[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

Been reading where all new carvers want to know what kind of tools to buy....next question is what kind of sharpening equipment....well, right or wrong , what I did was......I had two old sets of palm chisels from harbor freight and they were baaad! terrible is a better word, so I used them as practice so I wouldn't waste (ruin) my good stuff. Then after I got to a point where I could actually put a decent edge on a tool, I found these had pretty decent steel in them even if crudely cast....so I use them as bench chisels! Killed two birds with one stone! (no offense to bird carvers )


Tip number two.....I was carving with a neighbor and he was carving a gnome house (like the bark houses, only in poplar) and was having a problem getting the little windows in....I remembered a tool I had made years ago and let him try that, it worked great......I had taken a broken scrollsaw blade and mounted it in a small piece of hard plastic tubing for a handle and epoxied it in...you can use any tooth per inch you prefer, actually I will probably make up several more now with finer teeth per inch.

[Tom H]

Hey Dave, Great tips, got anymore?? I'd be interested in any of your tips about the use of sandpaper. Especially in making your own "flap sanders". Thanks for sharing your experiences/tips....Tom H

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

I don't use flap sanders....not sure why, they didn't seem to do anything for me except sand down the high points....what I use mostly are different grits of sticky back sandpaper applied to different configurations of popsicle sticks....LOL....I know getting to technical here In reality.......I HATE sanding ha ha!

[Eddy Smiles]

I don't have to use popsicle sticks anymore.... but then my wife doesn't own a nail sander that doesn't have sawdust on it!

[Thomp]

i got threatened from my wives finger nail sanders so when at the dollar store i bought the whole display cup full of them diamond coated finger nail files and keep them stuck around to earth magnets or on pencil cups, looks like i went a little overboard though they seam to last forever.

TOM H. (Happy Birthday Wish you many more)
heres your birthday present..
on scrollsaw board they had a thing they called a sanding mop you use in a drill press, or drill
cut lengths of 1" clothe backed abrasive, to 3-4" long
stack um up and drill a 3/8" hole in the dead center.
grab a 3/8" bolt 3-5 " long with over an 1-1/2" of thread then 2 aircraft nuts (with plastic things crimped in the ends) or longer threads and use 2 nuts on each end to jam them so they lock,
a couple 3/8"x1" thick fender washers..
run on the nut(s) on the bolt put on a fender washer, then stack the strips make sure you evenly distribute them so they balance,
when your done fiddling with distribution, put on the other fender washer and run on the nut(s) and tighten against the emory and jam the nuts so they lock if you used standard nuts,

for finer sanding you can cut into each of the ends of each flap about a half inch into the emery several slits to make them feather,

mount in drill press and sand to your hearts content,,,

or you could look up merit industry's and search for sand-o-flex if you got more money than time, sand o flex is made now days of plastic with changeable abrasive rolls, you can turn it with a drill or mount it to a washing machine motor for a bench contour sander,
about $50.00 if you get 2 rolls of refill strips..

[Canopener]

Great tips for newbies and oldies alike!
There is nothing like a custom made tool for a custom made problem.
Jim