Oscillating spindle sander technique

[ReneS]

I am making a plaque for a friend who wants to mount a deer head on his wall.

I find making a perfect curve challenging. I am doing okay, but was wondering about my technique with my oscillating spindle sander.

Can anyone let me know whether for larger curves the larger spindle is the better choice?

Also, do you nibble at the high spots and then finish off by running the entire curve along the drum?

Lastly, I have the Festool sander with the right angle guide (I forget the model numbers). That seems to be useful for smoothing out the curve, but I wonder whether it ultimately will introduce flat spots that can't be smoothed out.

I am currently making a template for the plaque out of pine. Here is a picture.

Edit: It is roughly 21" tall by 20" wide. Also, the pencil lines at the bottom are not what I was following. I decided to move the curve out a bit from those lines.

 

[peter halle]

When sanding I use the mantra - Keep things moving even with my Trend oscillating sander. On mine I would use the belt more than the round tube but it is doable. I love the Festool accessory and again I keep it moving. It will smooth somewhat slowly, but getting it close and smooth is more vital than perfect. Nobody will be looking that closely for totally identical sides. I mark my edges with pencil prior to sanding - even with the Festool guide as a guide when sanding back and forth along the side. Other people will have different methods and advice. That's one of the great things here and about woodworking in general.

Peter

 

[ReneS]

Thanks, Peter. I went back at it with the ETS 125, and the curve is nice and smooth now.

And I agree, smooth curves are more important than identical sides. But I got to admit, I try pretty hard to get the sides identical.

 

[jeffinsgf]

Spindle for inside curves only. Trying to smooth an outside curve with a spindle...no matter what diameter...is an exercise in frustration. I have a big old 4" wide vertical belt sander for outside curves. Not sure if it is the speed, or the platen, or the belt I have on it at the moment, but that old beast is easy to work with. I like it much better than a disc sander.

 

[jeffinsgf]

You might also try making your template from a more uniform material, like MDF or Baltic Birch plywood. You could get away with a much thinner template and get away from grain direction affecting your shaping efforts.

 

[ReneS]

Thanks, Jeff. I was wondering about inside versus outside curves.

 

[jeffinsgf]

If you don't have a stationary disc or belt sander, your Festool with the right angle fixture is a pretty good option for working the outside curves. Use the biggest spindle you have for the inside curves.