Bowl Sanding Kit from Santa - Which one ?

[Cordy]

Been asked by family;what do I want for Xmas
To go with my new Coronet lathe I fancy a Bowl Sanding kit, not sure which one though

Seen these 3 so far
Axy at £45

Charnwood at £54

Hopewood at £55

Any guidance much appreciated

btw.... I do take notice of recommendations; previously I asked about a chuck and did buy the Record SC4 as advised here

 

[CHJ]

If you have a battery powered hand drill (small is good) I would suggest you go for one of these boxed sets
1. Having a head for each grade of abrasive has many advantages, you leave each grit size on the head until exhausted, that way you are not constantly wearing the hook/loop interface changing grades.
2. Using a drill to drive the heads as opposed to using friction drive means that you can keep the head speed down, reducing friction heat and give abrasive more time to cut effectively rather than skip over the surface.
3. You can drive the head with the turned piece stationary if you have rogue gain areas.

I've not found any heads over the years that better the Hope versions.

I mark the heads with a magic marker so they are easy to identify grit wise, replacement interface pads are a useful spare to have to hand.

Only caveat I have is that the Hex Bit holder, at least the one supplied in my original kit is not the best and most robust, there are better when it needs replacing (See Axy)

 

[Dalboy]

I have the hope set and find it very good but I do need to get a set up like CHJ has above. Also looking at the others the handle seems a little shorter with the hope system you can even buy longer handles for those deeper vessels

The advantages other than what he has already pointed out is you can change the direction of rotation so the disc is sanding in the opposite direction to rotation of the piece as well as getting a better sand towards the centre of the piece as with all those you linked to will slow down when at that point.

 

[TopCat 32]

good one Cordy, i am also looking at bowl sanding set ups, and like you have narrowed it down to these 3, (great minds) so will be keeping a close eye on the replies, we did have colwin way at our club a couple of weeks ago doing a demo and he had the hope system and seemed to highly recommend it, so at the moment i am heading that way, but would like to see what other members think

regards Tim

 

[Cordy]

Hi Tim
Do you mean this that Colwin Way recommended

or this boxed set that Chas above mentions ?

Planning to ask for the boxed set as advised by Chas

I have a small corded Makita drill similar to this which should do the biz

 

[CHJ]

I think the boxed set is a good starter and provides a handy storage solution and relatively economical compared with buying individual bits, you don't have to renew the sanding discs from the same source, cutting suitable squares from sheet material is far more economical and can have distinct advantages when sanding inside small boxes etc. where corner flaps help blend in those awkward little transition curves that are difficult to reach.
You can use a hex drive extension bar to reach deep in a vase or similar, something difficult with friction drive.
I keep the pre-formed discs for those instances where tight sharp edge detail is required and corner flaps would risk detail removal.
Every couple of years I lash out on some replacement bits to top the box up as necessary.

I have two old friction drive units, kept because I can't throw stuff away, just occasionally I use them for old times sake.
One is the Sorby plain bearing unit I purchased first off, chews it's way though bearings and shafts as soon as abrasive grit enters the bearing. See this old 2005 thread
The other is a ball bearing Grip-a-Disk unit which was an order of magnitude better but now a no longer available system, I guess most of the more recent designs learnt from this bearing experience to improve the designs.

 

[TopCat 32]

Hi Cordy, yes the 1st one , The hope pro sander complete kit, is what i am heading for i think, in a ideal world and money no option, i would like the box set of pads sanding discs and arbours as well to fit it, but in don't think i have been a good enough boy this year to get both for Xmas, i was looking at the sorby one with wooden handle, but have seen reports that theses are not so good, (bit of a job to get spinning and prone to seize up)

 

[CHJ]

Caution, the ProSander kit and the Hex Arbour pack are not compatible components.

The sanding arbours have different shanks, due to needing smaller diameter shanks to fit in the bearings on the friction drive handle as opposed to hex bit holders.

 

[TopCat 32]

Cheers Chas, like i said arbours to fit the pro sander ,not the hex ones , i noticed on the Hope wood turning website that when you order the box set of pads discs and arbours, they come with hex shafts as standard, but you can ask for them in the pro sander shaft a well,
thanks for the reminder
Tim

 

[Honest John]

+1 for the hope system. I’ve still got the Sorby handle but it’s useless compared to the Hope one. Incidentally my box of Simon Hopes sanding arbours has hex fittings but also a short round section that can be gripped in the jaws of a drill if required.

 

[tangledfeet]

I've had the Hope sander for almost a couple of years and I'm happy with it; I've yet to find myself wanting to use an arbour on a drill as I've found it so effective - woodturning is a hobby for me so I appreciate that someone doing it for a living may well need things done in a more timely manner.

I really rate the Rhynogrip red that he sells, too - I use the laser cutter at work to cut them. Simon uses Flexipads arbors and whilst you can get them elsewhere his prices are pretty keen, especially if you're a member of AWGB as he offers a discount on his own products.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Incidentally my box of Simon Hopes sanding arbours has hex fittings but also a short round section that can be gripped in the jaws of a drill if required.

Why would a hex not fit the jaws of a drill?

 

[Stiggy]

I use the Axy set - I regularly use the heads in my cordless drill fro awkward problem areas.