Sanding Mop Template

[Judy Hunter]

Does anyone have the template to make my own sand mop. How do you cut the hole?
I sure go through them fast.
Is it possible to sand them too smooth so they are almost polished
and the stain won't take as well?
Thanks for any input.

[dgman]

Hey Judy, Have you seen the video Steve made? Click here and scroll down to "Daily post starts here": http://scrollsawworkshop.blogspot.com/2008/12/make-your-own-sanding-mop-on-cheap.html. It looks like you drill the hole on a drill press and cut the strips on a band saw. As far as the template, it looks like you draw it up yourself!

[BilltheDiver]

You da man Dan!  Always there to help out.  Wouldn't be the same around here without ya!

[Mainewoods]

Judy, between Steve's video, and this one;  http://youtu.be/ViFzlabVinM , I gained all the information I needed to make my own mop sander.  Cost me just over $20 and a couple hours of my time.  I used my scroll saw to cut the "fingers".  Each stack I cut used a couple blades, which were almost completely smooth afterwards.  Well worth the savings over buying one!  Hope this helps!

Glen

[PoppaRob]

Hi hoo,

Glad I saw this and checked it out, i think I'll use some of both of those videos and cut the final group peaces with my jig saw with a fine metal bade, thanks to Judy for starting/asking about it and DTM for showing us the way to the first video and Glen with his find,

Now to get some of these made, I am going to make 2 sizes I think one for sure the 5/6 inch dia and 3" thick and one say 2/3 inch dia and 1.5 thick with finer/smaller cuts/strips of paper, just thinking out loud here again


Poppa Rob

[dgman]

That's a helpful video Glen, but I don't see a need for the extra washers in between the layers. The two mops I have didn't come with them. Also, you want to break it in with a scrap board because the sheets are a bit stiff to start with and can score your work piece.
You definitely want to know what grit paper you are using. I use a 120 grit if I need to shape a little and a 220 grit for final sanding. If I were making my own, I would use cloth backed sandpaper instead of emory paper, but that's just me.

[Mainewoods]

I hear ya Dan!  However, I try to spend my money locally as much as possible.  Even though the product may not be locally made, the person working in the store is certainly local!  This is a pretty rural area, and although we have the Blue/Orange stores nearby, there isn't much else other than your local hardware stores.  That being said, no place around here sells cloth backed sand paper.  Emery cloth is all that's available, and what I used is somewhere around 180 grit (it was finer than the cloth labelled 150, but not as fine as 220 grit paper).  And yes, I "broke it in" on some scraps before I started sanding any of the motorcycle puzzles.  They were almost all pine, and the "fine" emery cloth did a magnificent job of slightly rounding the edges and removing any fuzzies.  As for the bolt I used, the one I bought was a carriage bolt that was threaded all the way to about the last 2-2 1/2 inches near the head.  That way I didn't have to worry about making more threads.  I just cut the head off, put the mop together, cut off the excess, then smoothed out the cut offs with my dremel.  As for the "spacers", my understanding is that they "soften" the mop, making it a little less aggressive in its material removal.   Whether that's true, I don't know, but my mop works great, and when it wears out, I'll make another just like it!

[ChuckD]

I am not saying anyone else does this BUT:  I first used the sanding mops and very soon I had the same problem as Judy.  Well worn and the wood was polished, like she said so smooth the stain would not take.  I had a friend come over to the shop for another reason and he picked up one of my "polished" pieces.  Now this guy has been doing crafts and furniture for some like a hundred years.  He told me I had a problem using the sanding mop.  His words to quote " If you want to polish, push it hard, If you want to sand, just touch it to the mop".  If have since found this to be true.  Of course no one else doe it like this.   

[PoppaRob]

Hello or Good Morn,

Have my first glass of coffee going and popped right into the scroll saw group this morn, lol, needed a little different start to my morn today, lol

Dan don't know about the mop you buy but the one Steve showed in his video had spacers also as the one in the second, also I did not no that the backings of the sandpaper were different or you could get different back materials, lol, also what ChuckD wrote about pushing in to hard and softly is true, its touch that makes it come out one way or the other,

If you push hard it creates heat which in a way burns the wood and starts the chemical change in the surface of the wood that makes it a harder surface which in turn does not allow the easy application of stain or varnish, well thats how I see it, for me it will be just another learning lesson touch/feel for another tool and its habits/ways, lol

I must get out more an find some of this sand paper with different backs, our lowes does not have it or I don't think so, might need to ask next time I go to the big city, Ok, that glass of coffee is gone, about 14oz, need to get another and go read something else and start planning my day of what I might be able to do with this old body, actually do, lol, if it stops raining, lol but we need that rain still badly around here, glad its a nice slow rain, has been for 2 days now, 2 more would be nice,

Poppa Rob

[julief]

Klingspor Gold is the best paper for sanding mops.  It will last you months and months.  You can buy it in a roll instead of sheets.  If you use paper backed sandpaper, the little "fingers" will tear off pretty quickly.  I have sanding mops that are old and still very useful.

[Judy Hunter]

Thanks everyone for help.
Yes Chuck, I push like a horse pulls Maybe that is why I polish and wear them out so fase.
I will try to back off on that. 
I will be ordering from Klingspore
Thanks again.

[PoppaRob]

HI again, short version,

Was looking around for more info on this to make my own version of this mop and found this that might help or give you another perspective on it, talks about the cloth backing and a simple jig as I call it to make it easier, also that by using your band saw and placing the sand paper on each other in one direction you don't have to dull your blade so much by putting the sand paper part down, I'll be using a old blade for my use on this ,

http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f27/making-sanding-mop-24022/

I am sorry if I bore everyone with my post as I have been told, I will try to keep them short but you also should know that I do this to help myself to remember and keep my mind going in a positive way from a medical point of view, if you have a problem with that, just don't read it or remove me from the group, not going to say anything else about this unless someone post me again,

Poppa Rob

[bettyswood]

Wow, now I want a sanding mop.  Guess I had better get busy and make one.  Thanks for all the hints and ideas.

[Judy Hunter]

I just ordered 3 rolls of the Klingspore gold.  The ones I am used to have 96 sheets. So I will be cutting a while.
$53.00 which will make two double six inchers at $60.

[PoppaRob]

Just a question, I am going to do this but I am not sure of the grit to get, most of the rolls i have are 220 and 100 so I was thinking of 180 as a middle ground leaning to the fine side,

any pros or cons on the ideal,

Poppa Rob