Thread: Best Finishing Sanders??

Go for a Festo if you can affort it. I managed to get a second-hand one from an auction and it works like a dream - a lost less vibration than the cheaper one I had been using. Plus you can get very fine grade of paper which are difficult to get for the cheaper models.

Unfortunately there is not really any good fine action sanders that can cope with big areas. If you dont have the budget for a Festool sander i suggest you look at a air 150mm random orbital sander with a 2.5mm orbit stroke usually priced between $150-$400. You will need to have a strong air compressor as they will require on average approx 17cfm-25cfm depending on the brand. The other advantage is also you can put a 125mm pad on the same machines to get into tighter areas.

If you cant budget for a Festool, look no further than the $370 Metabo duo ROS. 3 and 6mm orbit. Great sander

Seconded!

The Metabo Duo SXE 450 in particular. It's the bee's knees.

i guess i am too late to influence your decision, as you said you are getting it today.
but if you are still looking, its no contest, go festool, you will not regret paying that extra money over the long term.
regards, justin.

Originally Posted by Skew ChiDAMN!!

Seconded!

The Metabo Duo SXE 450 in particular. It's the bee's knees.

Thirded.

Originally Posted by Waldo

Thirded.

Fourthed. Metabo Duo does a great job, and you can get up to 400g for it.

Tex

Originally Posted by Tex B

and you can get up to 400g for it.

Tex

1500 if you buy through www.sandpaperman.com.au who's a member on here, and the grits he sells are cheaper per unit than Bunnies or elsewhere and of a much better quality.

Originally Posted by Waldo

1500 if you buy through www.sandpaperman.com.au who's a member on here, and the grits he sells are cheaper per unit than Bunnies or elsewhere and of a much better quality.

or 4000 if you use some Festool pads

Another vote for the metabo from me... and i have two other mates who have them and are roundly impressed...... but you are wasting half the joy if you don't hook it to a vac......the dust extraction is excelent.

here here for the Sandpaperman

cheers

Make that 6 votes for the Metabo - I picked up a SXE450 Turbo Tec at the Sydney show and its a beauty.

Cheers,
Geoff

Originally Posted by VEK TOOLS

Unfortunately there is not really any good fine action sanders that can cope with big areas. If you dont have the budget for a Festool sander i suggest you look at a air 150mm random orbital sander with a 2.5mm orbit stroke usually priced between $150-$400. You will need to have a strong air compressor as they will require on average approx 17cfm-25cfm depending on the brand. The other advantage is also you can put a 125mm pad on the same machines to get into tighter areas.

Have you any on special for forum members?

Thanks for the replys guys and as I suspected Festool was the correct answer and the metabo would have been the one I went for for now but you weren't quick enough with the replys( and Bunnies didn't have any). I get a good finish with my trusty Makita belt sander on the big panels so I was literaly just after something for those areas I couldn't get the belt sander into and just for that final likght sand so I picked up a Bosch Profesional 125mm worked like a charlm and saved me heaps of time and energy on that last Blackwood book case. It's small light and seams quite guttsy for what it is.I am finding Bosch generaly quite good value for money at the moment for the machines I don't want to pay top dollar for. So far they haven't let down. Back when I was an apprentice in the 70,s it was one of the best around but then they seemed to go off or out of plavour for a while.
Anyway thanks again guys.

Claw,

no matter what sander you get with the right abrasive all that are mentioned here work very very well.
For stock remvoval with the ROS i use Cloth Backed Polyester abrasive from Europe somewhere. the same as we use on the huge wide belt sander. I'll check later if you like. and it eats jarrah away very quickly. where as other paper back abrasives wear out tear and just don't cut it.

Very happy with $40 sander and expensive abrasive.