Thread: Palm Sanders

Hi Billy,

many brands have an option. DeWalt, Milwaukee, Bosch, AEG, Hitachi, Makita, Porter-Cable, Metabo and Festool all have good machines. The power consumption is 150 to 200 Watts, many of them come with a dust bag and the oscillating circle is 1 to 2 millimetres, which is fine enough for fine results on smaller scale. Paper system dust bags (like on Festool) tend to be expensive, go for cloth ones, which stay good when cleaned with a vac inside and out once in a while. The sanding paper can be either mounted with spring clamps or Velcro-like sticky systems, which again are more expensive than plain paper that can only be clamped.
The machine should have all ball bearings. When switched on as a demo in the shop, the motor sound must dominate. The louder any rattling or shuddering noises are, the coarser or flimsier the overall construction is. The less vibration and the smoother the run, the better. The expensive line of Milwaukee and Festool machines are the professional's choice, many painters and car body restorers use those. For less demanding usage, any of the above brands will offer something useful. Ask owners for their epxeriences. Personally i have a preference for Metabo, Festool, Milwaukee and Rupes (Italian made, known in Europe but probably not in Australia).

Regards,

Gerhard

Nice information Gerhard. Well done. Rupes is available in Australia, but are more known for their air tools over here than their electrical tools. Most of the motor vehicle repairers (panel beaters etc) use Rupes equipment in their businesses.

Billy, I have had a Makita palm sander for 20 years and have never had a problem with it, although I only ever use it for small works. Maybe you should also consider a random orbital sander as they have a bit more grunt and you still have the options for velcro pads in all grits etc.

Actually, I just re-read your post and see that you would want it for model boats, so the palm sander should be fine. I thought you were intended it for full size boats in which case the palm sander would have struggled a bit.

Wayne