Workshop Tip: Turn a dowel into a drum sander

I have made several attempts over the years to wrap sandpaper around a dowel for smoothing inside curves, without much success. Then I figured out that I could cut a long stopped slot in the dowel, tuck both ends of the paper into the slot, and then chuck the slotted end of the dowel in my cordless drill or drill press, locking in the sandpaper in the process. It works great, holding the sandpaper tight but also making it easy to change.

—THOMAS MOSS, Bradenton, Fla.

Illustrations by Dan Thornton
From Fine Woodworking issue #297