Thread: Pulling Hair Out Over This Sander Question

Was going to suggest the Sandpaperman but can't find any listed on his website, but maybe worth contacting him anyway

You may need to resort to buying velour back sheets and cutting out your own discs and then the holes with a wad punch, you could make a template to make it easier.
Will certainly save some money and a lot of hassle.


Q

Originally Posted by TORB

I have a big random orbital sander, a medium one but wanted something between it and my Dremel. (You can't have enough toys. ) I did the research and found what looked like the ideal candidate. The Metabo SX E 400 http://www.metabo.com.au/Product-cat...895871e.0.html so I bought it via a web purchase.

When it arrived, I was a little surprised that it didn't even come with one sanding disk, so the priority was buying some. They are circular 80mm with 6 holes. You wouldn't think this would be a difficult task, but bloody hell, I have spent hours trying to track some down. Extensive searching shows the only one who has it listed for sale in Oz (that I can find) is Metabo itself, so I rang them.

Yep, they are available but they don't sell direct to the public. To make matters worse, the guy I spoke to didn't think any of their retailers carried stock of the sandpaper and would have to order it into stock. If Metabo is the only supplier with stock that fits, that's an issue to my way of thinking.

I rang a big reseller and the news was not good. The 80mm discs they stock have the holes in the wrong place and he had no idea what purchases of this product use.

Does anyone know where I can get some of the right sized discs please?

Thanks for the suggestions. I left a message for the Sandpaperman early this afternoon. Their phone is only manned till lunchtime and I rang about five minutes too late, so I can expect a call back on Tuesday.

I would try and make a template so you could punch your own holes.
I did this for my Metabo sander - but it uses 1/3 sheet. To cut the holes I use a bolt cut with a "V" on the end.
What you would require is two Wooden disks that you can separate and realign repeatably. (I used plain 18mm pine.) Drill through them both to match the pattern of holes you require, then place your sanding disc in between them and punch the holes using the cut down bolt. Depending on the paper you might be able to do it by hand, if not a light tap with a hammer.

Watch out for the surface you do this on in case the bolt comes all the way through, and you will little get confetti sand paper.

Hope all this makes some sense and you can get the sandpaper you want.

Originally Posted by TORB

I have a big random orbital sander, a medium one but wanted something between it and my Dremel. (You can't have enough toys. ) I did the research and found what looked like the ideal candidate. The Metabo SX E 400 http://www.metabo.com.au/Product-cat...895871e.0.html so I bought it via a web purchase.

When it arrived, I was a little surprised that it didn't even come with one sanding disk, so the priority was buying some. They are circular 80mm with 6 holes. You wouldn't think this would be a difficult task, but bloody hell, I have spent hours trying to track some down. Extensive searching shows the only one who has it listed for sale in Oz (that I can find) is Metabo itself, so I rang them.

Yep, they are available but they don't sell direct to the public. To make matters worse, the guy I spoke to didn't think any of their retailers carried stock of the sandpaper and would have to order it into stock. If Metabo is the only supplier with stock that fits, that's an issue to my way of thinking.

I rang a big reseller and the news was not good. The 80mm discs they stock have the holes in the wrong place and he had no idea what purchases of this product use.

Does anyone know where I can get some of the right sized discs please?

Don't know where to get some but I'd be making my own as has been mentioned if it all gets too hard.

If the OM doesn't want to sell to you (joe public) they must sell them to someone, a retail store somewhere, Did they mention a retailer from where you could buy? You would think that they would be busting a gut to get you to buy their consumables. Why would they make a machine that uses a consumable then make it hard for you to get it

A while back I was looking for 0000 steel wool, local hardware didn't have any or did bunnies, so I rang the manufacturer in Aus, SIFA, ended up talking to the manager, nice bloke, same story tho...don't sell to public, however, he wanted to make sure that I could buy his product, he rang bunnies (their retailer) and rang me back within half hour and confirmed it was on the shelf (off the shelf at the time I looked) (or I didn't see it) ended up talking to him for about half hour about a product idea I had, I was too late with that one!

It would be nice if Torb could relay a similliar story about the OM of his machine but doesn't seem like that's the case.




Pete

Thanks for the suggestions guys.

I would prefer to use disc with holes already cut. Amazon have them at a reasonable price and delivery on the disc is inexpensive.... less than OZ Post would charge to mail them a few suburbs. As an aside, as I live in a rural location, they usually wind up as Amazons delivery agent once the product is cleared by customs.

According to the Metabo guy I spoke to, they think they can't compete with OEM third parties. ???? Possibly someone should tell them their website says they are the first manufacturer to make this size (and it looks like still the only one,) so they have a captured market.

The fellow I spoke to was very friendly, but on a number of occasions said, "I only work here" which does not help the customer. Don't staff who say that realise that the "mug punter' they are talking to is paying their wages by buying the product? If he had said, "I will try to find out" that would have been helpful.

Originally Posted by TORB

I have a big random orbital sander, a medium one but wanted something between it and my Dremel. (You can't have enough toys. ) I did the research and found what looked like the ideal candidate. The Metabo SX E 400 http://www.metabo.com.au/Product-cat...895871e.0.html so I bought it via a web purchase.

When it arrived, I was a little surprised that it didn't even come with one sanding disk, so the priority was buying some. They are circular 80mm with 6 holes. You wouldn't think this would be a difficult task, but bloody hell, I have spent hours trying to track some down. Extensive searching shows the only one who has it listed for sale in Oz (that I can find) is Metabo itself, so I rang them.

Yep, they are available but they don't sell direct to the public. To make matters worse, the guy I spoke to didn't think any of their retailers carried stock of the sandpaper and would have to order it into stock. If Metabo is the only supplier with stock that fits, that's an issue to my way of thinking.

I rang a big reseller and the news was not good. The 80mm discs they stock have the holes in the wrong place and he had no idea what purchases of this product use.

Does anyone know where I can get some of the right sized discs please?

Good choice in sanders. I have 4 of them. One each for the home & shack & one each for my younger daughters.

I consider their best features to be their compact size, their smooth running and their overall ergonomics. In these aspects they are a superior alternative to my Fess-Tool RO90.

Their worst feature is the tendency for the intermediate foam and "webrax" discs to delaminate from their Velcro backing.

I'm amazed that you're having difficulties sourcing discs: there's an extensive range available from Metabo stockists. 40 - 400 grit discs available in either red (wood) or white Stearate coated (paint) varieties, polishing foams, intermediate discs, 150 & 400 grit webrax & lambswool fine polishing pads.

The basic discs are available in small cardboard packs of ten I think or packs of 25. There's also mixed packs of 4/4/2 or 10/10/5 in 60, 80 & 120 grits respectively. Consult Metabo's online catalogue for the relevant part numbers to order. Everything that I've ever ordered has always been less than a week away from the Victorian warehouse

Another suggestion is to use the backing pad to make a "disc loading" template out of a small piece of ply & 6 x 6mm dowels. When preloaded with 5 or 6 discs this makes a speedy, accurate means of rapidly reloading & aligning new discs in heavy duty work such as up a ladder sanding weatherboards and lining boards.

Although I sometimes use a 27mm Fuss-tool hose, I find the adapter @ the end hard to fit to the sander. When I have it available I prefer Metabo's smaller, lighter more flexible hose. Being much thinner & more flexible it tends to kink too easily, but its general "feel" and longer length makes it just better suited to the sander's natural uses.

3 of my sanders came with that lovely floppy rubber cable that better power tools are supplied with. The fourth was the horrible stiff PVC that you get on crappy tools these days. This was replaced with .75mm 2 two core rubber flex in a more useful 10m length to suit the reach of the combined Metabo/Fuss-Tool suction hoses.

I have a couple of these sanders, and being based in Central Queensland I too find it hard to find stockists of discs. I ended up at a specialist paint supply place, and bought boxes of I think third sheet mesh sandpaper. It woks a dream - I get three discs out of each sheet, and the dust goes straight though. I too find them the best sander I have used.

I have now got plenty of these unique sized disks so all is well.

The Metabo SX E 400 has now had a bit of work and wow. It's a pleasure to use and very effective. The best small sander I have used by a long way, and I have tried a few of them. Well worth the money. Damn glad I bought it.

Hi Torb,
I'm in New Zealand and I bought one of these great sanders while on holiday in Australia about 4 years ago. Just ideal for sanding inside window sills and frames back to the bare wood
I have had to make my own sandpaper disks out of Velcro rectangles, so where did you get your sanding disks from?
Thanks
Paul

Hi Paul,

Got them from Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss...+%2Caps%2C1863

They have a good range and the freight, being small and light, was inexpensive.

Hi Ric,
thanks for the link to buying the sanding disks. I never thought to look at Amazon as I didn't think this tool would be sold in the USA- seems too European.
Paul

Hi Ric, could i ask an unrelated question about this sander please? What is the external diameter of the dust port? I imagine there are two - one for the little ridge as well. I'm trying to work out if my current Festool fittings will go onto it. (the ergonomics of the RO 90 didn't suit my wrist either Ratbag, especially for horizontal flat sanding - too back heavy which required two handed sanding or a very sore wrist).

The outside diameter of the small one coming out of the sander is 31mm. I have an adapter on mine. I don't think it came with the sander and probably came with something else. Its 34cm internal and a standard domestic/shop vacuum flexible tube end fitting fits in perfectly.

My adapter is glued on and it holds the hose in place a lot better than if it just used the 31mm standard fitting. See picture. IMG_3114.jpg