Budget band sander

[Brown Bear]

I've bought a couple of blades recently and put handles on them. having no power tools for the job, I devised an effective alternative to a band sander.

Clamp a long strip of sand paper (about 500mm long) to a work bench (the long rolls of decorators paper are ideal). Then you can hold the knife and run the handle up and down the long strip of paper. Great for the primary shaping work and sanding the plates down to the tang edges. I had the basic shapes I wanted in no time, then finished with fine grades of paper by hand.

 

[badgeringtim]

I think i did the same thing from the opposite way - long strips of sandpaper with tape on the back, put the work ina vice (i just have a little table detachable one) and loop the sandpaper around the work. pul back and forwards and you'll soon be choking in sawdust!
The decorators rolls do seem to come of the backing though....