New ROS (Gloat???)

[Jim Baker]

I don't know if a new Random Orbit Sander is a gloat or not, but I figured I had better be safe because I don't want the Creek Police awarding me any shiny hardware. (I actually did see some real creek police once on a college canoeing trip. That really messed up some of my friends' summers.)

Anyway, I thought I would let you know what I thought of the Porter Cable 333 that I picked up this weekend. So far I find it to be superior in every way to our Dewalt that is slowly dying. It removes stock faster with a 100 grit disc than the DW did with a 60, and leaves far less swirl marks. The finish is smoother, it runs quieter, and is easier to contol. The only problem is that I have a bunch of 8 hole discs to use up.

When I do run out of discs, which brand do you prefer? I hear Klingspor mentioned from time to time, but have never had any.

[Jason Roehl]

Jim,

I have both the 333 and the 333VS, both 2.4A models (the old ones were 1.7A). Great sanders as you are quickly finding out. I really like the heavyweight discs from Klingspor, I think they last MUCH longer than anything else I've used, including the P-C stuff Lowe's sells that looks similar (both are red-rosin closed-coat). Enjoy! The 333 I used mostly for work (read: abused) for three years or so before the anti-freespin belt gave out (~$6 part incl. shipping). "Work" included sanding the interior of yellow pine log homes with 80 grit for 2-3 days at a time.

[jack duren]

ive got a couple of the 332 1.7 pc sanders and bought the 333 2.4. not sure if its a glitch but the 333 has alot more vibration in the sander than the two 332 1.7 sanders. i intended to use the 333 for the final 180 grit sanding but dropped it back to the 80 grit sander(i only use stikit) because of the vibration. "too much"

curious if others have noticed a diference in vibration with the 2.4 models compared to the 1.7's?......jack

[jack duren]

sorry jim...congrats on the new sander. enjoy...jack

[Bruce Page]

Jim, I think you will like the 333. I’ve had mine for a few years and it has been a workhorse. Like Jason, I too had to replace the anti-freespin belt. It is virtually dust free when I hook it up to my Fein shop-vac. I can also recommend the Klingspor sanding disks, they work better than anything else that I have tried.

[Bill Esposito]

Jim,

I dont know if you have one of these but this is probably the best ROS accessory you can have.
Sanding Disk Server (http://www.mv.com/users/besposito/woodworking/diskserver.html)


http://www.mv.com/users/besposito/woodworking/diskserver1.jpg

[jack duren]

ya know bill i got ta thinking about the sanding server. i bet if it was predrilled for 5 or 8 hole h&l disks 5" or 6". painted the base,printed"sanding server" across the top, tilted it back just a few degrees to be hung on the wall so the disks wouldnt fall off. i bet you could get $20/table top model-$35/wall mount ea. plus shipping on ebay. seriously. some would rather buy them than make.....jack

[Bruce Page]

"I dont know if you have one of these but this is probably the best ROS accessory you can have."


Bill,

That's one of those 'why didn't I think of that' ideas!

Thanks - I'm going to build one tonight!

[Bill Esposito]

I wish I could take credit for this but I saw it in a magazine a while back. Works great though.