What kind/How many sanders do I need?

[Matt Lentzner]

I am interested in outfitting my shop with some sanding equipment. I currently have a cabinet I am refurbishing and I want to sand the original finish off and repaint it. I am looking at a dual-mode sander from Bosch that would seem to cover the entirety of what I need - stock removal and then finish sanding. Of course, I will be doing many other types of work so I want a general set that would allow me to handle the most basic tasks.

I currently own a Ryobi "Corner Cat".

Sander Types:
Dual Mode Grinder/ROS
Grinder
Full-Size ROS (5" or 6")
Belt Sander (Full-size 4x24 or compact 3x21)
1/2 Sheet Finish Sander
Palm Sander (ROS or 1/4 Sheet)
Corner Detail Sander
Hand-Held Spindle Sander (Only PC makes one AIUI)

What's a "standard assortment"?

Thanks in advance,

Matt

[Jim Becker]

I own four hand-held electric sanders. My Festool 150/3 6" ROS gets 80% of the work; the Rotex 150 (a dual mode 6" unit) 15% and the smaller detail sander and my Bosch 3"x21" belt sander only get very occasional use. I also use a couple sanding blocks with paper... ;)

My point is that you don't need a lot of different kinds of sanders for general shop use. There is no "standard" assortment. Beyond a good ROS, anything else should be chosen based on the needs brought by the kinds of projects you do. As you can see, I do most of my sanding with the 6" ROS...and I do most of that sanding pre-assembly so I can avoid small spaces and funky corners.

I do have a small OSS on the bench as well as a drum sander and a combo sander. But they are also for specialized uses. The OSS gets used more than the others with the drum sander largely employed for processing slabs that are too wide for my J/P.

[Bob Childress]

I agree with Jim. A good ROS/grinder dual mode and maybe a finish sander (1/4 sheet) or detail sander for corners. My RO150 grinds so well I don't feel the need for a belt sander.

[Michael Schwartz]

Well, for 99% of sanding all you will need is a decent Random Orbit Sander.

With hand sanding the problem is not sanding enough
With Power Sanding the problem is sanding too much.

The more you sand a machined surface the more you will round it out, and sand hills and valleys into it. No matter how hard you try, you cannot true a surface with any sanding except for a drum (thickness) sander.

When I sand, I usualy work up from 100 grit or so up to 150 for white oak, 180 for woods that are getting stained, and 220 or 320 for hardwoods getting a clear coat. However, I prefer not to sand at all and get out trusty my Baily 4-1/2 and Lie Nelson low angle jack, and get a surface no sandpaper or sander can deliver.

I don't really use finishing sanders much as they are obsolete as they are from the days when you would have used them after an oscilating sander which still would have left swirl marks.

Random orbit sanders do leave scratches in every dirrection, the sollution, a light hand sanding with the grain with the final grit you sanded to with the random orbit sander.

Belt sanders have their place in a wood shop but are way to aggressive for 90% of sanding tasks.

Old 1/2 sheet sanders can be a real bargain if you can pick one up for under 10 bucks at a yard sale or flea market. a 6" random orbit sander removes more material though, because of the aggresivness of the random orbital action.

Finishing sanders just vibrate, and remove little matterial. Just use sone 180 or 220 grit paper glued to a block to follow up after your random orbit sander.

[Matt Lentzner]

I own four hand-held electric sanders. My Festool 150/3 6" ROS gets 80% of the work; the Rotex 150 (a dual mode 6" unit) 15% and the smaller detail sander and my Bosch 3"x21" belt sander only get very occasional use. I also use a couple sanding blocks with paper... ;)
<snip>


Jim,

Wouldn't the Rotex do everything that the other 6" ROS does? What's the difference that makes you choose the one over the other?

Thanks,

Matt

[Jim Becker]

Yes, the Rotex with "do" what the other ROS does, but the 150/3 is much more comfortable to "one hand" than the larger tool, IMO. I have the older version of the Rotex that is physically bigger and don't feel comfortable without having both hands on it. If I were stuck only having one of them for the next year, I'd opt for the 150/3 just because it fits my needs more of the time. I pull out the Rotex more for heavy sanding/grinding work and am starting to explore it for polishing. For me, the strength of the Rotex is the things it can do that a ROS-only tool cannot.

[Steven Wilson]

In addition to the Festool ETS 150/3 and Rotax RO 150 I would add in a good corner sander like the DS400 or RS400. I have the RS400 in addition to the RO150 and 150/3 and those three sanders handle 90% of my sanding needs. Hand sanding and a belt sander take care of the rest. Don't forget the vacume !

[Jason White]

Festool.

All of 'em!

JW


I am interested in outfitting my shop with some sanding equipment. I currently have a cabinet I am refurbishing and I want to sand the original finish off and repaint it. I am looking at a dual-mode sander from Bosch that would seem to cover the entirety of what I need - stock removal and then finish sanding. Of course, I will be doing many other types of work so I want a general set that would allow me to handle the most basic tasks.

I currently own a Ryobi "Corner Cat".

Sander Types:
Dual Mode Grinder/ROS
Grinder
Full-Size ROS (5" or 6")
Belt Sander (Full-size 4x24 or compact 3x21)
1/2 Sheet Finish Sander
Palm Sander (ROS or 1/4 Sheet)
Corner Detail Sander
Hand-Held Spindle Sander (Only PC makes one AIUI)

What's a "standard assortment"?

Thanks in advance,

Matt

[jason lambert]

I have a porta cable 6" ros love it, a 6" bosh ros for finishing and a 1/4 sheet dewalt for smaller finishing. I am actually going to go to all fest tool stuff int he next couple of weeks so if you are intrested in any or all of it let me know I also have a bunch of paper.

woodworking@programmergeek.com