With this sanding spindle you can use your drill / cordless drill / drill press as a spindle sander. I used it with 80 grit paper for shaping a guitar body.

I will update this with different sizes in the future.

Additional parts you will need:

• M8 threaded rod or screw, length 160mm
• 2 M8 nuts, preferably 1 of them nylock
• 180mmx115mm Sandpaper
• optional 1 washer

How to use:

1. Insert the threaded rod through the sanding spindle, the hexagonal side facing away from your drill. If you use a screw, the head of the screw should sit in the hexagonal side.
2. On the drill side, push the washer onto the threaded rod and secure with a nut (preferably nylock).
3. On the hex end of the spindle, screw a regular nut on. The nut should sit inside the hexagonal hole of the spindle. You can twist the spindle to lock it into place. This way it can't unscrew itself when used.
4. Push some Sandpaper in the small slot inside the oval hole on the side of the spindle and wrap it around. Push it into the oval hole, put the blocker inside so it is facing the rough side. Twist the blocker with pliers to tighten the sandpaper and secure it in place.
5. The blocker should be almost 90 degree when locked to secure the sandpaper in place. If it doesn't twist enough, you can file the edges down. Different brands of sandpaper have different thicknesses.

Tips:

• Use a lathe or your drill and a file to remove the thread of the rod where you clamp it in your drill. This makes it sit more secure and you avoid damaging your drill.
• File down your blocker if it doesn't turn enough to securely lock the paper in place
• If your Drill / Sander / etc. turns counterclockwise, you can put on the spindle upside down with the hex side towards your drill to avoid it unscrewing itself.
• Before you put sandpaper on, hold a piece of 120-240 grit paper in your hand and run the outside of the spindle on it. This will make its outside more smooth

Print instructions

Printed my spindle out of PETG, 15% infill, 2 perimeters, 0.2mm layer heigth, 0.4mm nozzle, random layer starting position.

I printed my stopper out of PETG with 60% infill to make it more sturdy.

PLA works fine, too, but you should be aware, that your spindle can heat up if you use it continuously, so you might need to let it cool down at some point.