anyone know much about flap sander attachments for drills?

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  • LCHIEN
    Super Moderator
    • Dec 2002
    • 22005
    • Katy, TX, USA.
    • BT3000 vintage 1999

    #1

    anyone know much about flap sander attachments for drills?

    mop sanders, flap sanders,
    So many different kinds
    Any advice for small bandsaw/scrollsaw cleanup? small wooden toys and stuff?

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    Last edited by LCHIEN; 05-04-2026, 03:41 PM.
    Loring in Katy, TX USA
    If your only tool is a hammer, you tend to treat all problems as if they were nails.
    BT3 FAQ - https://www.sawdustzone.org/forum/di...sked-questions
  • Jim Frye
    Veteran Member
    • Dec 2002
    • 1340
    • Maumee, OH, USA.
    • Ryobi BT3000 & BT3100

    #2
    Had one of the flap wheel sanders hanging in the pegboard for over a decade. I was underwhelmed with its performance when new and that’s probably why it’s been hanging on the wall for so long unused. I prefer wire wheel brushes for metal, and sandpaper with a backer for wood.
    Jim Frye
    The Nut in the Cellar.
    I've gone out to look for myself. If I return before I get back, have me wait for me.

    Comment

    • twistsol
      SawdustZone Patron
      • Dec 2002
      • 3110
      • Cottage Grove, MN, USA.
      • Ridgid R4512, 2x ShopSmith Mark V 520, 1951 Shopsmith 10ER

      #3
      I have a couple of them 120 and 240 grit. I thought they would be useful for sanding profile trim, and they are ok for that, but the profile will lose some definition as you are sanding it. I no longer use them on anything wood and chuck them up into the drill press to initially clean rusted metal parts.
      Chr's
      __________
      An ethical man knows the right thing to do.
      A moral man does it.

      Comment

      • leehljp
        The Full Monte
        • Dec 2002
        • 8773
        • Tunica, MS
        • BT3000/3100

        #4
        Mop sanders are used often in some scroll saw works, and in certain situations - highly praised.

        In general, all the types regardless of grit are not as aggressive as the inexperienced expects - just my thoughts, experience and reading others results. For me - Back to different traditional sanding tools, both motorized and by hand.
        Hank Lee

        Experience is what you get when you don't get what you wanted!

        Comment

        • mpc
          Veteran Member
          • Feb 2005
          • 1011
          • Cypress, CA, USA.
          • BT3000 orig 13amp model

          #5
          I've only used flap wheel style... long ago. Imagine needing to cut an arc shape into the face of a board - something easily done on a band saw. But not easily done when one does not yet own a band saw. I used a dado stack in the BT3 to make a series of overlapping dados of various depths: shallow on each end, deepest in the middle. So I had a stair-step shape that needed to be sanded into a smooth arc. I tried a flap style wheel and it worked well - buzzing those steps into something reasonably smooth. I found the 60 (or was it 80?) grit wheel that I used cut quickly. It also wore somewhat quickly too; I remember I needed several wheels to make the two arch shapes. I used a corded drill back when corded drills could run at fairly high RPMs - much faster than cordless drills and most corded drills sold today. 3000 RPM perhaps? The sanding wheels I used were 3 or 4 inches in diameter and about an inch thick/wide if I remember correctly.

          Lots of dust got flung into the air too. I would not consider a flap wheel sander on a high speed drill for "sanding up to the line" as control was somewhat iffy at times. I didn't have a good workbench with a vise at the time either - just F-clamps holding the workpiece to the top of the BT3 if I remember correctly. Nor did I have a drill press. I think it would be easier maintain control hand-holding the workpiece past a drill press mounted flap sander.

          mpc
          Last edited by mpc; 05-04-2026, 10:23 PM.

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          • leehljp
            The Full Monte
            • Dec 2002
            • 8773
            • Tunica, MS
            • BT3000/3100

            #6
            I would not consider a flap wheel sander on a high speed drill for "sanding up to the line" as control was somewhat iffy at times."

            AGREED! A regular drill is the wrong tool to use with mop type and even any of the type Loring posted in the OP. (Sorry, this just came to me as I was reading mpc's post)

            I almost forgot that bowl and some vase turners use those sanding disks too. But they use a different type of "drill" so to speak. Here is the type of drill best used with those type sanding wheels TO BE EFFECTIVE:

            https://www.amazon.com/Hoteche-Electric-Variable-Forward-Reverse/dp/B0D69KQW2M/ref=sr_1_45?crid=16FY5AD48O0AM&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.U_ KCV2v6JX-KdpwkUaolWUm2m7a0AWlJyImgu9ldrQ-Q_XDu4fL9E-8PjaBf5qKdDsDB9-2jz-W09ERGn-8wiJNSUuyhteg8ZVxDIjvy8l1V32prrIHRJKboXFNdfoLqOT42 1gjZQAT31la_rBCDGye_MBnDh5S1t9KzjOrVYinXoGaAbmDORl o1tbU145nrHX3Hj37FNelf9IdjaP4TormdYUhDkwhqHT9clGsk pIK_UFGf4evLn7IaIQRmUtI39WgPwvX_NPb2iEWD7qB9bmJxUA v-uvziJCh36s7zgfk.R41FGBLqsMwPVWgCz-Fm3czB4ljvgrOzBeiy2O7tAtw&dib_tag=se&keywords=Neik o+right+angle+drill&qid=1778024928&sprefix=neiko+r ight+angle+drill%2Caps%2C211&sr=8-45

            I have one of those under the Neiko brand and used it when I was in Japan and made bowls - when I wanted something different from making pens. I don't know What brand bowl turners use now and could not find one on Amazon other than the one above.

            I have seen a couple of Angle Grinders with them, and while not paying attention to the angle grinders, I'm thinking they must have had Variable Speed.

            FOUND Another one on HF's website: https://www.harborfreight.com/35-amp...ill-57148.html

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            Last edited by leehljp; 05-05-2026, 06:10 PM.
            Hank Lee

            Experience is what you get when you don't get what you wanted!

            Comment


            • Jim Frye
              Jim Frye commented
              Editing a comment
              The flap sander I have was used with my Makita 1/2 inch variable speed drill, which has a max. rpm of 200. Still did not like the performance.
              Last edited by Jim Frye; 05-05-2026, 08:22 PM.
          • d_meister
            Established Member
            • Feb 2009
            • 252
            • La Conner, WA.
            • BT3000

            #7
            I have a collection of these types of wheels that have been on display with their 1/4" arbors plugged into pegboards in two different shops over the years. I felt intuitively that to be effective they must run at a high enough RPM where centrifugal force would serve to extend the flaps, I have a couple of air die grinders and have always been too afraid to use them with these wheels. Some wheels are marked for max RPM of 23,000. A couple of days ago, inspired by this thread, I finally looked into a variable speed electric die grinder and ordered the Vevor from Amazon.
            https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DYV2P54S...fed_asin_title
            I'll let you know if the flappers survive

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            • dbhost
              Slow and steady
              • Apr 2008
              • 9520
              • League City, Texas
              • Ryobi BT3100

              #8
              I use flap sander wheels on a grinder to smooth out the castings on new cast iron cookware since the pre-seasoned stuff we are getting from the likes of Lodge are junk... Never tried them in drill format. probably easier to manage...
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