Shop made 12" disk sander

Just to let you members know what kind of people we have on this foum, the UPS truck drove up today and the driver gave me a package from Don Taylor. It was a brand new 12" Shopsmith sanding disc to replace the one that I built to go on the sander. He not only would not take anything for it but he also paid the freight saying that it was worth it to him for the information and the idea of how he could use his extra one. What a guy! Here is the new disc installed. It works like a dream.
 

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Very nice setup there Alan. I have been thinking about getting a new disc sander as mine is almost nothing to speak of. However your timely post inspires me to make one.
 
Looks good on there Allen, you make me sound like something special. :huh:
Fact is you just helped me clean up my junk pile. :rofl:
And…. I just stole your idea for a sander. :rolleyes: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

You know the saying, one man's junk is another man's gold.

Just this week, I gave a really nice tower computer to a friend I know. I knew the motherboard was bad but the rest of the parts are very good indeed. (I know, I built it :rofl:) He will build his wife a new computer with it. Years ago I would have just ordered another mother board and installed it. I've gone to Mac and will never fight another PC. I had absolutely no use for it.

When I built my shop, I had plans to put in a sky-hook (hoist) to help me pick up heavy things in the shop. I normally work alone and I'm not one to take chances with safety. The guys who built the shop wanted $3000+ to install what I needed and I refused to pay that. I thought about it for ten months or so and one day saw this at Harbor Freight.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=41188

It got me thinking. I couldn't decide what I would do with this monster when I wasn't using it. :huh: It wouldn't store on the porch of the shop because it wouldn't go under the door. My work/cutoff table is 7' 10" long. Bingo! :clap: I had the solution. If I straddled the table and table saw island, this thingy would actually disappear. hehehehehe

They delivered it yesterday and I was out in the shop trying to get those leventy hundred pound pieces onto my miniature piano dollies so I could jockey them into place on the floor. I spent four hours doing an hours work but I had it bolted together except for the feet. And that's when my friend came to pick up the computer.
With no prompting at all, he says, "I'll be by tomorrow around three to stand that thing up." It took three fellows and a lot of grunting but you can see how it's going to work.

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All of that to say this: If you can help someone, if you have something someone can use and it's in your way anyway, give it up. Don't expect anything in return. Your gain is the pleasure someone will get from what ever it may be. It always comes back to you, maybe not from the source but from another that believes in life the way you do.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could all "Just Get Along?" ;)

Now go make some sawdust! :thumb:

Don
 
...It always comes back to you, maybe not from the source but from another that believes in life the way you do...
Very true, at least in my experience. Both the good and the bad. ;) Kudos to you, Don.

(And that gantry crane looks like a good idea. That's quite a shop you're assembling.)
 
Don that looks great, and it really is nice to have good friends that help out, but you have to earn them, and I'm sure you understand that :thumb: :D

Cheers!
 
that gantry crane looks like a good idea. That's quite a shop you're assembling.

Thanks Vaughn,
I actually had it looking somewhat like a shop finally but had to move darn near everything to the walls to lay that silly thing out on the floor. Good thing I have "Everything" on wheels. :thumb: By the way, that Gantry Crane cranks up to 12'. I'll get it up there out of my way and hang the chain hoist on it. It will also answer some of my problems for a tempory way to mount 4" hoses for my DC. I'll make quick disconnect type thingys and strap the hoses to the crane.
I have finally decided where to start on making the cabinets. After they are done that saw horse rig (I’ve got those nice and low to use with the Festools) will go away and I'll be able to have a nice path all the way around the table saw island.
One day I'll have it finished (if one can ever get finished with a shop :rofl:) Right now I'm having as much fun building the shop as I would with the best of projects. ;)

Don
 
Then I mounted it to a flip top base that I built. I have the Ridgid spindle/belt sander on the opposite side.

Don,

I almost choked on my lunch :eek: , I built the exact same flip top stand for my planer and mortiser! However, I like the way you are keeping the top from rotating - the wood stops. I used a couple of barrel bolts and have never been really happy with them. mind if I steal your idea?:D
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Poor picture - I'm sorry.
 
Don,

I almost choked on my lunch :eek: , I built the exact same flip top stand for my planer and mortiser! However, I like the way you are keeping the top from rotating - the wood stops. I used a couple of barrel bolts and have never been really happy with them. mind if I steal your idea?:D
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Poor picture - I'm sorry.

Well I almost choked myself at your post. I had made some modifications to the origional plan and I thought the same thing that you did. I decided that a couple of bolts through the sides into the top would be a better solution than the origional and after giving it a try I was not happy either. The wood stops do work much better. Go for it.

Allen
 
...All of that to say this: If you can help someone, if you have something someone can use and it's in your way anyway, give it up. ...It always comes back to you, maybe not from the source but from another that believes in life the way you do.
Don...

Yay! I love people like you! I'm the same way..
kudos!:thumb:

And, to Add: If you made the pivot as close to the wheel as possible, naturally the fulcrum would stay close.. just sayin..
 
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Yay! I love people like you! I'm the same way..
kudos!:thumb:

And, to Add: If you made the pivot as close to the wheel as possible, naturally the fulcrum would stay close.. just sayin..

And a good way to do that would be to undercut the edge of the table that goes next to the sanding disc at 45*, (or whatever angle you might want to sand to), then make the base box wider than the disc, stop them about even with the face of the disc, OR cut the ends of the base box at a slant from even with the face of the disc down toward the front of the sander, at the same angle or slightly more than the undercut angle. Now you can fasten the table to the base with two hinges mounted just outside each edge of the disc, and to the base on the angled surface with the centerline of the hinges very close to the plane of the face of the disc. The table would then tilt down and should remain within about 1/8" of the face of the disc. Note: You would need to attach a hinged rod, (or two) somewhere under the front edge of the table down to a fitting to lock the rod in place at the desired table angle.
 
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That's sweet...

The problem with posting on any forum is that you end up getting a dozen ideas on how to improve your design. The good part is though is that you get a dozen different ideas on how to improve your design! Isn't that the truth.

I am glad you are taking the opinions well Alan. I guess I will throw in my two cents. If it was me I would swap out the wooden parts for aluminum, but that's just me. I like aluminum because its light, easy to work with woodworking tools and is strong and can be painted or buffed to a bright shine. The wood works as well though.
 
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