DIY 20-inch Disc Sander Build. $2000 Tool, Cheap and Easy.

[@ltnthacker]

Nice job. Consider sealing the other side against humidity to reduce the possibility of warping caused by different absorption rates.

[@sjsomething4936]

Precisely what I was thinking!

[@houstonfirefox]

I agree entirely. I had an MDF router top that was formica on one side and 'raw' on the other. Cupped pretty bad over time and ended up having to toss it.

[@eddieagha5851]

Yep.

[@rationalist47]

You are right that ealing both sides is critical for avoiding warping. Mr Farmcraft101 is an amateur pretending to be a teacher by naming his channel Farmcraft101 like it is a college course. He is really a jack of all trades and master of none.

[@kirkking6601]

But better than a Master of One

[@ronthacker211]

Back in the 1950s, when I was a teenager, my Dad's shop had a 4 foot wide sander that i loved to "play" with. And all the machines there were run by leather belts that were moved to large drive wheels by long wooded handles to turn them on and off. The Jointer was 2 feet wide, the Planer was 4 feet wide and the Shaper had a 2 inch spindle. There was also an Elevator to the 2nd floor driven my belts actuated by pulling ropes. Loved that old shop.

[@FarmCraft101]

Sounds awesome.

[@joehook145]

Was you father Thomas Edison? Because you are describing his West Orange NJ factory/shop now museum exactly...

[@ronthacker211]

@@joehook145 Would love to see it and compare to my Dads. I say "MY DADS" shop but he did not own it. It was Lambert's Manufacturing in Waynesboro, VA. Probably on Google. When i was young, Mr. Lambert used to give me peppermint candies when i was there.

[@joehook145]

@@ronthacker211 Google “Thomas Edison National Historic Park” and there’s lot’s of photos of his lab and the workshop with all the machines running off leather belts coming down from the ceiling. And he had a “private” wooden elevator that ran off those belts. I was amazed how they built those machines back then. They came from all over the country. And workers must have lost limbs or life... There were no safety guards. Just spinning wheels with leather belts and wood levers to actuate them. Glad you have fond memories of your dads shop. That must have been a blast as a kid...

[@ronthacker211]

@@joehook145 Yes. Pix brought back some memories. DANGEROUS... OH YES. One of my Dad's co-workers was missing 2 fingers. Never knew how it happened. I got cut once by touching a Jointer blade.

[@ericf1202]

Brilliant!! You saved yourself (and me) about $2,850 and got all the functionality.

[@glenpaul3606]

You need a hard finished surface on the mdf to stick on your sanding disk and be able to remove it later. Suggest lacquer or polyurethane and paint it on while it turns slowly on your lathe to get a uniform coating. Ohhhh you did that...kool. Turned out great...beats buying one for $2000 +

[@bizkitluvv]

duuuuude i have a whole new respect for wood lathes now

[@whiskeykilmer1866]

I have a cheap and easy 4x4 pickup build. I just found a beautiful set of off-road tires and wheels for 50 bucks. It works and drives great. Oh yea, I almost forgot, you'll have to have a truck laying around.

[@theploeg]

Wow what luck I am actually in the process of converting an old broken lathe to make a disk sander; thank you, thank you, thank for this!

[@MarkKelly1307]

Hey Jon, my wife was wondering why I was watching my “Friday guy” on a Thursday night. Ha. Been going through some of your older videos and enjoying them. I always feel that I’m learning something when I’m watching. Cheers, Mark

[@vcurtis2061]

Good use of existing equipment. Well done

[@forthrightnight]

Leathercraft, lathes, woodcraft, machines, utilities, whatever else I've missed. Recent subscriber, really enjoy the craftsmanship and diversity displayed through your videos. Oh yeah, lets add primo videographer to the list. A modern day resonance man. I'm sure most of you have seen Wranglerstar. Go way back in his library before his success to the early days of KZbin and being a content creator with much the same skill set. Great set of values on display as a father, husband, and homesteader, eking out a living as best as he can. Cheers from the Rocky Mountains of B.C.

[@ProlificInvention]

What's really cool about this is that edge of the MDF disc you made is a fantastic finishing sharpener for knives. You hit the edge of a knife first using just the edge of the MDF wheel (after sharpening with other methods) and for that final sharper than a razor edge you apply some jewelers paste to the edge prior to final sharpening. Probably best just to make standalone units, where I first saw the idea the guy made bench grinder MDF wheels, one plain and one with jewelers paste.

[@any1alive]

either strop or a buffer strip around the radius, / outside of the cylinder?

[@patrickd9551]

I would personally prefer to make several discs for different grids, especially since it takes up a lot less space then a dedicated sander. I really like the idea of reusing the lathe for this purpose and with easily changed discs. Thank you for taking your time to demonstrate how to true and balance the plate a lot of builds tend to focus on the main body of the machine, not the disc itself.

[@jeffhallford5284]

As cost affective and easy as these are t make, I agree. Make multiple and you have the perfect sanding station.

[@Zigge]

As a retired patternmaker, I can tell you it is probably one of the most used tools in a pattern shop next after the band saw and lathe. But you need to make a tilting table for it so you can do the needed angles in your patterns. Then it is also very good for making tapered rounds. (like you demonstrated on the band saw)

[@generaldisarray]

Great job!!! Now for the scary stuff, if we do the math, the outer edge of a 20" disc at 700 rpm is travelling at around 42 mph and at 1000 rpm that goes up to almost 60 mph... Note to self do not stand in the line of fire and as Norm Abram would say "...and remember this. There is no other more important safety rule than to wear THESE... Safety Glasses"

[@silentscribes]

I hope you wore your safety glasses when you wrote that.

[@TomBuskey]

Remember CD-ROM drives on computers? They never got faster than 52x (whatever speed that is). Someone tried spinning them faster & they'd explode. Plastic shrapnel everywhere.

[@generaldisarray]

@@TomBuskey I think it was MythBusters that put CDs in an angle grinder, or some sort of contraption, and made them explode. It's why car tyres have a speed rating, and why the tyres for the Bugatti Veyron had to be specially made.

[@mh1066]

Oh, my goodness. I just love how much attention to detail you have. Thank you so much for sharing this project.

[@Colorcrayons]

Agreed. Attention to detail is something that goes unappreciated nowadays. Such attention conveys the art of craftsmanship and the spirit to be greater than what is generally expected.

[@eriklambert9059]

Great video! Built one myself three years ago from MDF as well, still working great. Thanks for your channel!

[@jeffhallford5284]

Thanks for sharing. I am in the planning stages of making a sanding disc for my lathe. This helps that process significantly. If you really want to nerd out on balancing the disc, component balance the two discs prior to assembly. Place the imbalances of each piece 180 degrees opposite of each other. This will reduce the amount of correction required for the final assembly balance.

[@aerialrescuesolutions3277]

Well said.

[@Azguella]

I remember when I still was in school the disc sander the disc was never changed and was a really old sand disc that had torn pieces from it and completely flat patches if you had to sand something with it you had to look for patches that still could sand something and hope for the best

[@davidwillard7334]

Too many ! Other ! Kids ! Used ! It ! On ! There ! Work !! Projects !! ( I had ! The ! Same ! Problem as you ! Did ! ! ) Must ! Have !! Made ! The ! Teacher ! Angry ! Having ! To ! Replace ! Things ! Like ! That ! And Other ! Things ! In ! The !! Class !! Shop !!

[@bigviper64]

Nice shop! Wish I had that kind of space…your voice is really, really CLEAR and your instructions are Spot On…very good video. I wish all DIY Videos were this clear and well defined.

[@gordroberts53]

Good video, particularly the section on balancing. Just to answer a couple of your questions: nominal induction motor speeds are determined by the number of winding coils (aka poles) 2 coils = 3600, 4 = 1800 (1750) and 1200 for 6 winding motors. More windings = more cost. The difference between nominal and actual is a property of induction motors (vs synchronous), I didn’t show the actual for the 2 and 6 pole versions, easy to find online if you’re curious. Couple things about faceplates. First it’s difficult to break a metal one, although all manufacturers will tell you to use pan head wood screws, not the flat head style you used. I know faceplates are countersunk but apparently that’s not an indication of what type of screws to use, check your grizzly manual (I own a G0766 too). I make my faceplates from hardwood, maple mostly, Beales taps are available for all common spindle sizes to cut the mating threads.

[@adamgriska9101]

I made virtually the same thing for my lathe. I made mine with a layer of MDF and a layer of phenolic faced Baltic birch plywood, so it will hold up to changing the paper. I can even use mild solvents to remove leftover adhesive.

[@carlhedman9249]

Just picked up this video. As I was watching idea came to me . Next time in town I will go by some granite counter shops to see if they have any circular drops to try to mount the face plate to. Those polished surfaces are flat and more true than I could surface. Thanks

[@JesusUruchurtu1]

This is amazing man! I feel like lathe manufacturers should include this as an add-on option. You made it look so easy (though clearly it isn't! it's pure skill). Thanks for sharing!

[@johnanthony2545]

Shop smith has a 12” disc. It doesn’t compete with a large dedicated lathe.

[@williamwoody7607]

That was remarkably involved and interesting. I never expected to be that impressed. Thank you.

[@andrewsuk6032]

I’ve had one for years (only 12 inch) ….made with MDF with smooth Formica laminate on both sides, easy disk change. For the hub I used Bubinga, tapped with a Beal spindle tap… and all turned for exact fit. It works great.

[@ericmcrae7758]

I made a similar one about 3 years ago for my wood lathe. The sanding discs I purchased have a backing disc that is glued to the board and the sanding discs are the hook and eye type so it very easy to change discs for different grades. I fashioned a platform out out of wood as I dont do welding, it slots into the ways of the lathe. I found it useful to have my dust extractor running while sanding. My lathe has variable speed control which is ideal for the disc.

[@firstmkb]

Thank you for indicating your plan for longer screws, because I couldn't hold back any longer!

[@Daynaleo1]

Brilliant! I have seen folks on KZbin make MDF honing wheels for bench grinders, but never seen anyone make a 20” disc sander for a lathe. Bet it won’t be long before lathe manufacturers bogart this.

[@gerraldhead8317]

You gave me the solution to one of my issues for cutting boards. I am just beginning so I look for solutions. THANKS!

[@chairman72]

Really neat idea. Thanks for sharing. If you find that the Poly did not hold the way you hoped, try 2 part epoxy mixed with 25% Acetone. I use this all the time when I need to stabilize large areas on a slab. It gets down into the wood because its almost like water. Once the Acetone flashes off the left over epoxy cures up inside the wood. You could then coat the top once more, flatten it and then polish it up. That plastic coating should not ever flake off.

[@bobkelly2447]

Well done ! I made a disk sander from a older MK1 shopsmith disk just mounted it on a washing machine motor (1040 RPM) added blocks of wood to make a platen for it and raise the motor and sander up and installed a normal light switch.... the thing works great !

[@stoptheirlies]

Hi, you are an extremely clever and resourceful chap and you come across as an extremely nice guy, you remind me a lot of Dave Turin in Gold rush. Bob UK.

[@twoweary]

Like others have said, I’d seal the back side also. The idea of a thin sheet of aluminum seems like a good idea, that way if you ever change the paper you can use a heat gun to get it off. Great video.

[@billqqq]

I'm sure you will get a ton of use out of that. Great that you still have a perfectly functional lathe. Nice build.

[@trevorjarvis3050]

This was a cool build! It wouldn’t worry me to spin it to 750 rpm. Letter rip, tater chip! You can check balance by setting a glass of water, ( don’t use a solo cup), on your lathe head, and adjust your weight by spinning it under power. The water won’t lie. Watch the harmonic in the glass. I made mine from a manual flywheel off of a truck. Took the ring gear off, and make an adapter to align with the flywheel to crank holes and a 1” arbor hole to fit my motor. My motor is off an old grizzly dust collector, and it spins 1750 rippems.. Takes almost 5 minutes to stop…. (The impeller portion of the dust collector is mounted to a 12hp gas engine homemade leaf vac for my mower.. I’m cheap bored and retired.😊

[@a_real_jive_turkey7772]

I think resin would be a good surface to cover the wheel in that would allow you to change the paper out easily in the future while sticking well too

[@robertmyers5993]

I think making a 3 inch thick resin wheel would be not only cool, but as good as MDF (#1 I could be wrong, #2 no worries about having to seal the resin for moisture warpage). Resin is as easy to work with as wood, but the cost would be higher. Would heat be an issue, I would be curious to know? Other than that great video!!

[@stephenweaver7631]

I think it's great. Two thing I'd suggest. Get a block of gutta percha to clean the disc every so often. It "grabs" the wood particles out of the sand grains. I've use them for years for that. Second, avoid sanding in one spot. When you are, say, rounding a corner, move the wood back and forth across the disc face to avoid burning the stock, and the paper. Great job!!

[@billboy7390]

Great job and you will find many uses for it. I ran mine at about 1750-2500 RPM but I used 3/4 Baltic Birch sandwiched between two layers of 3/4 MDF mounted to a 10" face plate that was 3/8" thick. I did not add all the other screws to the backside like you. Worked great but it was mounted to a 3500-pound Calpe Hydraulic 50" copy Lathe. I made several attachments for it so I could use it as a manual lathe when needed. One great lathe but over 8' long. Stopped doing production spindle work in 94.

[@thenintari]

One of the only channels I get excited for when a new video pops up. Proud patron and hope many more are the same. Keep up the great content!

[@johngreystokeclayton]

I made three 12 inch discs for my midi lathe. After truing them, I glued on formica to the faces. I change the sanding discs much more often and I find the formica to be a good base...easy to get the old disc off.

[@jameslarson6555]

‘The old memory’s goin” is a common feeling!

[@piratetaylor29]

Every sanding disc I've ever seen has holes on the face plate. One to get to the screws that hold it together to the back plate, and to make putting the sanding disc on and off easier. I have a vision of a homemade disc having a series of holes in semicircle patterns. Like a fan blade pattern. Form, fit & function. 👍🏻👍🏻🇺🇸

[@FatherOfTheParty]

I did a version of this years ago (not nearly as large as yours). I found that simple spray on adhesive (not super strong) works just fine and allows you to just peel off the old sandpaper. That thing turned out being ridiculously useful over the years.

[@TheWolfster001]

I did almost that exact same thing, I have access to a friends machine shop, and we surface planned it and used his lathe to make it smooth and then attached (glued & screwed) a sheet of 1/4" plexiglass to the MDF and now it is only .0001 out from center to far edge it has worked great for about 5 years so far.. I know it does not have to be that perfect, Like I said I have a good friend who has a machine shop, he would not let it go till it was almost perfect.. LOL.. Loved your video, thank you for sharing.. Try facing it with plexiglass if you are having issues replacing the sanding disk paper...

[@davidricketts6985]

Very nice. Useful. When you're balancing your project. Use a thicker shaft to prevent bending. Love your videos. From Tasmania. Dave.

[@hanssenden4410]

For these large sandpaper disc a velcro back is available. Gluing standard sandpaper with regular glue on MDF will hold, but the surface of the MDF will be unrepairrable distroid.

[@ConnorVosburgh]

I did this on a smaller scale for my lathe, i used a piece of 16ga 6061 aluminum as a facing, epoxied in place works great, use a heat gun to heat disc adhesive and comes right off

[@ramosel]

I did something very similar on my metal lathe for the wood lathe. I glued & screwed a 1/4" A36 hot rolled steel plate between two pieces of wood (accoya plywood). Turned the wood surface down true using the compound and a HSS tool. Then skinned that with 1/16" aluminum and re-trued the surface with a CNMG insert (less than .001 surface run-out). I did turn the edge as well. With the abrasive disc run to the edge, you can get all the way in on a 90° surface. Mine was only 18" as that's how much throw I had on the metal lathe with the removable section of the ways out. When I put that on my Dad's old wood lathe, the run-out actually stayed under .001". The steel core gives it a flywheel effect so when you really bear down on it, it doesn't slow quickly.

[@MichaelJohnson-jt5cu]

I made a sanding disc similar to the one you made but I used 1-layer of Corian material on top of the MDF which is flat and a solid material that the adhesive on the sanding disc will readily stick to.

[@charlesroberson3761]

A sturdy shroud and dust collection is all that's left to do. By the way if it ever delaminated (not likely) or came loose for some crazy reason I'll send flowers to you in the hospital. Great job!

[@Locane256]

So cool that I get to see what you made the faceplate for in the same evening!

[@dustinrushing346]

another legendary video from my favorite farmer

[@SmokeIfYouGotEmm]

For the average home user "house manager" a shop Smith is a great tool that has a disc sander, table saw, drill press, lathe, jointer and more all in one. You can find them used for around 5-750 USD.

[@donmoroz5502]

Don't see any wobble so the disc runs true and you've got it balanced well. Another viewer suggested you seal the back to keep water vapour from being drawn into the disc. Also take your face plate off, seal under it and replace.Great job!

[@deanlowther4020]

Built one for my lathe I used self adhesive hook and loop on melamine boards works great and easy to change

[@cheeseymccheese7249]

Thats really cool. Thank you for your creativity. I do agree with the wood wheel vs the metal one, for weight and ease of making it true. Well done

[@veronicaalessandrello1022]

I like what you do. Well done on the sander and on the jig you made on your band saw to cut accurate circles.

[@myk1200s]

Yes that would be great to see your lathe in action 👍

[@fletchro789]

Great build! There is a fairly simple calculation for a rotating ring's critical speed (can't recall off the top of my head) at which it will pull itself apart... But you also have a glue layer in there, which complicates things a bit. I think it makes the whole assembly stronger. But you were right to be aware of "standing in the line of fire." If I was you I would have stood off to the side until it spins up to the working speed! 😄

[@rpandocchi]

I’ve had great luck with using spray Lacquer on my DIY plywood disc sander. The only difference between the one you’ve built and mine is that I built my disc size at an 8” diameter. I’ve been using mine for the past 3 years without having any issues and it stays as close to dead flat as possible.

[@IdeasBox]

Here in Australia some authorities get all bent out of shape about mdf dust because of the formaldehyde content. I use it sparingly due to the really find dust, I'm not worried about it I just find it a pain, but it is handy due to its very good flatness. Great video, i got my dad's old wood lathe when he passed and I've made a few small things on it but a larger sander is a great idea. Thanks.

[@nickkropat8857]

I have been wanting to make one of these myself. I don't have a big lathe, so I would have to do the standalone version, but otherwise, your process is almost exactly how I was going to do it. Very interested to see how the MDF holds up over time (I was worried about sanding-heat warping it). Thank you for making this video, great job!!

[@myk1200s]

I think it's a great idea, if it works... You just saved yourself a bunch of money 👍

[@johnhampson7]

Makes me think that every Disk Sander I've used in the past was probably a bit iffy. Good video.

[@mnFlatLander]

Very cool. I won't be building this however I think there's some concepts I'll be applying that I learned here. Well done mate.

[@ginopumadera4265]

Fascinating,Jon! Absolutely genius !!!!!

[@yong62]

Don't forget to varnish the backside of the MDF plate (Moisture absorption). Always enjoy your videos.

[@bobkelly2447]

3m weather stripping adhesive ! is what we used for decades to hold sanding disks on DA sanders ,disk sanders and the like.... it works great and does not get super hard.... so you can get the old disk off if your careful add a bit more adhesive and apply a new disk...

[@mikefisher9992]

Hi from the UK, Imade a 12" diameter disc sander, using 3/8" aluminium and a 1hp motor' a few years ago. if you use disc pad adhesive for attaching non self adhesive sanding discs it can be hard to remove the residue from the faceplate when replacing the disc. I would have thought your comment re Formica would be an ideal solution as I would have thought it will have a close enough thickness tolerance. Your video has given me the idea to make a 6" version with 120 grit paper for my lathe to sand small dolls house and toy components.

[@TopoPilot]

Incredibly useful tool you built. I bet it lasts a good long time. Cool project and the information was very useful for my own needs. Best of luck on your future projects.

[@transmitterguy478]

Great video, John. I have a Craftsman wood lathe I've had for 30 years and never used. This would be a good application for it.

[@howesfull8]

Nice video. I'll second or third the "finish the backside." I really love the way you balanced it with the screws. Also, two quick comments. One, don't stand in front of the disc when you're doing a speed test. And, two, everything has a natural harmonic. It's based on all the stiff and not stiff bits and pieces that make up a machine (as well as mounting and damping items). It's master's or PhD level engineering math, so don't go there. It may vibrate at one RPM and not another (higher or lower), so have fun testing that out.

[@WompWompWoooomp]

One option for attaching sandpaper would be to use some hook and loop fabric. Use some contact cement or spray adhesive to stick one part solidly to the disc, then use the sticky back of the sandpaper (and maybe some more adhesive) to stick that to the other half of the hook and loop fabric. Especially useful if you think you might want to use more than one grit of sandpaper on a project, but don't want to waste a disc that's barely been used.

[@mrxmry3264]

9:31 whoa, what did that paint can do to you? 16:33 1725 rpm? what size disk do they use? your disk is probably bigger so it needs to spin slower.

[@drunkenmunky07]

Dust collection cowl next! Sanders produce a lot of dust! I did something very similar with my lathe but have the sanding disc mounted outboard! Great job!

[@randycosgrove3608]

I did this with my 12" lathe and used melamine. Not too hard to change the disc with a heat gun. Used peel and stick discs. Got a new to me lathe with a 16" swing over the bed and made a new one also with melamine. Only 1 thickness but no wobble at all. With a non adjustable table that slips into the bed I can move it right up to the disc and easily sand very thin pieces with no issues. I really like the ability to dial in my speed for various tasks. Can't do that with one of the one speed belt and disc combos.

[@rider660r]

Yes the backside also needs finished. Also don't have to waste $ on those cleaning sticks,a rubber sole old worn out boot works just a well if not last longer especially if it's a Vibram sole. I don't have a lathe so I used a dewalt buffer I bought 20? yrs ago for like $20.Made a MDF wheel to fit a 12" disc.It's adjustable from 1000 to 3600 rpm. I also built a multi-position table for it to lay your work on and added a dust port.There is almost no dust that gets past the outer edge.

[@huejanus5505]

Maybe a little late but i used varnish on my mdf plate, 3 coats. The varnish bond on the disk is stronger than the adhesive on the sandpaper. I’ve only changed the paper once but it went well. You can wipe it down with a little paint thinner to get any residual adhesive off.

[@ryanohayre2809]

I bet you could include a small ring or clip to the underside of your steel platform plate/table that would allow you to quickly attach the end of your dust collection hose. As the fine dust comes right off the machine, it gets sucked right up. It’s that super fine stuff that’ll get you or so I’ve heard.

[@davidsmith-ih2kk]

Your a man after my own heart Gunga Din, I try to save money by doing everything for myself whatever I can that is. I simply hate spending money I dont have to. I have a thought some disc sanders use Velcro to stick the disk onto the plate it should be fairly easy to stick it to the plate, the difficulty would be sticking the other bit to the sanding disk, unless you can buy sanding disks that size already having the other Velcro material on the back of the disk. Just a thought. One other thought, in Southern America people catch catfish abbreviated to cat, hence there's more than one way to skin a cat, not referring to our beautiful, charming lovable feline friends at all.

[@davanders2006]

Yea, you should have made the twenty inch disc with solid twenty four gold with diamonds, emeralds, ruby's, and purls on the outer edge for bling. Oh, I'm sorry that's my dream disc sander. I say you will get a lot of good use out of that one. I am wanting to make one for myself too. Thanks for sharing

[@Psychlist1972]

Your voice sounds just like Peter Brown (not me, but the guy who does all the resin turnings). I enjoyed watching this build.

[@canaan5337]

I did this using hardwood from old pallets glued together turned it into the shape of the disk and then shellacked it so hopefully the adhesive sanding discs wouldn't get permanently attached and it's worked just fine

[@piratetaylor29]

Following the manufactures technique of drilling a series of holes in circular patterns should do the trick. 👍🏻👍🏻🇺🇸

[@andrewmacomber1638]

Late weigh in here… epoxy resin might be a good final finish on your MDF disc. Tricky application tho. I like your willingness to innovate and improvise solutions in the shop. A sign of a true craftsman!👍🏼

[@rosewhite---]

Cat skinning was very popular during the craze of the Davy Crocket movie in early fifties.

[@jessicacoldwell5414]

Thanks

[@FarmCraft101]

Thanks for the support! Cheers!

[@rosariomusumeci3615]

I really enjoy watching and listening to your presentation. Very inspirational and educational. Thank you. Now I have a better idea how to make my own...perhaps not as big as yours as I have small needs. Thank you brother.

[@Sharkbar_]

First time viewing your channel and boy, you have some amazing toys.

[@howardhagadorn9443]

Oh, and I made something like this, put leather on the face and charged it with stropping compound and it really sharpens up all kinds of edges

[@kfletcher2005]

Completely legit approach, although I'm not an expert either. But hey if it works, can't argue with that.

[@scottstubberud1137]

I like the video a lot. And I will make one, unfortunately my lathe will only handle up to 16 inches but I think that will be a fair size disk. I would have balanced it with something other than the screws and I would’ve waited until I was done applying the paper to it but other than that, that was stellar. You have a new subscriber

[@Balsamancnc]

I built a 12" disk sander using 3/4" MDF mounted using a MDF "hub" directly to the motor shaft.. I also just used polyurethane to seal it and it's fine. Mine spins at 1750 RPM. I did build a perimeter guard. It's been going strong for many years.

[@user-kr3tn1tc4j]

What a great idea. I have a bench mounted 12" sanding disc which gets used very seldom. But takes up floor space as it's mounted on a rolling cabinet. Precious floor space. I'm converting and selling the old disc sander. Thank you !

[@mcorrade]

Awesome. I made one as well but a bit smaller and I used a dedicated motor and built a housing for mine. Large disk sander are crazy in pricing.

[@Ramona57-TX]

Every video I learn something new.

[@glynnepritchard2526]

Skinning a cat comes from the Irish nickname of the 'Treecat' which was a Pine Martin. As for balancing the old trick for motorbike wheels would be to hang the wheel, centrally from a string. The wheel will dip where heavier, the high side needs the weight

[@shakdidagalimal]

Good job making the diameter larger than the sanding disk. Now you can use the edge w/some compound for knife sharpening.

[@askquestionstrythings]

Awesome DIY adapter. One thing this lacks which you would find on a commercial sander of that size is dust control. That monster is going to fill your shop with dust. Dust control should be an easy second level project for this.

[@spud4ever290]

John , you are uniquely inventive .