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Sandpaper Sheet Cutter

Listing #117   Listed on: 01/28/2014

Company Name: The Handyman's Handyman

Contact Name:   Kelly Craig
 Member
Like many, I have hundreds of sheets of sandpaper that must be cut to fit my 1/4 sheet sander. Using scissors is a slow option and a paper cutter is only marginally better. About thirty years ago, some magazine posted this simple, but efficient cutter and i have been using it ever since.

All it requires is a scrap piece of sheet stock a few inches wider than (a little more than the width of a hack saw blade) and about the same length as a sanding sheet, a hack saw blade, two screws and a couple washers.

To make it:

1) Lay a full sheet of paper on the sheet stock and trace around it with a felt tip. When positioning the paper, leave enough room on each side to mount the hack saw blade, in step 3).

2) Measure half way down the long dimension and draw a line, which cuts the outline of the long dimension of the sheet in half.

3) Mount the hack saw blade with a flat washer on each side, between it and the sheet stock. The blade teeth should be on the line which dissected the outline.

4) Slide a full sheet under the blade so it lines up with your initial outline. Pull down from a corner so the paper is torn by the blade, producing a sheet exactly half the original length.

5) Turn one of the torn sheets over, measure for half the longest dimension and mark a line across.

6) Slide the marked sheet under the blade, with the line showing and the grit against the sheet material until the line lines with the hack saw teeth. Now draw another outline on the sheet goods around the bottom of this piece.

When done, for all future cuts:

1) Slide a sheet of paper, grit out, under hack saw blade, lining it with the full sheet outline and pull down, at an angle across the blade teeth.

2) Spin the cut sheet ninety degrees and align it with the half sheet outline and pull down again.
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Viewer Comments:


Posted By: chip geraghty     [02/11/2014]
i made a jig of my own design, just "as long ago"
the blade is along the edge of the jig, the paper rips over it not under it which is faster; and I have boards secured to register 1/2 the sheet, and an opening with two more shorter boards to "half the 1/2 sheet". Another hinged board folds down off the others to reference a third sheet for the "old rubber block sanding blocks".


Posted By: Kelly     [02/11/2014]
I'm trying to picture it. So, the paper is laying over it and you pull down? That makes sense.

I suppose I could add registering boards, like you and others have, and it would speed things up too.

Now, if you guys are really good, you'll also design one to cut round pieces for our hook-and-loop, random orbit sanders.

Hmm....... a board with a circle out of the middle, but the circle back in it, after mounting it on a Susan (with shims under the surrounding boards or

a good excuse to buy that laser I've been wanting


Posted By: Jeff     [01/22/2017]
"Now, if you guys are really good, you'll also design one to cut round pieces for our hook-and-loop, random orbit sanders."

Heck, that's easy! Stack paper and clamp between two pieces of sheet scrap. Drill through with standard 5" or 6" hole saw.

The tricky part is getting it to stick to the sander!


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