Sanding Inside The Horns

[icetrey]

What do you guys use to to sand inside the horns, besides your hands? Has anybody rigged up anything to sand them or do they make something to make it easier?

[AlGeeEater]

I have a Robo-Sander, which I put in my drill press. You can put it in a handheld drill too, get's the job done.

I should also mention i've got a 3/4" plywood piece of wood bolted to the drill press table thing with a hole drilled in it for the bearing to sit on so I can get full access in the cutaway.

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tools/Drill_bi...obo-Sander.html

Edited March 27, 2006 by AlGeeEater

[unclej]

i use a basic spindle sander..which aren't too expensive..to smoth out the inside of the horns before i round the edges over. then a compination of a flap sander for the hand drill and my palm sander..and then the final sanding is done by hand. i'm one of those weird guys that actually enjoys a certain amount of hand sanding..go figgur'.

[Racer X]

For hand sanding, try dowel rods, of different diameters. Just did the horns on my Chandler body like that, a couple weeks ago, and came out, nicely. Sometimes, you can use things, like small cans, too. Wrap the paper around the item, and sand away. I found muself clamping the body between my knees, as I sanded, so I could closely monitor the progress, as well.

[AlGeeEater]

FWIW,

Chris

[Southpa]

http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/7605/sanding0027fl.jpg

[croaticum]

I, like unclej, like to do as much as i can with my hands but Robo-Sander is great thing to do this job.

I used an old brum stick and wrapped sanding paper around it. Also a red bull can is good for that.

I poor some plaster in red bull san so it doesnt bend.

But if you dont like sanding by hand then Robo-Sander is the thing for you!

[Guitarfrenzy]

Robo-Sander? What is that?

lol

Yeah, here's another vote for using a Robo-Sander with template. Especially the horn area, but depending on your contour, you might need a smaller size Robo-Sander to get into tight areas.

Sanding the body edges isn't the only thing it's good at though.

[AlGeeEater]

Is that the 3"x3" RoboSander? I bought the 2"x3" one because it looked more versatile...

[Guitarfrenzy]

Is that the 3"x3" RoboSander? I bought the 2"x3" one because it looked more versatile...

Good question.. lol

I actually don't remember myself, as I have all the sizes they sell. Usually the wider ones for straight sanding, and smaller one (2", or even 1" wide) for curvy sanding. I'm guessing by looking at the picture that your right though, it's definitely not the 1" wide one for sure.

Yes, I do agree, if your only going to buy one, get the 2" wide.

[AlGeeEater]

Oh, sweet. Yeah, I didnt have the money for all three (and I still don't ) so I bought that one for versatilities sake. The cool thing is you can use that sanding rough cut woods pretty flush.

Edited March 29, 2006 by AlGeeEater

[Mattia]

Re: robosander: I don't like the fact they're not as accurate or as clean as routing, but I use that to my advantage: get infitesimally close to finished with the robo-sander, and then use the router for the last fraction of a mm. Gets rid of sanding marks on necks, bodies, etc. and leaves a good, smooth finish.

[ToneMonkey]

I also use a anding drum like those above (bought mine from Axminster - 5 sizes and a load of sandpaper for about £10).

I have used tubes of varying sizes, the best one was the tube that my truss rod was delivered in. Wrap around some sandpaper and sit there for the next 6 hours

[erikbojerik]

http://www.epinions.com/Ridgid_Oscillating...isplay_~reviews

Love it. Table is a little on the small side, but I was able to use it on a neck-through, so I guess its adequate.

[icetrey]

Thanx for the help guys, I think I'm gonna order me a robo-sander.

[Guitarfrenzy]

Re: robosander: I don't like the fact they're not as accurate or as clean as routing, but I use that to my advantage: get infitesimally close to finished with the robo-sander, and then use the router for the last fraction of a mm. Gets rid of sanding marks on necks, bodies, etc. and leaves a good, smooth finish.

Exactly what I've been doing for the longest time.

link 1

link 2

link 3

link 4

You see some of the Robo-Sander wheels are slightly larger than they need to be exact flush with your template. Some would think this is a bad thing, but I found a way to use it for your benefit. When you use one like that it will leave a slight bit of wood left to be flush with the template, now you can use your router and flush trim pattern bit to finish it off smooth. So if you find one like that, use it to your advantage like mattia suggested.