Homemade Sanding Blocks

I wanted to make a couple of sanding blocks to be used for hand sanding in tight places, and for flattening or contouring. The main one is based on a design by DiResta, and I came up with a couple others. This sanding block is very efficient and gets much use out of sandpaper, plus the sandpaper is easily replaceable.

For the main sanding block I used:

- Round hook and loop sanding sheets
- Stick on Velcro strips
- Scrap 1x6s
- Wood Glue
- Spray adhesive
- Spray Shellac

I used one of the sanding sheets to make a circle for the bottom of the sander. Then I used the inside of a tape roll for the top hand grip. After that I cut out the circles with the jigsaw.

I first sanded down the circles, so they were smooth. Then I centered up the top circle, put on some wood glue, and screwed it down. I also finished it by giving it a shellac spray finish.

I stuck on three strips of the Velcro, and used an Exacto knife to cut it even with the circle. The glue that came on the Velcro wasn't really strong enough, so I added a spray adhesive to make it stronger.

After that I stuck on a sanding sheet and started sanding. It works just like a regular orbital sander, except it uses human power instead of electricity. You can easily replace the sandpaper by peeling it off and sticking on a new one. I also added on a small piece of string so I can hang it.

Here are some other sanding blocks I made. For these I basically used spray adhesive on the back of sand paper, and stuck them to some scrap pieces of wood. These sanding blocks are very effective, super easy, and get much more use out of sandpaper.