Finishing Sander Recommendation

My old Makita 9045N has passed on and I'm looking for a replacement to sand outdoor wood beams of my veranda with 40 grit sandpaper, I'm not concerned about using a dust collecting attachment but it has to be able to have the sandpaper last when on the sander as I bought an Ozito and the paper keeps ripping at where the clamp is after minimal use using premade sandpaper and sandpaper on a roll. The Makita BO3710X is one I can buy from my local Bunnings but it has 8 holes in the plate for dust extraction and has a plastic hole jig when using sandpaper without holes already in it, can this sander be used without putting holes in the sandpaper as my old Makita had no holes in the plate at all I'm open to other brands like Bosch but anything made with good quality that will last for around the house is what I'm after

Hi Q. Have you considered random orbital sanders? I have the blue Bosch 5" one and it's great. But if you are using 40 grit would a belt sander be better. I am assuming you are removing some serious stuff. These are heavy and if the beams are up in the air you will get tired, but nothing works quicker

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Originally Posted by Mountain Ash

Hi Q. Have you considered random orbital sanders? I have the blue Bosch 5" one and it's great. But if you are using 40 grit would a belt sander be better. I am assuming you are removing some serious stuff. These are heavy and if the beams are up in the air you will get tired, but nothing works quicker

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Hi Mountain Ash I was using my old finishing sander that is probably heavier than any new one of today so I'm not worried about the weight, I've moved into a new home and the veranda beams are not dressed or painted they are just treated pine or hard wood so I'm sanding them down to a nice finish, some I use a planer on to save time or when the wood is really rough but my planing skills needs a finisher sander. A belt sander wouldn't be a good choice because I wouldn't be able to get into the tight spots like a finishing sander can.

My view is that an orbital sander is now redundant technology, replaced by random orbital sanders that work so much better. The best brands are probably Mirca and Festool but $$$$; the affordable good quality brands are Bosch blue, Metabo and possibly Makita.

I would suggest that you reconsider the use of a vacuum. An active vacuum continuously removes the dust from between the sandpaper and the timber. It means that the sander works much faster, at least 50% faster, and the sandpaper lasts longer. Also mesh sandpapers are much better than the older ones. Initially I got by by jury rigging a household vacuum.

For renovation work I used a Fein multimaster(?) delta sander.

Getting into tight corners was a breeze.

It was also fantastic for cutting tiles, flatting nasties, grinding, cutting holes in Gyprock, trimming bolts, etc. Highly versatile.


For the bigger areas, any old ROS with a dust extractor will do a decent job for outdoor work. Agree with Graeme, a vac will make an immense difference. It will work for better, longer and faster. Paper will last much longer too.

If you were being tricky, ensure you keep the warranty docs/receipt. Buy a good brand from Bunnings and absolutely flog it. It it breaks... oh no! Swapsies! :)

Milwaukee has a good warranty and reputation here in the USA.

Orbital Geared Sanders | Festool Australia

Hi qwertykb,
I have the previous sander model (BO3700) to the Makita BO3710 finishing sander.
When I built a set of steps up a retaining wall I used rough cut H4 timber posts and used this sander with very coarse sandpaper to remove all the roughness
on the posts to match the smoothness of the rest of the timber steps.
I have a belt sander and a random orbital sander, but used the finishing sander cause it is light, highly controllable and easy to get into tight corners. When I use them, belt sanders cut deep hollows into timbers in the blink of an eye, and randow orbit sanders round over edges & can't get into corners.
I second the use of vacuum extractors with sanders - they make sanding a pleasant activity (well, almost pleasant) while prolonging the life of the sandpaper. I also endorse Abranet mesh sandpaper as for delicate work it is very fast - I use a hollow sanding block that is hooked into a vacuum extractor so can do work inside without dust.

I only yesterday purchased a Ryobi +One cordless ROS the 125mm round model and have been impressed with its performance. With a 2ah battery it would not be unwieldly to use overhead, not sure I would like to swing it all day with a 5ah battery though. Their smaller detail sander is even lighter.

My trusty old Makita corded OS still does the bulk stuff though then I swap to the cordless ROS.

I have an old Makita (at least 30 years) 1/3 sheet finish sander sitting in the shed. No DC, no bells nor whistles. If you want it, you can have it at postage cost plus $10 for my time. It can take sheet or roll sandpaper without a problem.

I also have a Bosch blue 1/3 sheet finish sander that can also take sheet or roll paper. It does have DC capability. I bought it for some sanding of dry wall finishing so I could use my dust collector. Not my best purchase but you can have it for $35 + postage.