Popular Woodworking – October 2019

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Convex Sander Pad

In the process of refinishing an old

chair, I found that my random orbit

sander’s flat surface didn’t work for

sanding the concave hollow of the

seat. My sander uses hook-and-loop

paper, so I purchased some adhe-

sive-backed hook-and-loop material

at the hardware store.

After sticking the material togeth-

er with the hooks on one side and

loops on the other, I cut out a disc

shape that was small enough to fit

in the center of my sander without

blocking the dust collection holes.

I then applied the paper over the

pad. It worked perfectly to create a

slight convex bottom on my sander

that conformed to the chair’s curve,

and held the sandpaper firmly in

place.—Steve Laber

Frame Clamp
Two triangular maple blocks and a
pair of sharp-tipped drywall screws
are all you need to make corner
clamp blocks for picture frames.
Drill and counterbore a hole for
a drywall screw through one leg
of each block, positioned so the
screw’s tip is centered in the hypot-
enuse (photo). Make sure the screw
threads through the shank hole, so
you can turn it in and out. For hard
woods, extend the screws so their
tips barely protrude; extend the
tips a bit further for soft woods.
To use the blocks, assemble the
joint, with one frame side clamped
to your bench. Press a clamp block
to each side. When you clamp across
the joint, the screw tips bite in and
keep the blocks from sliding. The
screws leave small dimples, which
can be easily taken care of with wood
filler or a few drops of water to raise
the grain. To accommodate joint
angles other than 45°, simply modify
the shape of the blocks. —Rick Baird