How to Make Your Own Sandpaper

Sandpaper is a coated abrasive used mainly to make surfaces smooth and remove tiny particles from them. Sandpaper can be made of various materials including aluminum oxide, silicon oxide, and chromium oxide. Sandpaper was first called glass paper and in the past, people used shark skin as a form of sandpaper as well.

Nowadays you can also make your own sandpaper, but you must pay a lot of attention when you are doing this project. It may take you a lot of time because you may not get it right at once, so this job requires some patience too. Be very careful when you attach the things together with glue and try not to cut off more than necessary.

Step 1 - Wrap and Mark the Paper

Wrap the belt sander with paper and make sure to leave some space, about half an inch. Use the pencil to put markings on the paper. Now turn over the paper and put a line marking at an angle on it. Measure the angle with the combination square first. Many belt sanders make use of an angle of about 32.5 degrees. You can use this angle as a guideline.

Step 2 - Cut the Belt Sanding Paper

Cut the belt sanding paper with the utility knife over the same line that you marked earlier with the pencil. You need to cut the other side of the paper and use the same angle so that you will have a match on both sides. Make sure to leave 1/2 inch space here as well.

Step 3 - Remove the Sand From the Paper

Turn over again the belt sanding paper so that you will have the sanded part of the paper facing upwards. Draw a line on the paper and make sure there is half an inch between the indentation and the line. Use the same line as a guide to take away the sand from the paper with a grindstone or you can utilize a file instead. Make sure that you remove all the sand from edge to edge.

Step 4 - Attach the Pieces Together With Glue

Now you need to put some glue on the sanded part and the back of the other piece. Put the glued sides on each other and check that the edges fit accurately on one another. Make sure that they are glued firmly together by using clamps. If you do not have clamps, you can use two objects that are flat and press the paper pieces between them.

Another way of making your own sandpaper is by cutting rectangles out of craft paper and then putting some glue on them. You now need to sprinkle some sand on the glue and make sure that you cover all the glued parts of the paper with sand. If you have some sand left that did not stick to the glue, remove it by shaking it off the paper. You can now use this home-made sandpaper in woodwork.