Didn't think of fence poles or conduit, but yes, looked at PVC, iron, copper, and galvanized water pipe. The motor has exactly a 1.5" diameter. The problem is that all the pipe that I can even find in a 1.5" ID is actually about a 1/8" larger diameter. I've tried all kinds of combinations of even a lower ID pipe hoping that the OD would be exactly right and then trying to use a coupler, but I can't find anything that exact.
The motor only sticks out about 1/4", maybe 3/8". The sanding isn't a bad idea. I'm just not sure I've got the stuff to really do it. But I'll look into it.