A Small Shop Sand Blasting Cabinet

Graham Meek makes a versatile cabinet with a modest footprint and a ball joint for the gun which maximises the internal space available.

- Graham Meek

I would be the first to admit there are quite a number of Sand Blasting cabinets available commercially, so why write an article on making one? Well for one thing most of these manufactured cabinets have a high airflow requirement. The smallest cabinet I came across had an airflow requirement that was double the capacity of my current shop compressor. Having to purchase a new compressor and the sand blasting cabinet puts a big dent in the shop budget. There is also the fact that in most shops this cabinet will get only occasional usage and it can take up an appreciable amount of space on a bench or if it is free-standing. The desire to sand or more correctly shot blast small brass fabrications to make them represent castings became more urgent when I started making a Fiat 702 Tractor and a Clayton Steam Tractor. I first experimented with the shot pick-up attachment for my airline and the first cabinet was an old plywood sided box. A piece of Acrylic sheet across the top and a hole in each side to put my hands through gave the rudimentary, if not very elegant cabinet. The shop vacuum was also attached in an attempt to evacuate the dust caused during the process. I also took the precaution of wearing a proper face mask especially for fine dust, one can never be too careful. Also the first trials were conducted outdoors as an added safety measure.