On 19-Mar-18 8:36 PM, Puckdropper wrote:
Perry wrote in
:

I'm not a wood worker so bear with me......


I've got a cast epoxy widget about 6 inches long x 2 inches wide x 1
inch tall.

It's cast in a mold and has a sharp edge around the top from the
casting process. I want to remove this and shave maybe 1/16" off the
top.

The sides are sloped so I cant grip it in a vice and machine it under
a milling machine.


I came across drum sanders and wondered if something like one of these
might work?



https://www.machineryhouse.com.au/L110

https://www.carbatec.com.au/sanding-...g-machines-and
-accessories/drum-sanders/sander-wide-drum-400mm-old-code-wds-400-wds-4
080p



If I was to feed the 6" x 2" x 1" epoxy piece through what sort of
finish might I expect and would it be likely to kick the piece around?


It would be fed in with the shortest dimension (1") vertical.



/ \
/ \
| | sanding
drum \ /
\ /
----------------------------------------------
| |
| |
| Direction of feed == | 1" tall
| |
| |
----------------------------------------------

6" long



Thanks guys.


A relatively inexpensive way to find out would be to buy a sanding drum
kit for a drill press. For a test part or two, you can hold it carefully
by hand or clamp the base to a piece of angle aluminum.

I'm not sure how well the thickness sander will hold your part. If you
had a sled of some sort, where the pieces are held in a slot on a board,
you might be able to make it work.

If you do need to find a better way to hold the work, let me toss out a
couple ideas: Build a box around the part and cover the box and part with
thin plastic like from a baggie. Fill the space with expanding foam.
Now you've got custom vise jaws that'll probably hold good enough. (If
you've got small parts that jut out, cover them before you put the
plastic on.)

Another option is to drill and tap for screws on the bottom or drop a
couple screws in before pouring the epoxy. I don't have any experience
with molding screws in place, I just know it's possible. Now you've got
a way to mount the part to a solid base plate for machining.

Puckdropper


Thanks some good ideas to mull over.

I will look at sanding drum kits for drill presses - I had not heard of
them before.

I had also thought of making a sled on a slide system up and using it to
pass the part by a bobbin sander.