Thread: Pneumatic sander

Hi Slopey

I have not used this particular device but I have used orbintal sander.

I upgraded my Festool RTS400 orbital stander to a Festool Lex3 pneumatic sander.

The up side is that the pneumatic sander is lighter.

the down side is that you need a rather large compressor to keep up the air supply. my compressor is a 7.5kw 43CFM/1200 litre per min unit. and its doing ok. any smaller the compressor will be working hard.

I agree with Albert. To run your sander the compressor will be doing a lot of the work as well as making more noise. I bought a Random Orbit Ozito from Bunnos and it works very well even though it is a cheapy. It has a port to fit a vacuum hose so you can breath. If it buggers up Bunnos wil either replace of gice back your small investment

That sander is not a pneumatic sander in the sense that we normally understand. It is an accessory that needs a power tool, like a drill, to drive it and it only uses pneumatics to hold the sanding tube on the mandrel (you pump it up).

I don't know about other folks but attachments like these that fit onto power tools like a drill are a PITA.

For a start drills are simply not designed for this sort of long term use and they just kill your wrist and forearms after only a few minutes use.

Then there is a need to find ways to hold down, often awkward shaped work pieces, and constantly having to change the clamping arrangement.

I reckon you are much better off with a spindle sander of some kind that sits firmly on the bench and then you can apply the work piece to the tool.

Agree with Bob, unless you're exceptionally good at handling hand held tools it is very easy to take too much off and end up creating a very uneven surface, leading to hours of sanding to smooth it over.

Not to mention the absolute mess it ends up making which will result in having Bob on your case about dust collection...

Learn to use spokeshaves and rasps. You get much more control with unpowered tools and if you slip you won't take huge chunks like you would with a powered sander. It's also just a good skill to have.

Bit hard to manoeuvre an assembled rocking chair around a spindle sander.
The sander in question may be OK on a long flexible drive shaft, but like the others I don't like the idea if using these types of units in a handheld std drill. Too hard to manoeuvre accurately. If it was mounted axially, like a dremel, then it would be OK IMO.

Originally Posted by slopey

Hi:

I'm seriously considering having a go at a Maloof rocker. The job involves LOTS of shaping and sanding, and to that end I've been searching for a pneumatic, hand held drum sander to ease some of the pain. I have located a suitable unit (a Shop Fox D4594) on Amazon.com which will end up costing about AUD$100 by the time it arrives.

My questions: Has anyone used one of these tools? Are they worth the money? Is anything like this available directly in Australia?

I have tried to attach a photo of said item, but for some reason it hasn't worked.

Thanks

Slopey.

Originally Posted by elanjacobs

Learn to use spokeshaves and rasps. You get much more control with unpowered tools and if you slip you won't take huge chunks like you would with a powered sander. It's also just a good skill to have.

first off I totally agree with elan, spoke-shaves and cabinet maker's rasps are the way to go. Much more control and with practice -- which a Maloof rocker will give you lots of -- you should be able to achieve a near finish ready surface off the tool.

if you must go down the path of a tool like the Shopfox, I've only ever seen them used with an air drill which -- as Albert advises -- needs a very serious compressor to drive. Albert reports that his 10 hp unit only performs "OK".

not to mention how much dust a "rolling pin" will throw around your shed.

Hi, everyone.

Thanks for the replies. After much thought, I've decided to go the old-fashioned route, and use hand tools. I think the wear and tear on my wrists and arms using an electric or air drill might be too much. I'm a bit more of a hand tool fan anyway. If this project doesn't take me forever, I will post some photos of my progress and the final result.

Thanks again

Slopey.

Originally Posted by slopey

Hi, everyone.

Thanks for the replies. After much thought, I've decided to go the old-fashioned route, and use hand tools. I think the wear and tear on my wrists and arms using an electric or air drill might be too much. I'm a bit more of a hand tool fan anyway. If this project doesn't take me forever, I will post some photos of my progress and the final result.

Thanks again

Slopey.

sometimes you cant beat hand tools.

I recently bought a Dremel to do some fine sanding around small tricky corner, after much experiment, I went back to the old hand tools - you get real enjoyment using hand tool.