Auto-body repair shops have used stiff-foam (similar to swimming-pool “noodles”) Soft-Sanders for years, but only recently did these contour-sanding accessories find their way into wood- working shops
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. The kit features six distinctly shaped sanding pads in three densities and includes 80-, 120-, and 180-grit adhesive-backed sandpaper.
I began my testing by sanding a length of home-center red-oak crown molding. I used three pads to match the different molding contours, and worked my way through the three grits to produce a slippery-smooth surface. Next, I went to work on a cabinet- door raised panel. It took only one pad to match the large cove. To test the contour pad’s effectiveness, I scribbled pencil lines all along the profile. At first, the abrasive missed the apex of the cove, but I applied a little more pressure and it flexed enough to get that, too.
I had less success on small routed profiles (ogees, beads, etc.). Getting sandpaper to conform to those small shapes proved too difficult, rounding-over crisp corners instead. The supplied sandpaper sticks to the pads well during sanding, yet peels off easily when changing grits. It proved durable as I folded, wadded, and twisted it into various forms, and it did not load up with dust or pitch.
—Tested by Bob Hunter