A Template Follower for the WASP Sander

Here is a very handy idea for those who need to reproduce many copies of a shape. Its similar to the template follower used with a router.

You can make this yourself. You may need to go back to column No. 3 where we saw how to make your own drums.

The size of the drum is not important. You will choose one to suit your work, or to suit a ball bearing you may happen to have laying around. You need to make the wooden drum slightly smaller than the diameter of the ball bearing to allow for the thickness of the sanding belt. You will probably choose a rough grade - this is usually a shaping job, not a smoothing job.

Turn a double step on the bottom to create a clearance gap for the bearing to run freely.

The job can be held onto the template by using panel pins driven from the underside. Double sided tape, or hot-melt glue are alternatives if nail holes are a problem.