'rolling pin' sander?

[phavriluk]

Has anyone found these worthwhile, i.e., do they offer improvement in time or results over shoeshine sanding on neck shafts and headstocks and pad sanding on heels?

Thanks!

[Quickstep192]

I’m curious to know see the replies. I’m particularly interested in the inflatable kind that will conform to the contour of the neck.

[redir]

I've only ever seen videos of people using them. They do seem to work well but in none of the vid's I've seen was there any dust collection. I'm always afraid of removing too much material using power sanders.

[runamuck]

I've used one in the past but not anymore. I use rasps, etc. for roughing out and by the time it gets to the abrasive stage, that bladder type of sander, moving at that speed,... well, one false move and phhhttt!

[Simon Fay]

I use a rolling pin sander for flattening the sides. This process always took me so long to do by hand. I don't use it for the neck. I use a spokeshave, a shinto rasp, dragon files (awesome files BTW), chisels, and sanding blocks. I use very heavy backed sandpaper to do the final contour sanding - this is one area where amateur/novice builders always do a very poor job. More specifically, the way the back of the neck transitions to the headstock and heel regions usually looks very blocky and unrefined. As you mentioned, "shoe shining" with sandpaper is a great method for getting a smooth profile on the back of the neck.