Sandpaper storage

[Bill Leonhardt]

Dear Rec,

If you are like me, you often find yourself with lots of scrap pieces of wood that have too much future potential to just throw away. But then storing them becomes a challange. In the same spirit, I seem to have that problem with sandpaper. A lightly used quarter sheet must be saved, although the "lightly used" definition tends to fluctuate. Again, storing the sandpaper is a bit of a challange.

I once encountered an instructor in a WoodCraft store that stored his sandpaper in a small file folder box (maybe 10"x12"x6") with a folder for each grit size. A reasonable approach, but I'm searching for something a little more elegant or user friendly.

So, I'm hoping to start a discussion (thread) on the REC where people describe storage systems they are happy with for sheets and pieces of sheet sandpaper. Please chime in.

Thanks,

Bill Leonhardt

[Lee Michaels]

Sandpaper storage, eh?

Well, the two methods that I have used are either toss all the sandpaper into a drawer or into a stacking bin.

The stacking bin is simply a box with a big cutout in front. Then cut a bunch of masonite (hardboard) to fit. Put your different grits/types into different levels and stack them in the box. You keep track of everything by putting the new sandpaper, still in the package, into each section.

[alexy]

1) Scrapers 2) Toss in a drawer (No, I'm not happy with the solution, but there it is.) 3) A box like lee michaels described 4) Store bought version here: like Lee's solution best, but probably won't care enough to take the [small] trouble to build one.

[Leon]

Actually I only buy in bulk and prefer to keep the paper in the container that it was sold in.

[Robatoy]

I go through about 20 -30 6" discs of varying grit on an average day and toss them in the trash when I'm done with them. The 5" ones I keep in groups of four as the come off the machine for future use. I number them and put them on top of the box the originals came in.

[Tim Douglass]

Is "all over the damn shop" a system? I have new and used sheets of sandpaper just about everywhere. Never can find what I need when I need it and never seem to get around to getting organized to resolve that problem. Of course that's the way my tool and wood organization works as well, so at least I'm consistent.

-- "We need to make a sacrifice to the gods, find me a young virgin... oh, and bring something to kill"

Tim Douglass

[B A R R Y]

5.) Stack it all face down in a drawer, with 9"x12" hardboard separators between grits and on top.

It works for me, and was cheap and easy to set up. Grabbing the correct grit is easy, since they're in order, 40 on the bottom, 400 on the top.

[Lew Hodgett]

A cardboard box that once held 12 bottles of wine, and a box of manila file folders from the office supply store.

Time for a beer.

If you want to get fancy, buy a 4 high, filing cabinet from a used office furniture place.

Install a frame and some Pendeflex, hanging file folders.

Use the bottom 3 drawers for storage of tools, parts, fasteners, etc.

Again, time for a beer.

[FrozenNorth]

Just don't go back in the shop after the second beer. ;-)

[Lee Michaels]

"Lew Hodgett" wrote

Is all that cleaning and organizing making you thirsty?

[Lew Hodgett]

I put cleaning and shoveling snow in the same category as follows:

What the good lord puteth, he shall also taketh.

As far as thirst is concerned, being a sailor, any port in a storm works for me, and there is ALWAYS a storm SOMEPLACE.

[mac davis]

As a turner, I use a lot of sandpaper, in grits from 60 to 2,500..

I have 2 systems:

For sheets, I use a store-bought and shop-adapted shelving unit... It's about

12" wide and had four 12x12" shelves.. I added 4 more shelves and divided my paper into "ranges".. such as 180, 220, 240 on 1 shelf.. I buy paper in boxes that open on the end, and stack them 3 or 4 high... I use a cutter, especially when I'm doing pens, so I get a lot of small strips left over.. As I tear sheets, I mark the pieces on the back with a sharpie and pile them on the top box of the shelf that grits in.. I know it's sort of anal, but I want my sandpaper close to the lathe and easy to get to, without searching for the right grit in a drawer..

I also use a lot of 2" and 3" H&L disks.. I ran strips of "sticky back" H&L in vertical rows on a piece of pegboard (don't use the holes, but it was available).. I have a strip for each of the common grits, about 18" long, which the disks stick to and are easy to reach and detach..

It takes a little time unbagging and sticking the disks up when I get a shipment, but I feel it's more than worth the time..

Pet peeve: companies that don't print the grit on the back of the disk.. I haven't got the patience or time to try to decide if a disk is 600 or 800, I just want to get the right grit and stick it on the damn sander..

mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

[mac davis]

but, can you remember where you store the beer?

mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

[Lew Hodgett]

A sailor forgetting when the cold beer is located?

Sir, surely you jest!

Regards,

Lew Hodgett Box 2302 Whittier, CA, 90610-2302 E-Mail: [e-mail]

[Ed Bailen]

I keep my sandpaper in report folders -- the kind that have a pocket inside each cover. Full sheets go in the left pocket and partial or used sheets go in the right cover. The face of the cover, near the spine, is marked with the grit, and it all goes into a Xerox paper box with the 5" disc boxes, the bulk sheet boxes, and the steel wool bags. The report folders and bulk sheet boxes are stored on end..

Ed

** Posted from **

[Upscale]

How about a jpg or a gif instead of a Sketchup file?

[mac davis]

YES! I was going to download Sketchup until I saw the HUGE file size.. Not on my web connection..

mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

[Nova]

I use a couple of old 5.25" floppy disk holders. The plastic dividers are marked with the grits.

[B A R R Y]

Great idea for something I constantly see in the trash.

[spaco]

What's 5.25" mean? What's a "floppy disk"?

---Just kidding. I rememeber 8" floppy disks that stored 32K bytes and

10" hard platters that stored 1 megabyte.

Pete Stanaitis

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Nova wrote: