Unique jigsaw sanding blade for hard to reach places (5 steps)

I’m pretty sure this is recognizable:

You are working on your project which has small openings that you can barely reach.
Unfortunately, these openings still need to be sanded.

To do that, you will need to cut a piece of sandpaper to size to smooth out that tiny opening.
After a long struggle and lots of hard work, you notice that you don’t get the desired result.
Frustrating, isn’t it?

With the jigsaw sanding blade, you’re about to discover in this article, that is a thing of the past.

Continue reading to find the answer on how to fix this common problem.

What can I use to sand small areas?

I, too, had this problem described above several times before.
That is why I was looking for a solution and made this helpful tool.

With the DIY sanding blade that fits on a jigsaw, it is now possible to sand small areas, gaps, holes, and so much more in the blink of an eye, without any effort.

On top of all the benefits of fast and effortless sanding, this jigsaw sanding attachment is an easy-to-make DIY woodworking tool that allows you to quickly replace the sandpaper, thanks to the built-in clamping system.

In this blog, I will explain step by step how to build this jigsaw sander yourself, so you can use it for those annoying tasks in your workshop.

Watch the video and learn how to make this jigsaw sanding blade

Here you can watch the video and see how to make the jigsaw sanding blade.
After watching the video, you can continue reading the step-by-step guide to making this jigsaw hack yourself. 

How to make a jigsaw sanding blade?

Now that we have gone through the list of what we all need to make this jigsaw sander, I will explain step by step how to make this jigsaw sanding blade.

Let’s go!

Step 1 | Base​

For the base of this jigsaw sanding blade, I used a piece of pinewood from my scrap wood storage cart.
Know that you can use any other kind of wood for this.

The piece of wood I used to make this jig has dimensions of 6 cm (2.36”) long, 2 cm (0.78”) wide, and 2 cm (0.78”) thick.

To cut this tiny piece to size safely, I used my crosscut sled.

Keep in mind that the dimensions of this sanding blade may be different for your jigsaw.

Also, be sure you use the right kind of jigsaw blade for your jigsaw.
There are many types of blades available.
Use this handy guide to find out easily what saw blade is the right one for your jigsaw.

Step 2 | Groove​

To connect the wood to the jigsaw, I used an old blade.
In that piece of wood, I made a slot with the handsaw.
That way, the jigsaw blade could fit perfectly into the piece of wood.

I made this slot slightly less deep than the height of the blade.

By tapping the jigsaw blade into the block with a hammer, I was able to lock the teeth of the saw blade into the wood.
This was the first step in the connecting process.

Step 3 | Secure the sawblade​

To make the connection even stronger than just tapping in the teeth into the wood, I secured the jigsaw blade in the wood with screws.

To make the second step in this connecting process, I fixed the saw blade into the wood temporarily with painter’s tape.
This way, they could no longer move relative to each other.

Then I drilled a hole through the wood and the saw blade.
I did this with the drill press, using a drill bit just smaller than the diameter of the screw I used to secure the blade into the wood.

The last step in securing the saw blade was that, before installing the screws, I made the drilling hole slightly larger with a countersink.

This allows the screws to be placed flush with the surface of the wood.

Step 4 | Round the nose​

When working with this tool, the jigsaw sanding blade will make quick movements up and down.

To avoid kickback when the bottom of this jig lands directly on the workpiece, I rounded the nose.

From the center of the wooden block, I made a circle, so I could see which surplus material I could take away with my DIY drum sander.

By holding this square block of wood against this fast rotating drum sander, I was able to round the top quickly and be sure it was perfect perpendicular to the side of this jig.

Step 5 | Clamping system​

I think the big plus of this Jigsaw sanding blade is the handy clamping system.

This makes it possible to replace the sandpaper in a very quick way.

No fumbling with glues or double-sided tape, just loosen two screws and the sandpaper can be changed.

I’ll show you how you can easily make a clamping system like this yourself!

I made the clamp on the top of the jigsaw blade from a surplus of T-track rail.
If you don’t have this, just look around and find yourself a piece of L-shaped aluminum.

With the hacksaw and my Dremel, I was able to cut out a piece with the same width of the jigsaw sander blade.

Because the piece of aluminum has an angular shape, it fits perfectly on the piece of wood and the sandpaper will be clamped in 2 directions.

Using painter’s tape to secure this piece in place, I placed the piece of aluminum in the correct position on the jigsaw sanding blade like you can see in the picture below. 
That way I could make a hole with the drill press.
For this, I have used a drill with the same diameter as the screw I use to hold this piece in place.

Once I had drilled that hole, I place a screw to see if the clamping system will work correctly.

The clamp I made earlier is good for holding the sandpaper on one end of this jigsaw blade.
To clamp the sandpaper securely to this blade, a second clamp will be needed on the back of the jigsaw blade.

To do this, I drilled a hole about 2 cm (0.78 “) from the end of the jigsaw sanding blade with the drill press.

To clamp the sandpaper to the sanding blade I placed a screw and washer in the drilled hole.

Now it is only a matter of adding the sandpaper properly to be able to use this jigsaw blade.
I’ll show you how to do this below.

How to use the jigsaw sanding blade?

This jigsaw sanding blade is very easy to operate.

Start by loosening the screws for the clamping system.

Then slide a strip of sandpaper, of 2 cm by 14 cm (0.78” by 5.5”), over the jigsaw sanding blade.

First, clamp the corner profile in aluminum.
Screw it tight so that it cannot come loose from the quick movements the jigsaw makes.

Stretch the sandpaper over the jigsaw sanding blade and place the second clamp.

To do this, determine where the drill hole is and pierce the screw with the washer through the sandpaper.

Now tighten it firmly so that the washer holds the sandpaper in place.

Make sure that the sandpaper is not loose, or it will break due to the fast movements of the jigsaw.

Now, the sanding blade is ready to install.

Place the jigsaw sanding blade on the jigsaw just like you do when you place a saw blade.

Make sure the sandpaper is facing forward when installing this jigsaw blade!

Once installed, you are now ready to sand small areas, gaps, holes, and so much more with ease.

Once you see how easy and fast you can achieve perfect results, you will wish you had found this idea sooner.

For more interesting hacks and woodworking jigs, check out all the other blogs on my website that can be found in this list. Most of them have free plans to help you build it!