Hinge Makes Continuous Sanding Easier

While sanding a series of flutes in a project recently, my fingers got severely cramped while holding the sandpaper around a dowel. I knew there had to be a better way! A short length of continuous (piano) hinge left over from a previous project provided the solution as shown in the drawings above.

I wrapped sandpaper loosely around the open hinge, and then closed the hinge, pulling the sandpaper taut. A binder clip keeps the whole assembly together. Flipping the hinge over and moving the binder clip to the barrel side of the hinge also gives me a nice square edge for sanding into the corners of dadoes and grooves.
—Tom Peters, Midland, Mich.