I’m getting major tool envy from this hard drive converted into a variable speed disc sander and I don’t care who knows it

As a human being of a certain age, I’m starting to feel the urge to buy power tools I don’t really need purely because they might come in useful at some point in the future. I’ll always be a PC hardware obsessive, though, so this hard drive converted into a variable disc sander is right up my street. Come to me, my pretty. I have many things to sharpen.

File this one under “ideas so straightforward, I’m surprised I haven’t seen them before” (via Hackaday). Essentially, take an old HDD, remove the actuator assembly and circuit board, wire in a battery and potentiometer, cover the platter in sandpaper, and voilà—the nerdy sander of my dreams.

YouTube channel ProShorts 101 demonstrates the full build in the video above, and I’m pleased to see they take the same approach to glue that I do: using far too much of it. Still, given the 7,200 RPM rating of the Western Digital 160 GB HDD cannibalised for the attempt, perhaps going ham with the squeezy tube isn’t the worst idea.

Which makes me wonder. Surely a great candidate for this sort of thing would be the legendary WD Raptor X at 10,000 RPM or the Seagate Cheetah 15K.3 (PDF warning), an enterprise-grade 15,000 RPM monster of an HDD. That last one was available in 73, 26, and 16 GB configurations, I’d imagine there isn’t much use for them these days other than as shrieking curiosities.

Do higher RPMs make for better sanding tools? Look, I said I wanted to buy power tools, not that I know a lot about them.

Regardless, ProShorts 101 shows off the variable speed sander in action, sharpening scalpel blades, a flathead screwdriver, and what looks like a rusty old chisel—which now I think about it is a good name for my next musical project. Each is demonstrated to have a remarkably fine edge after being submitted to the wheel of the hard-drive-cum-power-tool, although it does cover the chassis in delicious swarf.

I can’t be the only one with a few disused HDDs hanging around, gradually falling victim to the ravages of time. Perhaps I’ll make one of these as my next project, but that would mean buying a drill, and some sandpaper, and some… it really is a fractal of expense, DIY, isn’t it? I’ll see you at the hardware store, I guess.