Spindle Sander Review

[Brad Smith, RPT]

Hi Jon,
I also bought the Rigid Oscillating Edge Belt/Spindle Sander.  Thanks
again for mentioning it.  Last month, I did a set of Steinway upright
hammers, and today I am about to use if for trimming a set of
installed hammer shanks and then tapering hammer tails. ( I like to
hang hammers first, then taper tails with Spurlock's jig).
This Rigid machine has been really a pleasure to have in the shop. 
I'm constantly walking over to trim or sand something quickly...it's
fairly quiet, well-built and has little storage nooks for each
accessory.
Jon, you also mentioned buying more sleeves from Klingspor.  Did you
feel that the grits provided were too aggressive? or did you have some
other plans?  Just curious.

Have you come up with any jigs or ideas for using it to file/shape hammers?
On the set I did, I found that because of the gradually changing size
of hammers, I had to 'free hand' each one, and I had to quickly
develop a manual technique to carefully remove felt symmetrically. 
Maybe I need to see Chris Robinson's class you mentioned, where he
uses an orbital sander....
 They came out fine and I'm not nearly as worn out or full of dust as
I would the old way, but I would love to find a way to put each hammer
on a jig to absolutely control the amount of felt removed.

Any ideas anyone?  The jig would need to accommodate for gradually
narrower hammers, and make it possible to remove the same amount of
felt from both sides of the hammer.
It may be that you could only 'jig sand' a circular area encompassing
the maximum shoulder width...and then you would finish up below the
shoulders, leveling them out to match up with the new surface created
at the shoulder.
It might require a two-piece jig....one to clamp onto the hammer at
exactly the center of the wood core....and a second one to be the
anchor and pivot point for locating the hammer to the sanding
surface....like Spurlocks tail shaping jig.

The first clamped and centered piece would have to be reversible, so
you could remove material from one side, then flip it over and to the
same to the other side.

The second anchor/pivot piece would need a control to gradually move
it closer to the sanding surface as you proceed through a set of
hammers, (starting in the bass).  And, it would need the ability to
change/control the shape of the sanding arc.

Perhaps someone already has attempted this using a powered sander. ?
Perhaps I've just invented it as I typed?  Easy to say, not so easy to do !

Thanks everyone, for any input.
--
Best Regards,
Brad Smith, RPT
www.SmithPiano.com
II III II III II III II III II III II III
brad at smithpiano.com
603-494-4147