what can I use as a sanding plate?

deltablade

deltablade

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I want to mount a flat hard surface on a 4x4 block and put sandpaper on top to use for reprofiling some of my knife edge grinds, particularly scandi grinds. I had thought about plexiglass or glass, yet all the shops near me sell at minimum footage which would be $200 or so. If I cut a glass pane myself I am concerned about sharp edges. ceramic tile might work if it is flat.

any ideas?
 
Some years ago, I found what was called a 'candle plate' of 1/4" glass, measuring 9" x 13", at Hobby Lobby. Basically a simple rectangle of glass with finished & frosted edges (bevelled on upward side). Also had some adhesive rubber feet on the bottom side, at each corner. In order to facilitate its use as a backing for a sheet of sandpaper, I removed the adhesive rubber feet from the fully flat bottom side, and replaced them on the upper, bevelled-edge side. This allowed for the plate to be flipped over with the fully flat side to be facing upward, perfectly set up for a full sheet of wet/dry sandpaper to be taped at the ends. Think I got lucky in finding that - I bought two of them at about $5 each. Don't know if they can still be found in that perfectly convenient size. But still might be worth looking for.

Another option I've seen is at the home improvement center. For a time, I was eyeballing some 'backsplash' material in synthetic quartz or granite, used for trim around quartz/granite countertops or vanity (sink) tops for the bathroom. The backsplash pieces were roughly 3/4" thick, 4"-6" wide and maybe 18" long, give or take. Every time I saw those, I pondered their use as a backer for sandpaper. Never got around to trying it though, as my sharpening habits were gradually steering away from sandpaper, toward bench stones.

Yet another option... I found an inexpensive granite surface plate at a Woodcraft store, years ago. They were marketing those to folks looking for a sharpening base (used with sandpaper) for woodworking tools like chisels or plane irons. 2" thick slab of granite, and measuring roughly 9" x 12" or so. And although relatively inexpensive (think I got it for $25 - $30 or so, on sale at the time), they were actually surfaced prepped & spec'd to be quite flat, within a few thousandths' of an inch from corner to corner. This has been my favorite backer for sandpaper, when I've chosen to use it that way.

Still another... For coarse-grit reprofiling, a simple sanding belt (for powered sander), can be cut at the diagonal seam and glued flat to a hard backing, like a board. I've used a 3" x 21" belt for this on occasion. Make sure the belt is in an aluminum oxide grit (most are, anyway). Something like ~ 50 - 120 grit, with the full 21" laid out flat, makes for a FAST grinder of edge bevels.

Once you start looking around, you'll notice a LOT of options for these. Just need that seed to be planted in your mind, and the possibilities will jump right up at you when you're out shopping. ;)
 
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Tempered glass... about 1/4" or more in thickness. I have one about 10" X 24" inches.

Get a size/shape that works for you.
 
4x4 what? Inches or feet? How big of a sharpening surface are you looking for?
 
deltablade said:
I want to mount a flat hard surface on a 4x4 block and put sandpaper on top to use for reprofiling some of my knife edge grinds, particularly scandi grinds. I had thought about plexiglass or glass, yet all the shops near me sell at minimum footage which would be $200 or so. If I cut a glass pane myself I am concerned about sharp edges. ceramic tile might work if it is flat.

any ideas?
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Get a piece of aluminium strip, 1 inch wide, cut into 4 x 4 inch wide strips. Glue and clamp them onto the wood. And get some 3M feathering adhesive to attach and then detach the sandpaper. The rest of the aluminium can be used to glue edge-pro type stones to.
 
I use a piece of 1" thick plywood for my stropping block. I would just use a piece of it for my sanding block if I wanted one. I don't see any reason to complicate it. Some thick glass would be nice if you had one.
 
Find a place that sells granite counter tops. See if they will give you, or sell cheap, the cutout from a sink hole. With any luck they might even cut it to size for you for a small fee.

Tandy leather sells 6" X 6" and 12" X 12" pieces of granite.

O.B.
 
Old Biker said:
Find a place that sells granite counter tops. See if they will give you, or sell cheap, the cutout from a sink hole. With any luck they might even cut it to size for you for a small fee.

Tandy leather sells 6" X 6" and 12" X 12" pieces of granite.

O.B.
Click to expand...

The one that I bought from Tandy is made of quartz.
 
000Robert said:
The one that I bought from Tandy is made of quartz.
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Looking at the listing again. It says the 6 x 6 is granite, and the 12 x 12 is quartz. I can't see that it would make any difference, if It was being used to back sandpaper.

O.B.
 
Old Biker said:
Looking at the listing again. It says the 6 x 6 is granite, and the 12 x 12 is quartz. I can't see that it would make any difference, if It was being used to back sandpaper.

O.B.
Click to expand...

I don't think it would make a difference. I also use my quartz plate for photos. It's pretty. Here is my new Carothers DEK1 on my 12" X 12" quartz plate.

Mine-17a.jpg
 
Old Biker said:
Find a place that sells granite counter tops. See if they will give you, or sell cheap, the cutout from a sink hole. With any luck they might even cut it to size for you for a small fee.

Tandy leather sells 6" X 6" and 12" X 12" pieces of granite.

O.B.
Click to expand...
Bad idea, they won't even give or sell cheap the scraps to the customer who they are fabricating the countertops for.

Perhaps you could request samples of Quartz countertop material? I know you can get them in 6"x12" pieces. The cheapest place to get granite tiles is out of the bigger retailer's dumpster, I have done it a lot. You can also look for what are called orphan tiles, leftovers that don't match newer batches, this is really common and often what you find in the dumpster.

Or I have lots of granite tiles, some of which are headed to the dump, and a tile saw to cut them up. The problem is shipping would be the biggest expense. If 3.9"x10" would be long enough then they would safely fit in a medium flat rate box.
 
I use

The Ultimate Sandpaper Holder by Kasfly (CZAR Precision)​


TB2mT.hppXXXXcQXXXXXXXXXXXX_!!80660341.jpg
 
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