I recently patched a bit of the subfloor in our kitchen. To level the repair, I spread some putty, and needed to quickly sand it flat before gluing the resilient tile down. I have a couple of rubber sanding blocks, but I wanted something really flat and solid, so I made a wooden block. I think I'll make a few more, so I can keep them loaded with a range of grits.
Basically, it's a chunk of wood with a couple of raised ridges on the back. You can either cut out the wood between the ridges, like I did, or glue two strips on top. Then you wrap sandpaper around the block and clamp it down by screwing a retainer piece between the strips. I made mine flat, but you could make it curved to fit your hand. Flat stacks better for storage.
Another note on rubber sanding blocks: I originally got a black one at Home Depot. It sucks. The rubber is too stiff to bend the flaps back for loading. I got a couple of red natural rubber ones at Rockler that are far better.
Sandpaper sheets are a standard size. Plan for that when you make a block. Also, here's a little jig I made to quickly cut sandpaper. Just lay it abrasive side down an cut it with a razor blade, following the edge of the jig to make a nice straight line.
Standard sandpaper sheets are 9x11
My block is 5 x 2.75
Basically, it's a chunk of wood with a couple of raised ridges on the back. You can either cut out the wood between the ridges, like I did, or glue two strips on top. Then you wrap sandpaper around the block and clamp it down by screwing a retainer piece between the strips. I made mine flat, but you could make it curved to fit your hand. Flat stacks better for storage.
Another note on rubber sanding blocks: I originally got a black one at Home Depot. It sucks. The rubber is too stiff to bend the flaps back for loading. I got a couple of red natural rubber ones at Rockler that are far better.
Sandpaper sheets are a standard size. Plan for that when you make a block. Also, here's a little jig I made to quickly cut sandpaper. Just lay it abrasive side down an cut it with a razor blade, following the edge of the jig to make a nice straight line.
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| Soft rubber commercial block on the left, my homemade wooden block on the right |
