Stronger Rotary Tool Sanding Disks

by gnomedriver in Workshop > Laser Cutting

1078 Views, 5 Favorites, 0 Comments

Stronger Rotary Tool Sanding Disks

20240505_190156.jpg
download (2).jpeg

Sandpaper disks fall apart quickly. I've laser cut sanding disks from emery cloth that last longer. I tried using my father's old gasket hole punches but the results weren't as clean and accurate as I got with the laser cutter.

Supplies

8p3rpp.jpg

I've used different grades of emery cloth. This is what I'm using today. This grade is great on smoothing the edges of plywood

Size of Sanding Disk

light a.png

The outside diameter is between 22 and 25mm. The hole in the centre is 2.4mm. Rotary tools operate at very high RPM. The larger the diameter, the faster the edge speed and there's a greater risk of the disk falling apart.

Load Up the Laser Cutter

8p3qj1.jpg
laser burn.png
8p3rkl.jpg
20240504_143700.jpg
20240504_143143.jpg
8p3qqz.jpg

I am fortunate to have a public makerspace in my city. This is attached to the library and is part of the broader educational program. It's free to use. One only needs to pay for materials. There are 3d printers, an electronics lab, small woodwork shop, CNC router, sewing machines and a lovely big central table were people gather and talk as they work on their projects. Lightburn is a common program used to control the settings on a variety of laser cutters. The onboard camera (sorry not a good clear photo) helps line up the cut on the material.

Glue Sanding Disks Together

20240504_172555.jpg

Time to glue the emery cloth cutouts to make a double sided disk. Clamp it so it doesn't curl

Attach to Mandrel and Here Are Some Results

20240506_134125.jpg
20240506_144727[1].jpg
8p3rvk.jpg
8p3s4c.jpg

Safety Stuff

8p3q6v.jpg

Rotary tools operate at very high speeds. They are not toys and all safety precautions should be taken. Read the instructions supplied with your rotary tool. Wear appropriate safety equipment.