options: sanders

[allen thunem]

any of you use a right angle or grinder type sander?
what brands types etc? I use a milwaukee right angle drill with 3" pad for most sanding.
i have a porter cable right angle r.o sander with a 5" firm pad as well but am wondering if a non r.o w/soft pad will give me a more desired, or better result.
what type of pads do you use and where do you get them. etc.etc.etc.

[Tim Boger]

any of you use a right angle or grinder type sander?
what brands types etc? I use a milwaukee right angle drill with 3" pad for most sanding.
i have a porter cable right angle r.o sander with a 5" firm pad as well but am wondering if a non r.o w/soft pad will give me a more desired, or better result.
what type of pads do you use and where do you get them. etc.etc.etc.

Vince is the man to talk to for sanding info (http://vinceswoodnwonders.com/).

[Reid Strand]

I've got a couple of angle grinders and don't notice much difference between the dewalt and the harbor freight, other than the switch. Harbor freight has a sanding attachment kit that comes with a 3" stiff pad with hook and loop and several sanding disks for about $6. They work with the "wave disks" available at woodcraft or wherever quite nicely. It works well when there is a lot of tearout or I'm in a hurry, but its a dusty, noisy mess, so I don't use them often. Much prefer a right angle drill.

Also, I don't recommend using a soft interface pad at 10,000 RPM. They flatten out first, then they explode. Don't ask why I know this.

[Dennis Ford]

I use a "close quarters drill", the head is angled 55 degrees to the body. I had one made by Sioux but after replacing the bearings three times (it lasted a long time), I recently bought a replacement from an online auction. The replacement is not a name brand but seems to work fine. I tried a 90 deg drill from Harbor Freight and it was not as comfortable to use.

[Scott Hackler]

I use a Harbor Freight el cheapo right angle drill with Vince Welch's sanding pads and discs. Works exceptionally well and when this $30 drill dies I will be buying another no name replacement but with the 55 degree close quarters head. With all the dust and just that WILL get in the windings and internals of the motor, I can't justify spending money on a name brand drill (not to meantion the 3-5X price difference.

My HF drill has been used a ton, dropped and abused for over 2 years and it's still going strong.

[Richard Allen]

Sioux 55 degree drill is my favorite and I tend to do most of my sanding with it.

A Makita right angle drill that is my second favorite. The on/VA is a long paddle which goes from the corded end 3/4 of the way to the drill chuck so there are a lot of options for holding the drill. There is a little wheel on the paddle which can be used limit the top speed.

A Matebo 3 1/8" right angle ROS. I use a soft interface pad on it and the oversized blue film discs. There is a speed limit wheel at the cord end which works great. This sander is aggressive so it doesn't get as much use. You can use the Matebo sanding discs along with a vacuum but I find the discs hard and expensive. I have good dust collection at the lathe so the benefit of the built in dust collection is lost on me.

I have 2 of the cheap knockoff 55 degree drills as backups. I used one and found no problems with it.

[Dan Forman]

I use a Metabo variable speed WE 14-125 VS angle grinder. You will find answers for most of your questions in Bill Neddow's article on high speed sanding here: http://www.billneddow.com/f/High_Speed_Sanding_Article.pdf You don't need a variable speed grinder, but you do need something to control the speed. Most single speed grinders operate at speeds from 10,000 to 12,000 RPM, which is too fast. You need to slow it down to 6,000-8,000 RPM.

I'm a recent convert, find that the angle grinder does a much better job in a lot less time than the conventional angle drill does.

I have used a 5" dual action Rotex sander for the outside of bowls with good success, but it isn't much good on the inside. Metabo also makes a 3 1/8" random orbital sander that works well on the outside, and is small enough to be able to use inside of larger bowls, or even some smaller ones if you attach a 2" backup pad on it. My favorite is still the angle sander though.

Caution about softer pads, especially at lower grits - in woods such as ash, locust, or elm, that have alternating rings of hard and soft wood, a soft pad will scoop out the softer wood causing what Bill calls the "starved horse effect". One of the benefits of the high speed technique is this tendency is minimized when a firm disc is used. Another advantage of the firm, one piece discs is that they run concentric to the grinder, thus can be used to get right up to and edge or bead without obliterating it, whereas a random orbit is always a bit off center - even a drill with backup pad and sanding disc is very difficult to get perfectly centered and will behave more like a random orbit sander.

Enjoy the article, and comeback with any questions. Bill is a member here, and often chimes in on these threads.

Dan

[Greg Just]

Like others, I have the el cheapo Harbor Freight right angle drill that I think I paid $24 for a few years ago. It works fine for me. I also have a Grex pneumatic sander, but I get tired to listening to the compressor run. Someday I'll buy a bigger one.

[Harry Robinette]

I'm with Dan F. I use a Harbor freight 4 1/2 gringer with Bill Neddow's adapter and love it. I just finished another large bowl I think 17"x 10" and sanded it in under an hour. Have it hooked to a router speed control works great.

[Al Wasser]

I bought one of the Harbor Freight angel drills and it lasted just long enough to get past the warranty. I have a Milwaukee angle drill that works well. For small areas of tear out a piece of sand paper attached to the nose of one of those Black and Decker Mouse sanders works real well.

[Tom Winship]

I use a Neiko close quarters drill (approx $35) and get all my 2" sanding discs and backup pads from Vince.

[Reed Gray]

The right angle drills don't fit inside a bowl as well as the angle drills (55 degrees or so) do. I have several of the Sioux/Milwaukee angle drills and like them. I will get 400 plus bowls (sizes from 3 inches to 16 inch diameter) out of one before the bearings need to be replaced. I have had them all rebuilt a number of times, and have worn out the plastic casings as well. The bearings are seated in plastic, and not metal. I had one of the no name clones, and wore out the casing in less than a month, which was about 40 or so bowls. We do use them more like grinders, and not drills, which is what they were designed for. I am a fan of the slow speed sanding school. The high speed won't work on my warped bowls.

I still think some one needs to invent an articulated arm to hold the sanders on.

robo hippy