Quickwood Flap Wheel - 8"OD - 28 Slot 45mm trim

Boys and Girls,
 

Occasionally I’ve made reference to my flap sanding and I’ve received a couple of PMs that has prompted me to expand my review quota, and get some more activity into new postings.

 This item is for those that think they have their sanding under control yet want to step up their non flat surface sanding a few notches.

Now I’m not talking about these poopsie drill mounted flappers 

that sound like SWMBO when you goof up, but rather a heavy duty jobs,

you get slapped with when your screw up is massive.

 

Before I do my review of the subject product, let me flap on a bit about flap sanders to those that may not have experienced their use/availability.  If you just wanna know what product I’m going to crap on about, feel free to scroll down without a slapshot penalty.

 

These type of flaps are readily available from you stores like Bunnings (or equivalent hardware store),

Don’t be totally intimidated by their small profile, once mounted into a drill press

hit the power button,

and you can really ruffle its feathers if you crank up the speed,

or even mount it in a drill (speed depending)

and don’t despair, when rested, like silly putty or an orgasm, will return to its original shape,

They come in different widths and grits,

and are more affective at greater speeds.

Though the grits tend to be on the aggressive side… which is something I’m not too keen on as I’m more interested in finish sanding.

You can get these gizmos (just don’t ask me where)

which you can build up with your preferred grit, and slap them into the DP 

for a smoother slap and tickle,

 

The flaps I bought were  2”  50.8mm wide and the outer diameter extends to approximately  10”  254mm, in 180G and 240G.

When I bought them there wasn’t any allowance for arbor sizes

and I assume you had to fabricate some sort of attachment technique. My first attempt was to pack out the middle with timber,

At the time I only had “full speed” bench grinders with those tapered spindles,

 

Which I must have managed somehow (??? can’t remember).

Then I upgraded to a slow speed grinder with a much shorter spindle (compared to the taper) and I finished up designing something in SketchUp 

based on my previous wooden fabrication and 3D printed it,

Assembling

and attaching it,

180G printed in red,

with the 240G in green,

 

At half speed, that 254mm moves a rapid speed and anything near that diameter gets blown away and if you get a tad too aggressive or catch an edge, the flap has the propensity to shed,

however, it can be replanted into the slot.  If it is flung off to an inaccessible/hidden location, I also purchase a few sets of replacement flaps,

Unfortunately, with the short arbors, I need a special spanner to remove the retaining nut,

which I’ve often mentioned, but never reviewed (sorry).  

If you find the sanding disc is too close to the grinder body, you can get these extenders, that also have longer shafts,

(I use 3D printed bushings to expand from 16mm to  ¾”  19mm.)

 

I’ve attached the grinder to a base so it can be moved around,

yet to be MFT’d for use with my lockdogs.

  

Same people I got my sanding sponges from.... reviewed here.

Thanks for looking.

 

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