Busy Bee 3" x 3" Sanding Drum B440

What led me to purchase this item



was the blade on this toy bulldozer.

The bulldozer's blade had to be hollowed out in front to a 1 1/2" radius, and I needed a relatively easy way to do that. I understand that there's a method for making cove cuts like that on a table saw, but I didn't feel up to pursuing that procedure right at this moment.

So, I devised a quick-and-dirty hollowing scheme on my wood lathe. I chucked the sanding drum in the headstock, and set up the lathe's toolrest in front of the drum, to serve as a work 'platform', like so.

I perched the bulldozer's rectangular blade blank on the toolrest, and fed its face to the spinning drum while simultaneously shuffling the blank from side to side. It was a bit of a delicate procedure, but it worked out remarkably well.

I used the same method to make a hollowed blade for a toy road grader, and that turned out ok too. Here's a view of it.

So, I'd say that the B440 sanding drum has served me well so far. Following are some miscellaneous notes on it:

• Shank: 3/8" diameter x 15/16" long. I think the shank ought to be appreciably longer for secure chucking, but as it is it serves.
• Squeeze Nut: 17mm A/F. The thread appears to be an odd metric thread -- 11mm diameter x 1.25mm pitch. Don't lose the nut; you'll never find a replacement.
• Available Sleeves:
• B44060 -- 60 grit.
• B44080 -- 80 grit.
• B440120 -- 120 grit.
• B440150 -- 150 grit.
• Radial Runout: I did a crude runout measurement that indicated about 0.017" radial runout at the centre of the rubber drum. That's not great precision, but it's well within reason for the sort of tool that the sanding drum is.

All-in-all, I'm pleased with the tool and what it's done for me.

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