So, Gerry, let me see if I understand the picture limits correctly. A single picture is allowed to be as big as 500kb. A single post is allowed three pictures that may total 1500kb. Please let me know if that's right. I think the simplest for me is just to go on to the next post for three more pictures.

Also, Gerry, I like the way you are solving the thread issue, and if you think the "shaft" is too long, that's a great way to shorten it. The carraige bolt I am using is 1/2"-13x7" which I believe to be sturdy enough to handle the light pressure to be used with this attachment. For my safety, I can put up to two inches into the chuck if I think I am going to need more than the light pressure. My Craftsman drill press has a laser crosshair attachment that limits my working room a little above the mop, so I need the extra length in the shaft. You can see it in this next picture. The laser is almost  even with the diameter of the mop. Do you think the shaft looks dangerously long here? The mop, as I said in my last post, is about 3" plus a half inch in the chuck leaves 3-1/2" of exposed shaft. You can also see in the picture my computer I talk to you all on along with my printer and all-in-one printer/scanner/copier.




Here is how it looks when I am working and making dust fly:



The white ends that you see are the threads of the cloth that have been stripped of their abrasive.That has me a little worried because it won't last very long at that rate of wear. But, on the other hand, it may only be the ends evening themselves out and wear from here could be minimal. I will have to see as I use it more.

Here is a "before" of a scrap piece I used to test my settings on the router (the piece on the right). The other two pieces don't show the fuzz, but it was there. The after picture will be in my next post.

 

Here is the after picture from my last post:


I think this next set of  "before/after" is where this tool really gets impressive:





That shows how this shop-made sanding mop is going to shorten the finishing time on my scrollwork. And I only spent $8.95 on the cloth that I didn't have instead of the $51.99 that these things list for.

I was looking at my posts and you may not be able to tell what that last couple of pictures is. Here is a shot of the whole project:



I wasn't carefull enough and I broke the one rear leg off the lower deer while I was "mopping".

Wdwrkamp,

Seeing the computer and printer so close brings up the question: "Does using the sanding mop create much dust?"

(Yes, I did see the cover.)

You know, Bob, I really didn't see much dust coming off this thing. I even looked up into the shop at one point for just that reason. I did have the 8x7 garage and the walk-in doors open and the was a good breeze blowing that day. Maybe its premature to say it isn't dusty. But, if you think about the fact that you are only taking off those little fuzzies, that isn't a lot of material to get in the air.

(I have to get a signature on here) Dean.

Seeing Gerry's concern about whippyness or bending of the 1/2" bolt reminded me of a picture on one of the links where a person had mounted his sanding mop in a lathe with the tailstock providing a support at the other end of the mandrel.

I'd think you could achieve great steadyness and get much farther away from that laser which interferes by going to about an 18" piece of all-thread and putting a half inch ball bearing on the other end.  Mop could be right in the middle squeezed between two nuts.  Bearing on the end could be mounted in a recess in a short board and the board clamped to the drill press table. 

On the chuck end, here is what I'd recommend:  Put the all-thread into the chuck and clamp the chuck down real tight to make marks in the threads.  Now remove it and carefully file a flat where each of the marks are located.  Flats don't have to be very big, but they do have to be equal and accurately spaced.  That will give you a good, consistent place to set the chuck jaws every time.

Great, Bob,
That would defiinitely give me a greater clearance to the laser. I will have to do that if it gets to the point where I can't get into the position I need to get the piece sanded. I am in the fabricating field, so I am familiar with all kinds of bearings. There is one made on a mount that can be mounted directly on the board which would save the making of the recess. It also has set screws to hold onto the "shaft".

At this poiint, I feel confident that the 1/2" bolt is strong enough to use safely the way it is pictured above. During my trail, it "felt" plenty sturdy.

The flats are a good idea. Once they are done, the threads could be "chased" and you shouldn't have to worry about them any more as long as you don't get the chuck on them wrong. You would be able to spin the nut off and on easily. I will probably do that on this one before too long, before they get messed up too bad.

Dean,
I did not realize you have a 1/2" bolt, I must have missed that part. Also I was thinking of the source, Lowes and Home-Depot have nasty soft stuff from China. Light pressure is OK, but a little harder and one little slip and it would bend, centripetal force and whacking the workpiece a second and third time would even bend it further. But 1/2" is a pretty stable piece of metal and you should have little or no worries. Also it was my concern that it would be used in a "portable" drill. A slightly dangerous thing. In a drill press, one has the stability and can have both hands on the workpiece. I routinely use my drill press with wire brushes in it and it's far more stable than attempting them in a hand held drill.
I DO NOT think it looks dangerously long now with reference to the bolt size.
Bob's, (Bompa), suggestion about creating "flats" in the bolt on score marks made by the fingers in the chuck has a lot of merit! Wish I thought of that. Way to go Bob!

Proximity problem to the computer and dust generation can be solved by building a simple box for an inexpensive 21" fan and that run through a standard furnace filter. Heck, with some nylon wire-ties one could just snag two of those furnace filters to one of those fans itself! To go a step further, a simple cloth bag sewn up to match the size of that could also be put on a window fan as a makeshift dust collector. It could be cleaned with a shop vac as well as the filters and re-used for a few years. Using both, with the bag ballooning out behind the fan will catch smaller dust particles. Shut it off and the bag collapses for easy storage.

As to the white ends, look at an individual piece of sandpaper strip, if the white ends ate towards the outside, it's evening itself out. More than likely it's wear across the whole individual strip. I can not comment on it's reduced effectiveness if the white end syndrome continues, but I'm going to follow this thread for your comments on it .

Yep on the picture size and restraints. One more thing I had noticed, the forum software does compress the image so clicking on an image that one just posted and attempting to stretch it to enlarge it, will just make the darn thing fuzzy, blurry and seem out of focus.

Also another note on the length issue. More metal bends less. In a recent issue of Wood Magazine, one tip mentioned using a "coupling" as a handle for an adjustment on a simple router table micro-adjuster. Well if you found a coupling that fit the thread of your bolt, you have a more massive piece of metal between the mop and the chuck lowering the chances of a bend in it.
 
Do a Google search on "threaded rod coupling".
Heck, you could even use a smaller sized bolt with a coupling to add mass and strength to the shaft.

Gerry,
Thanks for the confidence in the 1/2" bolt. I think it is adequate, also. As far as using it on a portable drill, I would only do that if my project was too big to get to the drill press.

The results of the dust from the mop are still pending. As I said before, it doesn't look like there will be much dust; not much material is being taken off. I do cover the computer and peripherals as in the one picture above. I have a dust collection system capable of handling a large "scoop" that I could put up at the press.

The white ends are just that, the ends. This is another thing that is pending: how long this brand of cloth will last. I am hoping that those are the ends that were a little longer than the rest and are now even and won't wear much from here on out.

I will comment again when I have used this enough to give some definite findings.

Later, Dean.

Dean,
Quick comment(s)...
I am surprised that your chuck actually grabbed it off center! Must be a heck of a large chuck!
I often did that myself, with smaller bits in the drill press.
I got into the habit of manually turning the chuck and watching the bit, if it's off center, that is a good time to find out.
You may think about that.
As to your bolt actually bending from the centripetal action, I'm also surprised there!
I didn't imagine it would, unless you did have a really large distance between the "mop" and the drill chuck, like maybe 5-6 inches.
Finally, isn't that speed rather high?

Its a 5/8" chuck. I am not sure exactly where the chuck grabbed the bolt, but I am thinking it bit into the threads that made it hold like it was in right. The bolt may not have been all the way in between two of the jaws.

I suppose I could turn it by hand. I am fairly certain the distance between the chuck and the mop was no more than four inches before I cut out the bend.

I am going by what the guy said in the video to run it at the highest speed available on your drill press. If I remember right, he said his runs at 4100 or so. It works very well at my 3100. That's not to say it won't work at a slower speed. I am going to have to try slowing it down and see how that works. I know at that speed it takes only about two thousandths of a second to flip your work out of your hand. This has to be the hardest thing to overcome. As careful and aware of the problem as I am, it still manages to grab it out of my hand. The reason it happens, I believe, is that you need to put the piece in a position that you shouldn't because there is no other way to sand that particular edge in the direction to take the fuzz off. I am glad my projects that got knocked out of my hand haven't broken...yet.

Later, Dean