question about sanders

**damo03** · 8th February 2010, 12:55 PM

I am currently building a heavy duty workbench out of pine and when I was planing the roughsawn members down so I had a flush finish on which to put the top I got inspired and want to sand all the timber down and varnish it. I tried using my old mans sander but with 80grit paper the clips keep coming up and the paper dislodging. I think it's just old and it's a ryobi anyway so enough said.

I was looking at these few sanders. I want one that can get close to the corners so there is not much work to do by hand. I'm pretty lazy and want to use a machine as much as possible. I also do not woodwork much so I don't want to spend too much as I probably wont use the tool again untill I own my own home. I'm not worried about getting a super smooth finish but I do want to get rid of the saw marks.

After reading a few posts on the net I am wary of the sanders that have velcro but I will still post liks for people's opinions.

Top three sanders I'm thinking about.

Makita Finishing Palm Sander #BO4556K

Metabo 200w Palm Grip Sander. #FSR200 Intec

BO3700SP-1/3 Sheet Finishing Sander

Iron shaped sanders (using velcro)
Bosch Multi-Sander. #PSM80A

Black & Decker 170w 4 in 1 Multi Sander #KA270K

http://www.justtools.com.au/prod1478.htm
I'm leaning towards the Makita 1/3rd sheet sander even though it wont get into tight corners, most of what I sand will be right angles so it shouldn't be too bad and I can sand some bits by hand if needed.

Thanks in advance.

P.S Here's a photo of the bench. I found the uprights on the side of the road (hence the three different sizes) and bought the baltic pine for $40. Bolts and coach screws cost $70 with leftovers. The benchtop will be two doors (one solid in background). There will be a shelf also.

**elanjacobs** · 11th February 2010, 09:22 PM

Don't know much about sanders, but i do know that Metabo stuff won't die easily.

Had a Metabo jigsaw and 2 cordless drills at work - the jigsaw died after 4 years of abuse and hard work; the drills died after 2 years of the same and they were dropped on concrete floors from heights of 1 metre countless times.

That's my 2 cents worth on brand quality if not sander quality

**Claw Hama** · 11th February 2010, 11:03 PM

I have one of the little Bosch iron shaped sanders its great for those hard to reach places, I also have a 125mm Bosch Proffesional random orbital which is also very good, haven't had any trouble with the velcro and they have done a lot of work. A lot of large pieces of furniture.

**damienhazo** · 12th February 2010, 11:29 PM

All sanders work on the same principle: an offset shaft from the motor insterted in a bottom-end bearing seated in the sanding shoe. There are differences in methods of paper attachment, quality of motor, ergonomics and user comfort (especially when using for extended periods), orbital diameter and RPMs.

The important thing when sanding is choosing the right paper and changing it when its worn. (You can use it again for a bit of finer sanding later). Many people make the mistake of applying constant pressure to the corners because the results are seen more quickly. This will wear the rubber in the bed unevenly and can eventually bend the cast of the shoe. It also effects the effectiveness of the holding mechanism.

The biggest enemy of any sander is dust. A fan is attached to the motor shaft and it not only sucks air from the top to cool the motor, it blows the dust away from the machine at the bottom. The bearing in the shoe will eventually fail in any brand good enough to last long enough. This is repacked or replaced easily enough.

I'm not really sure why you would consider a palm solution. I've got a few Metabo delta sanders and I've never used any of them. I think they're aimed at people who want to sand small areas like window sills and crannies before re-painting.

In summary:

Buy lots of paper with different grits and implement them wisely (don't be stingy)
Don't buy a palm sander
You will ultimately get what you pay for (hopefully)

Damien

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