Sanding small stuff

[Silverbirch]

I have a Simon Hope passive sander and I just love the way it whirrs into life, as if by magic, when it contacts a moving workpiece.
More importantly, I love how easy it is to control and the almost effortless finish it can give.
Sadly, it isn`t any use for small items. When i was sanding my box for this month`s challenge (by hand, trying hard to avoid rings), I thought about the mini one that Sorby do as part of their micro tool system.
I`ve seen it on their display stand at shows and I wondered if any of you have used it? Would it work for small things such as boxes-especially for getting inside where fingers can`t easily (or safely) reach?

Ian

 

[tekno.mage]

I don't know about the Sorby un-powered sanding system, but I use a small (just under 1" in diameter) Tim Skilton sanding arbor in a lightweight makita power drill/driver running at it's slowest speed and in counter-rotation to the lathe. For deep boxes I mount the arbor on an extension piece (intended for forstner bits, I thinkl) so I can sand the bottom of the inside of the box without risking my fingers! I don't get any problems with sanding scratches using this method. If you cut the sandpaper circles over-size for the arbor, they kind of wrap around it and allow sanding of the sides of the inside of the box too.

 

[Silverbirch]

Thanks, good idea, might give that a try. I`ll have a scout around for a small size arbor and see what I can come up with. It would be cheaper than the Sorby idea too, which is always a bonus

Ian