Diablo Sanding Disc

[kmmcrafts]

I always had my Norton brand sanding paper as a favorite for the last several years.. Harbor Freight sells the Norton brand... however I didn't always buy it there.. I always bought the blue color from Menards..

Anyway, a couple months ago at my local lumber supplier I seen they had some packs of Diablo papers.. They have a "SandNet" paper that is supposed to be real good but I just bought the plain old hook and loop disc.. So far I've only used the one set ( different grits ) of disc that I took out of my 50 pack ( I think it's a 50 pack ).. Normally I swap out papers about once a week.. sometimes more sometimes less.. I'm 3-4 weeks in on this first set of disc and the heavier grits still going pretty strong but the fine (220) is getting worn down and needing replaced.. That's partly because I do use the finer grits more run time on them.. that was always the same case with the Norton brand too..

Anyway,  I like it so well that I thought maybe worth mentioning to you all..  The sales guy at the lumber store ( also woodworker  ) said the "SandNet" papers are real good but he said he thought it was best in the finer grits.. like 320 and higher is where that stuff shined a lot better.. He said the coarser grits it does last longer.. but maybe not so much to make the higher price jump.. I don't know as I have no experience with it.. just what he said..

https://www.diablotools.com/explore/sanding  

[Kris Martinson]

Thanks for this info and link. What tool are you using to sand your scroll saw projects?

[kmmcrafts]

7 minutes ago, Kris Martinson said:

Thanks for this info and link. What tool are you using to sand your scroll saw projects?

I use a Bosch R/O sander.. I buy the refurbished ones..  I'll say though.. just checked this link and the price has jumped up considerably.. many times they're on sale etc for about $35.. I have two of them.. and the first one is about 10 years old.. and had a lot of use.. 

https://www.cpooutlets.com/factory-reconditioned-bosch-ros20vsc-rt-5-in.--vs-palm-random-orbit-sander-kit-with-canvas-carrying-bag/bshrros20vsc-rt.html  

[BadBob]

The hook and loop wears out before the grit does. Currently I only have one sander so I have to swap the sanding disks to change grits. I have sanders on order so I can have one sander per grit.

[Sycamore67]

I use Klingspor Good disks and get great life.  I do not try to get a long time out of them and change when they stop sanding as well.  A disk that you use a long time changes and sands like what a higher number would sand.  If I use a 220 for a long time, it eNds like a 320. 

I use a Festool sander because of vibration, ergonomics and dust collection.  Yes, it is pricey but those three things are more important.

[Sycamore67]

I use Klingspor Gold disks and get great life.  I do not try to get a long time out of them and change when they stop sanding as well.  A disk that you use a long time changes and sands like what a higher number would sand.  If I use a 220 for a long time, it eNds like a 320. 

I use a Festool sander because of vibration, ergonomics and dust collection.  Yes, it is pricey but those three things are more important.

[kmmcrafts]

2 hours ago, Sycamore67 said:

I use Klingspor Good disks and get great life.  I do not try to get a long time out of them and change when they stop sanding as well.  A disk that you use a long time changes and sands like what a higher number would sand.  If I use a 220 for a long time, it eNds like a 320. 

I use a Festool sander because of vibration, ergonomics and dust collection.  Yes, it is pricey but those three things are more important.

Yeah, being in the autobody business for a lot of years sandpaper is the main thing used for body work.. In that world.. it's important to change up paper often.. I don't think for the most part scroll work is nearly as important to change it often like that.. Time is a huge factor in the body shop business.. You can achieve the same results with 600 grit as you can with 1000 grit.. but with the 1000 you'll be adding an extra hour or more sanding... a lot of the work is done by hand ( no power sanders ) so if you don't change often your arm will feel it by the end of the day, LOL  Most people don't go much beyond 400 grit with woodworking.. and actually rarely do I see many going past 220.. 

I don't "try" to get a lot of miles out of my paper either... But there is a big difference in different types and materials of various sandpapers sold.. sometimes you get what you pay for and other times you just get ripped off.. and not really know it until someone mentions an experience they have.. That Norton brand stuff was good stuff too... In fact.. if I recall correctly.. it's what Kingspor sells and many other places sell it too under various names..

Anyway to my point.. This Diablo paper is really about the same price as the Norton brand that I had been using.. At the end of the day it's cheaper if it's lasting me 2-3 times longer.. I've often thought about ordering Kingspor papers.. But I'm also BIG on supporting my local stores and the price isn't a big enough savings to take the $$ out of my small local family run lumber store.. If I don't support them and they close up.. I'm stuck ordering my supplies online.. I like to sort through my BB ply sheets to "pick" my sheets..  

[OCtoolguy]

This brings up a question I have had for a long time but forget to inquire. How many of you folks in the know, use a sandpaper cleaner block? I've always thought about buying one but for some reason I never have. 

[kmmcrafts]

Good question Ray, I don't have one but used to use them in high school wood shop.. But that was so long ago I can't remember the results of whether they helped at all or not, LOL.. For the past several years I've use the cheap HF sanding belts for my belt sander and the grit wears off long before the paper gets clogged up.. Back in the older days sandpaper used to clog up kinda bad.. maybe it was cheap paper then? Maybe more advancement has been made in sandpaper making.. so it doesn't seem to clog up ( on me anyway ) so I've never really had the need for something like this.. Those cleaning sticks remind me of a bar of beeswax.. maybe it is, LOL

Be interested to see what others say about this.. 

[OCtoolguy]

24 minutes ago, kmmcrafts said:

Good question Ray, I don't have one but used to use them in high school wood shop.. But that was so long ago I can't remember the results of whether they helped at all or not, LOL.. For the past several years I've use the cheap HF sanding belts for my belt sander and the grit wears off long before the paper gets clogged up.. Back in the older days sandpaper used to clog up kinda bad.. maybe it was cheap paper then? Maybe more advancement has been made in sandpaper making.. so it doesn't seem to clog up ( on me anyway ) so I've never really had the need for something like this.. Those cleaning sticks remind me of a bar of beeswax.. maybe it is, LOL

Be interested to see what others say about this.. 

No, it's made up of a gum type of rubber that pulls the dust out of the grit. I have seen them used on belts and they seem to work. I have a piece of Corian that was a scrap from when our home was built. I tape full sheets of paper to it for large pieces. I have been known to vacuum the dust out of the paper. I'm cheap. 

[dgman]

1 hour ago, octoolguy said:

This brings up a question I have had for a long time but forget to inquire. How many of you folks in the know, use a sandpaper cleaner block? I've always thought about buying one but for some reason I never have. 

Yes, I use one but not for ROS sanding discs. I use it to clean my 48” stationary belt sander, my 9” disk sander, my oscillating drum sander and my 1” belt sander. Also my flex sander. The ROS disks never clog as it is permanently hooked up to my shop vac and Dust Deputy. The cleaning block works great for all the sanders and last forever. I had it for as long as I can remember and it’s still usable.

Edited April 8, 2020 by dgman

[OCtoolguy]

57 minutes ago, dgman said:

Yes, I use one but not for ROS sanding discs. I use it to clean my 48” stationary belt sander, my 9” disk sander, my oscillating drum sander and my 1” belt sander. Also my flex sander. The ROS disks never clog as it is permanently hooked up to my shop vac and Dust Deputy. The cleaning block works great for all the sanders and last forever. I had it for as long as I can remember and it’s still usable.

Thanks Dan. I'm surprised that the paper on your ROS doesn't clog up. I have dust collection on mine too but it still seems to build up. I'll have to do some watching to see if I'm wrong. Maybe I'm just  using my paper beyond it's "sell by" date. Like I said, I'm a cheapskate.

 

[rjweb]

i use a cleaning stick on my belt sander, works great, RJ

[JimErn]

14 hours ago, octoolguy said:

This brings up a question I have had for a long time but forget to inquire. How many of you folks in the know, use a sandpaper cleaner block? I've always thought about buying one but for some reason I never have. 

I use the sole of a sneaker (or a flip flop) on all sanding belts and discs, works just as well

[kmmcrafts]

2 hours ago, JimErn said:

I use the sole of a sneaker (or a flip flop) on all sanding belts and discs, works just as well

Seems like you’d wear out your shoes really fast doing that.

Next time I go jogging before I come back in I’m going to sand the sole’s down .

[BadBob]

I use the cleaning sticks, and they work well on fixed disk sanders. I have 12 and 8-inch disk sanders. They also work on belt sanders, but my belts rarely need cleaning.  They don't work well for cleaning any handheld sanders I have tried. The cleaning sticks I have were cheap, and they have lasted for a very long time. I figured that if I save one 12 inch sanding disk or 36x6 sanding belt, I got my money back.