Official Luthiers Forum!

Please?

My assistant grows weary of driving the bus...

I've seen a potters wheel used looks real sweet.

I'd like to build something that takes up less space, probably with the dish vertical...

Here's mine Ed, simple but works great. The motor is an old 1/2 hp, 1725 rpm compressor motor with an arbor attached. The drive wheel is a rubber freeze plug:

Chuck

_________________
_________________

I wish I could. I would tell him to suck it up. Chicks dig guys with arms like Popeye.

The trick to having assistants is to make them actually want to be there...

Thanks Chuck!

Any idea what the dish's rpm is?

This is what I use.


Lazy Susan bearing mounted on plywood with dish mounted to the bearing. I use a skateboard wheel permanently mounted to a shaft to drive the dish. Clamp ply to drill table, and mount the skateboard wheel in the drill press. Works great. Only expense is the bearing for 12 bucks.



Bob

Those are two very cool innovations...!

Thanks Bob,

That's two in a row driven by the edge.

I'm pretty married to the idea of vertical mounting though. Want to have something permanently mounted that takes as little space as possible...

Ed, Here is the first one I made. I gave it to a friend. I will find the thread for the one I still have, although the new one cost me near $1,000. This worked fine and I used it to make radius dishes before I set up my cnc. After I had the cnc I used this (and the new one) to finish sand dishes made on the cnc.

http://www.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10102&t=3154&hilit=rim+sander

Shane

_________________
Canada

If that's 24" wheel and 2 " driver, it gives you 12 to 1 ratio. That into a typical 1725 motor gives you about 143 r.p.m.
Tom

_________________
A person who has never made a mistake has never made anything!!!

In the thread Shane linked to there is mention of a dish mounted to a lathe. If you have one in your shop that might allow for a quickset up if not a permanent one.
My sanding dish is mounted on a bowling ball balancing machine. Crude but effective. It sands very quickly and I have to be careful to make sure I'm sanding the bodies evenly on both sides ("wedge" bodies would be easy to do but aren't my thing! ). Does anyone have a jig to hold the bodies in the proper orientation to make sanding a mindless affair?

I've been thinking about trying to find a surplus one of these. 1hp, 1ph, 20:1 reduction. Easy to mount close to the wall for a vertical unit. These are about $800 new which is a bit steep...

M

At Larrivee, a great deal of engineering went towards the prevention of accidental wedgies.

Essential, every model has a special built mold specifically for rim sanding, independent of the regular outside mold. The frames were put in the molds at a specific height. In the sanders was an angle iron frame that the mold fit into. The weight of the mold was enough to press against the dishes. Put frame in mold, put mold in machine, close lid, walk away. The angle iron frame would catch the mold and prevent it from sanding too far.

You guys crack me up. I'd consider a motorized dish if I weren't afraid I'd fall asleep during the process and end up with a slim body guitar.

Mike (drive the dang bus, your customers pay for it, and your spouse loves your guns)