[Woodchuck Forge]

First for the fingers, get a set of vibration dampening gloves. They help tremendously, available at the auto supply store or Harbor Freight Home Depot etc.

Wow ED, talk about a DUH moment for me, that makes perfect sense. I tried replacing the plate with micarta but it just did not perform well. I will have to give the cork a try. I tried it on my disc and it works great. I used to have a problem pulling the cork with the disc adhesive I was using and found that if I heat the paper with the propane torch it peels off like butter. I have cut down on glue applications and sandpaper tearing/back pulling off dramatically. You might be able to use this for the sander sheets as well.

Thanks again for all the great suggestions.