Angle grinder discs for shaping wood ?

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Boo2

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Hi,

I've got to make a new hatch-top instrument binnacle for Sunrunner (UFO 34) and I intend to make it from marine ply and then glass over it with cloth/mat and epoxy. I will need to round the corners and the long edges and wondered what are the best angle grinder discs to use for that ?

Thanks,

Boo2
 
Coming next: what weight of hammer is best for driving in screws?

OP, I use a random orbit sander, a wee mouse sander or even a cork sanding block and sandpaper for this sort of thing. If I need a radius bigger than quite small (10mm or so) a bit of initial shaping with a saw, perhaps just one diagonal cut, saves a lot of time.
 
Another option is to get a 'drum' sander of about 3" thick and 6" diameter compact sponge and 1/4" spindle that will fit into your mains drill. The 'drum' has a continuous sanding belt fitted of coarse or whatever grade required and is very controllable for forming curves or chamfers. Of course you should also use masks and goggles for safety from dust generated. At slow speeds the sanding surface of the drum can be recovered by abrading on a special black rubberlike block.
The sander I have was 'Lion Brand' and bought at a B&Q store for about £6 complete with a packet of sanding belts. The belts have an arrow marked on them for direction of rotation when fitted to the drum.

ianat182
 
itchenseadog said:
Don't know why not, been using them and a properly sharpened smoothing plane for this sort of job since I was a 15year old apprentice (now drawing pension). If you want it to look like an amateur bodge job, then certainly use an angle grinder. As for using a drum sander.......!
Click to expand...

Of all the tools that you could use, in my opinion, a spokeshave would be very low down on the list for rounding off a corner on plywood. A drum sander would probably be just above it, and an angle grinder only a little higher.

But OP wants to use an angle grinder and, for what he is planning on doing sanding disks answer his question.
 
Last edited:
Boo2 said:
Hi,

I've got to make a new hatch-top instrument binnacle for Sunrunner (UFO 34) and I intend to make it from marine ply and then glass over it with cloth/mat and epoxy. I will need to round the corners and the long edges and wondered what are the best angle grinder discs to use for that ?

Thanks,

Boo2
Click to expand...


Glassed-over plywood will only look so-so. Save time and effort, just remove the gubbins from on of these and hack in your instruments :-)
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TAXI-ROOF...METER-MAGNET-TOPSIGN-ROOF-LIGHT-/271129658771
 
I have made several, all from closed cell foam, easy, fast, strong, and light.

Thin layers glued together give the shape, then easy to sand for the final rounding, glass over and finish with rovings.
Add a thin layer of Micro-Spheres and sand for a perfect finish, coat with epoxy primer and your local paint shop to spray it for a very professional finish.

Don't forget to add internal back lights and cable ducting, you can even add an extra radio speaker.

The end result is lighter and stronger than ply, yes you can stand on it without damage.

Good luck and fair winds. :)
 
oldsaltoz said:
I have made several, all from closed cell foam, easy, fast, strong, and light.

Thin layers glued together give the shape, then easy to sand for the final rounding, glass over and finish with rovings.
Add a thin layer of Micro-Spheres and sand for a perfect finish, coat with epoxy primer and your local paint shop to spray it for a very professional finish.

Don't forget to add internal back lights and cable ducting, you can even add an extra radio speaker.

The end result is lighter and stronger than ply, yes you can stand on it without damage.

Good luck and fair winds. :)
Click to expand...

Be a bit more specific on the foam. I dont think you mean closed cell neoprene or polystyrene. Do you cut away the foam from nthe inside after laminating?
 
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