Old Saw Blade + Sandpaper = Perfect Smooth Straight Edges – Making a Precision Edge Sander

Old Saw Blade + Sandpaper = Perfect Smooth Straight Edges – Making a Precision Edge Sander

I used an old worn out, rusty saw blade to make the sanding disk. Cutting off the teeth is the first step and I did that with an angle grinder equipped with a thin cutting blade. A hacksaw would get it done, but take longer and require just a bit more effort.
The sandpaper is a standard 9 x 11 sheet and is glued onto the 9″ diameter disk with spray adhesive. I did this before (on that blade in the opening scene) and the spray adhesive does a great job of firmly holding the sandpaper on.
I only put sandpaper on one side, but you can do both and have a fresh surface ready to go when the first wears out. Or you can put a finer grit (or coarser) on the other side.
This produces very good results with 100 grit paper. It does still have swirls marks but they are very tiny and light hand sanding would quickly clean that up.
Where this really shines is with plywood, as you can see in the before / after photos in the video. My table saw with a sharp blade produces a very good cut, but that can be dramatically improved with this.
It also does a great job of jointing a straight edge on a board. It takes a few passes but it will get it done and it’ll a silky smooth finish as well.
This setup lets you quickly edge sand stock of any width and up to as thick as the disk is sticking up, and is as fast a changing the blade on your saw.
In the video I cut high into the quick release auxiliary fence to make it look more dramatic, but I would recommend only going a bit higher than the stock you normally work with. This will give more support on either side of the blade for sanding shorter pieces. You can also wheel the disk all the way up without the fence and use it as a normal disk sander to shape parts.

▶️ Project plans for sale: https://ibuildit.ca/plans/
▶️Support the work I do on Locals:
https://ibuildit.locals.com/
▶️ Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/user?u=865843&ty=h
▶️ Join my Makers Mob for detailed build tutorials:
https://go.themakersmob.com/john-heisz-i-build-it/?via=ibuildit

My “Scrap bin” channel:
https://www.youtube.com/c/IBuildItScrapBin

#ibuildit
#woodworking

Website: https://ibuildit.ca/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/I-Build-It-258048014240900/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/i_build_it.ca/

50 Comments

  1. Eric B on July 27, 2023 at 3:19 pm

    Put the grinder’s guard back on. Tiss tiss.



  2. Ben N on July 27, 2023 at 3:19 pm

    What a great idea. I think Ill just go buy a disc sander. a lot easier.



  3. mark naglreiter on July 27, 2023 at 3:19 pm

    Very ingenious man.



  4. Ronda Buckner on July 27, 2023 at 3:19 pm

    Can this be done on a sawstop?



  5. Denny Stanke on July 27, 2023 at 3:21 pm

    Brilliant thank you



  6. Faivre Jean-Michel on July 27, 2023 at 3:22 pm

    Tu fais comme moi, toi : tu retires le carter de protection de ta disqueuse (c’est vrai que ça va tellement mieux, et tant pis si on se fait engueuler…)



  7. Alpinestarr426 on July 27, 2023 at 3:27 pm

    This is genius
    Just found this page
    You got another follower 👍🏼



  8. Carlos Torres on July 27, 2023 at 3:28 pm

    Love that idea 💡



  9. Gathering No Moss on July 27, 2023 at 3:30 pm

    I was wondering how you’d smooth the edges of the blade disc. LOL. Everything you do is so genius.



  10. Muskoka Mike on July 27, 2023 at 3:31 pm

    I made one out of an aluminum sheet I had laying around, only issue is: it’s a pain in the ass to change the sandpaper when it’s worn out! 🙁

    I was thinking velcro but it’s too gooshy (soft). It IS hand though if you don’t have the guard behind the disc, you can do internal angles and stuff.

    Another great thing is if you need a precise circle, you can put a pivot point in the T slot and turn the wooden circle (wheel?) until it is perfectly round…..



  11. Yo HellGhost on July 27, 2023 at 3:35 pm

    Love the grinder with no guard. Great idea. 👌



  12. whatiwant on July 27, 2023 at 3:38 pm

    using a grinder without clamping the work piece down or gloves or a guard Is a bone head move.



  13. Won too 3 fore 5 on July 27, 2023 at 3:39 pm

    I’m horrified! How irresponsible can you be? A GRINDER WITHOUT A GUARD IN PLACE!

    OK, I’m joking. Im sure the safety police already got to you….anyways, nice idea…..and my grinder doesn’t have the guard either.



  14. Sean Lathbury on July 27, 2023 at 3:39 pm

    I wonder about using a used concrete saw blade? Seems like it might be faster to convert.



  15. Fredrik Carlsson on July 27, 2023 at 3:39 pm

    Smart



  16. Dave Jacques on July 27, 2023 at 3:40 pm

    That is a great idea thanks! I’m gonna use this one for sure!



  17. S.E. Wagger on July 27, 2023 at 3:40 pm

    How tha’ fark can people give a "thumbs down" to this brilliant idea????



  18. Schrodingers Cat on July 27, 2023 at 3:41 pm

    Not sure this is such a good idea, that cut down blade will not be balanced so could cause a lot of wear on the bearings of your table saw arbour.



  19. elh380 on July 27, 2023 at 3:42 pm

    da die amis so unendlich viel zeit haben erfinden sie das rad jetzt schon im minutentakt. ihr solltet was vernünftiges tun und die umwelt weniger schädigen.



  20. Denis G on July 27, 2023 at 3:42 pm

    Best part if the paper is done throw it away



  21. Dissonantia Cognitiva on July 27, 2023 at 3:42 pm

    Only one comment, use some low rotation and a grinder to balance the wheel, otherwise you risk an unbalanced wheel which is damaging for the motor



  22. FOCUS 737 on July 27, 2023 at 3:43 pm

    Great idea. Grinder with cutting wheel missing something Hmm😲
    Consider putting it back on, the shield is there for protection. Found out From experience😀 ooouch😅



  23. CJWarlock on July 27, 2023 at 3:44 pm

    Awesome! 🙂 BTW. I liked the closing of the drawer with a foot. I don’t feel alone in doing same thing now. 😀



  24. Scorpion Ranch on July 27, 2023 at 3:44 pm

    You could use this like a joiner in a pinch. Neat idea.



  25. Felipe Pereira on July 27, 2023 at 3:46 pm

    after the whole turning a bowl on top of a spinning table saw nothing scares me anymore.



  26. Pete C on July 27, 2023 at 3:47 pm

    @ 4:38 I hope you cleaned out all the saw dust inside the cabinet saw before you started with the grinder. Otherwise FIRE!



  27. 露デュー on July 27, 2023 at 3:49 pm

    4:36 wtf



  28. Andrew Smith on July 27, 2023 at 3:49 pm

    Put a guard on the grinder at least for the video please. Bad form



  29. rbx on July 27, 2023 at 3:49 pm

    brilliant



  30. Lochinvar Roome on July 27, 2023 at 3:50 pm

    I wouldn’t trust myself to get dead center with the compass. Most likely I would mount the taped blade on the saw, secure a pencil on the table top touching the blade and either power up or rotate by hand.



  31. kestans on July 27, 2023 at 3:50 pm

    planer companies go bankrupt



  32. papajm1 on July 27, 2023 at 3:51 pm

    John I know this is off subject, but I would like to see how you made your dust port for your chop saw. I have enjoyed you genius when it comes to making tools and jigs out of wood. Amazing!
    Thanks Joe



  33. Terminal Insanity on July 27, 2023 at 3:55 pm

    i was thinking of something like this, to get perfect miter edges for boxes



  34. Helmuth Baumeister on July 27, 2023 at 3:56 pm

    Simples e eficaz. ❤️



  35. John Heisz - I Build It on July 27, 2023 at 3:56 pm

    I used an old worn out, rusty saw blade to make the sanding disk. Cutting off the teeth is the first step and I did that with an angle grinder equipped with a thin cutting blade. A hacksaw would get it done, but take longer and require just a bit more effort.
    The sandpaper is a standard 9 x 11 sheet and is glued onto the 9" diameter disk with spray adhesive. I did this before (on that blade in the opening scene) and the spray adhesive does a great job of firmly holding the sandpaper on.
    I only put sandpaper on one side, but you can do both and have a fresh surface ready to go when the first wears out. Or you can put a finer grit (or coarser) on the other side.
    This produces very good results with 100 grit paper. It does still have swirls marks but they are very tiny and light hand sanding would quickly clean that up.
    Where this really shines is with plywood, as you can see in the before / after photos in the video. My table saw with a sharp blade produces a very good cut, but that can be dramatically improved with this.
    It also does a great job of jointing a straight edge on a board. It takes a few passes but it will get it done and it’ll a silky smooth finish as well.
    This setup lets you quickly edge sand stock of any width and up to as thick as the disk is sticking up, and is as fast a changing the blade on your saw.
    In the video I cut high into the quick release auxiliary fence to make it look more dramatic, but I would recommend only going a bit higher than the stock you normally work with. This will give more support on either side of the blade for sanding shorter pieces. You can also wheel the disk all the way up without the fence and use it as a normal disk sander to shape parts.



  36. Ian Smith on July 27, 2023 at 3:56 pm

    Genius



  37. DanTheJoe 81 on July 27, 2023 at 3:57 pm

    Companies need to take notice of innovative people like you. Carpenters build all kinds of jigs and things of this nature to either better existing tools , make them safer to use, or even have them serve another purpose. . I have my own little toolbox secrets that I use because some of what’s available out there doesn’t do the job as well as they should.



  38. r1ps0n on July 27, 2023 at 3:57 pm

    Actually I know some Polish Dude that he would easly upierdoliłby this saw way faster with HANDSAW than You with Your angle grinder. Right Stavros Gakos? <3



  39. Arthur Dent on July 27, 2023 at 3:57 pm

    Preferably, I’ve used a cheap diamond file on old saw blades to sharpen the inserts and it’s worked a treat.



  40. TooMuchBoost on July 27, 2023 at 3:58 pm

    For cutting the tablesaw blade faster. Throw blade in tablesaw, then grab angle grinder…..ENGAGE SAFETY SQUINTS!!!



  41. Martyn on July 27, 2023 at 3:59 pm

    but its sanding cross grain 😕



  42. taksirenkijore on July 27, 2023 at 4:00 pm

    Where is your blade guard for your anglegrinder ffs.



  43. Jeff Cramer on July 27, 2023 at 4:01 pm

    I did this without cutting the teeth off, on an old table saw- a one time project. I named it the world’s most dangerous disk sander. Obviously your solution is much safer



  44. Jackie Fernandez on July 27, 2023 at 4:02 pm

    You are amazingly ingenious!



  45. Dave Rutan on July 27, 2023 at 4:03 pm

    for some reason the profile of the red blade being lowered reminded me of Darth Maul.



  46. Bob Wingard on July 27, 2023 at 4:05 pm

    Terrible idea … and, even worse execution. Why didn’t you lay down something to protect the saw table when grinding the edge of the blade with the side grinder ??? Also … why not glue the sheet of sandpaper to the blank, and THEN trim the outer edges ??? Much simpler, and more accurate than trying to align a disk to a plate. This whole project was a display of lack of thought.



  47. Balázs Lakatos on July 27, 2023 at 4:06 pm

    I think it generates more heat than a sawing process, so there should be more space behind the blade for the airflow, otherwise it can cause fire.



  48. Liberty Lover on July 27, 2023 at 4:11 pm

    Is there a downside to leaving the teeth on the blade? Also—it would be an interesting product (perhaps) to have blades manufactured for this purpose. Imagine a blade with the sides built similar to a rasp or file, where you are not using glued on sandpaper, but the side of the blade is designed specifically for filing or smoothing.



  49. Harlan James on July 27, 2023 at 4:12 pm

    One of the best vids I have seen, its amazing thank you!



  50. Dangermouse on July 27, 2023 at 4:15 pm

    Stopped watching at 0:44 when you pulled out the unguarded grinder!
    When you google up photos of what happens when a disc lets go, you’ll see why.
    Put the guard on, it might save your life.