DIY Sanding Station

Hello plamo nerds! It's been a while since my last post, and I do apologize for the lack of updates on the blog. Between my ongoing WIP, the launch of my own tool line and the monthly preorder cycle, I just don't have enough time to do everything simultaneously.  I've given priority to my GBWC build, as I do need to actually build something, otherwise what is the point of all these tools, yes? But fret not - things will be back to normal once I finish my entry. In the mean time, here's a little something I made to help keep dust and debris off of my desk and out of my lungs: the DIY Sanding Station.

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This is actually an old idea and I built something similar last year, but it was just too bulky and I had a hard time using it, so I went ahead and made a new one - this time using a slim plastic document binder and the metal grille from a busted laptop cooling pad.

It's a simple enough build - just make a hole on one side of the plastic binder about as big as your grille, hot-glue the grille over the hole, pour some water in there, and get grinding! The water will ensure that the dust doesn't fly back up. Use a small brush to sweep dust from your parts and tools down into the grille.

You can use any stiff, perforated material for the grille, or maybe even just drill a zillion holes into the binder itself if you're up to the task, and it should work just as well. Keep in mind that larger holes will let in more debris, but are also more likely to let an actual part fall through.

Combined with a DIY dust collector fan (which is just a small exhaust fan with a dust bag strapped on the back side), I can work without worrying about triggering my allergic rhinitis, and reduce post-session cleanup significantly. Wet sanding is still the best way to control sanding dust, but when you need to use files and grinding tools that aren't water-friendly then this as close as you can get to an actual sanding chamber.


That's all for now, until next time, keep building plamo!