Shapeoko 3 spindle mount for DeWalt DWE6421 sander

thingiverse

I do too much sanding. It kills my elbows. So I built this spindle adapter to hold a DeWalt DWE6421 random orbit sander in my Shapeoko XXL. I program a square or round spiral toolpath and let the Shapeoko move the sander around the object being sanded. Not only does this save my elbows, but it does a much more consistent job than I can sanding. It doesn't speed up or slow down and it sands each grit for a programmed time. The largest benefit is that I can be doing something else in the shop while it's doing the sanding. I have my Shapeoko in it's own room (the size of a closet) in my garage, so it contains a lot of the dust. I printed this in four pieces. There's a bottom piece that is printed mirrored so you get a port and starboard piece. The top is printed separately as well as the nut that holds the sander in the spindle. Note that the nut on top is necessary so when the program is completed, the sander is lifted off the surface of the board.