Materials & cut list
| Material | Quantity | Actual dimensions / specification |
|---|---|---|
| Dry, untreated, planed solid-wood offcut with a flat face | 1 blank; maple, birch or another sound wood you can identify | At least 300 mm long × 60 mm wide × 25 mm thick; cut one 120 mm block from the end |
| P120 paper-backed abrasive for bare wood | 1 sheet, providing one wrap and offcuts for easing edges | Sheet at least 150 mm × 230 mm; cut one 120 mm × 150 mm wrap and retain offcuts for easing edges |
| P180 paper-backed abrasive for bare wood | 1 sheet, providing a finer replacement wrap and an edge-smoothing offcut | Sheet at least 150 mm × 230 mm; cut one 120 mm × 150 mm wrap and retain offcuts for smoothing edges |
Tools
- Ruler or tape measure, pencil and try square
- Wood-cutting hand saw suitable for the stock
- Bench vise or clamps, stable bench and support for the cutoff
- Fine rasp or file for easing the upper edges
- Scissors suitable for cutting abrasive paper
- Straightedge and a known-flat surface for checking the sole
- Safety glasses and appropriate dust-control equipment
Before you start
- Wear safety glasses when sawing and shaping. Secure the wood to a stable bench, support the cutoff and keep hands clear of the saw path.
- Hand sanding still produces wood dust. Use suitable extraction near the work and respiratory protection appropriate to the exposure and its manufacturer's instructions. Stop if dust control is ineffective.
- Use only identifiable, untreated bare wood. Reject painted, pressure-treated, mouldy or contaminated scraps and pieces containing nails or other embedded objects.
- Clean settled dust with a suitable HEPA-filtered vacuum or a damp cloth. Do not blow dust off the bench or clothing with compressed air.
- This is a hand-sanding block. Do not attach it to a powered tool or use a powered sander to shape this small block. Keep the workpiece secured and replace torn or slipping abrasive.
Build it
Inspect the stock and choose the sole
Start with a dry, planed offcut already measuring 60 mm wide and 25 mm thick. Reject splits, loose knots, embedded metal, mould, unknown treatments and old coatings. Choose the flattest broad face as the sole and mark the opposite face TOP. This hand-tool version assumes suitable stock is available; have oversized stock prepared before starting.
Check: Set the chosen sole on a known-flat surface and check it lengthways, across its width and diagonally with a straightedge. It must sit without rocking or visible gaps. Choose a different blank if it is cupped or twisted.
Crosscut a 120 mm block
Use the square to mark a cut 120 mm from a sound end. Secure the longer remainder in the vise or with clamps close to the cut, leaving clearance for the saw. Support the short cutoff on the bench without trapping the blade. Saw on the waste side of the line using strokes appropriate to your saw, keeping your free hand clear of its path. Stop and secure the work again if it moves.
Check: The finished block should be approximately 120 mm long, with a square end and no loose splinters. A 1 mm length difference is acceptable for this hand tool; measure the finished length before cutting the wrap.
Ease the grip edges while preserving the flat face
Clamp the block and use a fine rasp or file to make an approximately 2 mm chamfer on the four edges surrounding the TOP face. Smooth those chamfers with a P120 offcut followed by P180. Lightly ease the four edges surrounding the sole by no more than 0.5 mm to remove sharp fibres that could cut the paper. Keep the central sole flat; do not round it into a cushion.
Check: Your hand should find no splinters or sharp upper corners. Repeat the flatness check on the sole after smoothing. Reject a block that now rocks or has a visibly rounded sanding face.
Cut the abrasive to the measured block
For a 120 × 60 × 25 mm block, cut a 120 × 150 mm rectangle from the P120 sheet. The 120 mm side follows the block length. The 150 mm side wraps across the 60 mm sole, up two 25 mm sides and onto the top by about 20 mm on each side: 60 + 25 + 25 + 20 + 20 = 150 mm. If your stock differs, use its measured length and a wrap width equal to block width plus twice block thickness plus 40 mm. Cut the P180 replacement the same way.
Check: Compare the paper against the actual block before creasing. The length should be flush with its ends; the width must cover the sole and both sides while leaving two separate top tabs.
Wrap the block and check the grip
Place the paper abrasive-side down on a clean bench and centre the block sole-down on its backing. Fold the paper snugly up both long sides and over the chamfered top edges. Hold both top tabs against the block with your hand, keeping fingertips on top and clear of the abrasive face. The nominal 20 mm tabs leave about a 20 mm gap down the centre of the top. There is no glue, staple or screw beneath the sanding face.
Check: The abrasive must lie flat against the sole, with no doubled layer, trapped chip or wrinkle underneath. If both tabs cannot be held securely and comfortably, stop and use a commercial sanding block with a positive paper clamp.
Try light strokes on waste wood
Secure a separate bare-wood test piece to the bench. Start with light strokes along its grain, maintaining contact across the flat sole. Stop immediately if the wrap slips, tears or bunches; refit or replace it before continuing. Use the P180 wrap when a finer scratch pattern is wanted, removing loose dust between grits. Keep this block for hand sanding only.
Check: Inspect the test piece in raking light for unexpected grooves and check that the wrap stayed taut. These are checks for the builder to perform; this design has not been physically built or tested by Dominant Goose.
Check before use
- Confirm actual block dimensions and recalculate the wrap before cutting it: measured width + 2 × measured thickness + 40 mm.
- Check the bare sole with a straightedge in both directions and diagonally; it should sit on a known-flat surface without rocking.
- Inspect the entire block for splits, embedded material and splinters before first use and whenever paper is replaced.
- Make light trial strokes on secured waste wood. Stop for paper movement, wrinkles, tears or unexplained grooves; a successful trial is required before using the block on a project.
- The build and time estimate are unverified until a person makes and inspects a physical block. No load rating, machining accuracy or finished-surface result is claimed.
Safety references
These references cover working practices. They do not certify or validate this project design.