I'm pretty sure it was here that I read about making a reamer by twisting a sanding belt around an old piece of rod - it specified to use a 1/2 or 3/4 inch sanding belt, and I can't find one that narrow anywhere. Does anybody know if this is a "magic number" or if I could use a 1 inch belt?

Karen

There's an excellent article in the library section called "New twist on an old tool" that explains how to make a reamer with a one inch sanding belt. So, the answer is yes you can use a one inch belt.

Thomas F. Thornhill

If you go to the hardware store and ask for Emory cloth rolls you should be able to find them in 3/4 " rolls . I don't know how small of aroll they sell though , all you need is a couple of strips a foot long or so . I don't see why 1" wouldn't work , just make sure you leave a gap between each wrap so material can exit the hole being reamed . Hope this helps , have fun . John

Got Fish ?

You can always take a utility knife and a straight edge and cut a 1" belt into 2 half inch belts.

Thanks, I already thought of that, but I am challenged when it comes to straight lines, and was afraid that if the strips were wavy, they might catch the dust.

Thanks, that was the article I was talking about, it just wasn't available at the time I posted - but it is the one that specifies 1/2 or 3/4. Guess I will just get the 1 inch and try it.

Mud Hole carries the tape in a roll. I would not use the grit because it will scratch a blank by grit staying inside the cork handle. Think they have an artical on how to put it on

Karen just made myself two from the flexcoat arbor tape available from most sponsors, 36 grit and half inch wide, real easy to twist up the blank.

I used the non-skid surface tape that you can buy at your local home improvement store. Comes in 1" width. Its peel and stick also. I just cut off about a 1' piece and cut it in !/2" strips with an old pair of scissors. Works great, plenty coarse enough.

Bill in WV