and moved the table in just enough to expose the "height of the grit" for sanding. Once this was done, I ran test pieces and it worked just fine.

[dusty]

looks to be a perfect edge sander as well as surface sander for stock up to almost 3". As indicated, it could easily be expanded to 6" by simple changing drums (and maybe widening the fence). This is also an excellent way to repurpose the shaper fence.

I do have one question. You have this shown with the Mark V set in vertical mode. Is there any reason, that you can see, why it can't be used just as effectively in the horizontal mode?

PS An after thought: Could the sanding be done just as easily using the conical disk?

[tdubnik]

looks to be a perfect edge sander as well as surface sander for stock up to almost 3". As indicated, it could easily be expanded to 6" by simple changing drums (and maybe widening the fence). This is also an excellent way to repurpose the shaper fence.

I do have one question. You have this shown with the Mark V set in vertical mode. Is there any reason, that you can see, why it can't be used just as effectively in the horizontal mode?

PS An after thought: Could the sanding be done just as easily using the conical disk?

No reason I can think of you couldn't use it horizontal. The table may be a little high horizontally for comfort but maybe not. I'll have to try it.

It's probably a benefit to be able t use it both ways; vertical for edge sanding and horizontally for flat sanding. Should work just fine.

I do have a 6" drum on order and will make a more substantial version once it arrives.

[davevz]

If you check a post by nuhobby post date 7-30-2008 under Long Drum Roll...Ta..Da you will see the neat horizontal SandFlee he built. Check with him on how well it works after some months of use.

[tdubnik]

If you check a post by nuhobby post date 7-30-2008 under Long Drum Roll...Ta..Da you will see the neat horizontal SandFlee he built. Check with him on how well it works after some months of use.

I saw that one before. That's what gave me the inspiration to build my version. Mine was so simple that I built it in under an hour.

I have been looking for a 16 or 18" hook and loop drum to build a real one but haven't found one in my price range yet.

[nuhobby]

Cool stuff, tdubnik!

Yours almost begs the question about what was patent-able about the Sand-Flee in the first place.

I still use my homemade "Flee contraption" fairly often. My impressions have remained about the same since I first made it. The 6" drum does have some runout at the far end, so eventually I could see getting a true Sand-Flee or something else with a bearing support at the far end of the drum. Also the Shopsmith 6" sanding drums go up to 100 grit but to my knowledge not higher grit. In any case, it has been super-handy for some of my bookmatched projects and veneered projects.

BTW, I agree with Dusty that tilting the whole rig to have gravity help keep the workpiece against the fences would be fine. The reliability of gravity does seem useful there.

For other comments about conical-sanding -- yes, the conical disk makes a wonderful flat surface on a workpiece. But I would guess that you'd need such a large fence-gap to do conical sanding in the "Flee" style that it wouldn't be practical, so you'd have to go back to thickness-style sanding with its appreciable kick-back forces in play. The "Flee" concept just has a wonderful combination of ease of use, safety, dust control, etc.

[dusty]

Cool stuff, tdubnik!

Yours almost begs the question about what was patent-able about the Sand-Flee in the first place.

I still use my homemade "Flee contraption" fairly often. My impressions have remained about the same since I first made it. The 6" drum does have some runout at the far end, so eventually I could see getting a true Sand-Flee or something else with a bearing support at the far end of the drum. Also the Shopsmith 6" sanding drums go up to 100 grit but to my knowledge not higher grit. In any case, it has been super-handy for some of my bookmatched projects and veneered projects.

BTW, I agree with Dusty that tilting the whole rig to have gravity help keep the workpiece against the fences would be fine. The reliability of gravity does seem useful there.

For other comments about conical-sanding -- yes, the conical disk makes a wonderful flat surface on a workpiece. But I would guess that you'd need such a large fence-gap to do conical sanding in the "Flee" style that it wouldn't be practical, so you'd have to go back to thickness-style sanding with its appreciable kick-back forces in play. The "Flee" concept just has a wonderful combination of ease of use, safety, dust control, etc.

I am thinking about how you might overcome that runout.

If the 6" drum comes apart the same way as does the 3" drum, the bolt that holds it together could be made longer and fitted with a bearing to stabilize the now unsupported end.

Of course, the bearing would need support but that is easy using SS lathe accessories.

I feel another project coming on.

[dlbristol]

I am always amazed at what you guys can do!! I used to teach computers and when students asked " can you do ____ on this machine" My answer was " The machine will do it, the question is can YOU tell the machine what you want done?" I think the Mark V will do "it", and there are lots of you who can " tell it what to do"!