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Sanding Concave Surfaces

with a Random-Orbit Sander

I

LOVE MY RANDOM-ORBITsander, which removes material fast, is
easy to control, and leaves a smooth, uniform surface. When I made
a cedar-strip canoe last winter, the random-orbit sander worked like a
dream on the outside of the hull, shaping and smoothing the convex
curves. On the inside of the hull, however, I was able to use the sander
only in some of the flatter areas because the 5-in. pad bridged all but
the shallowest concave curves, leaving swirls and gouges at the edges.
After trying a number of solutions, all ineffective, I extended the
reach of my sander by adding an auxiliary disc. I cut a 3-in.-dia. disc
from^3 ⁄ 4 -in.-thick neoprene foam and attached a hook-and-loop fasten-
er to one side with polyurethane glue. I sealed the other side with
Franklin sanding-disc cement, ending up with something that looked
like a Nerf hockey puck.You can buy neoprene pads of different

CHAPTER SEVEN

Random-orbit

sander

Apply hook-

and-loop

fastener to

top of disc.

Apply disc cement

to bottom surface.