Fein 8" Orbital Sander OR scrape & plane?

[Doug Hobkirk]

I can get a Fein used vac (I don't know which model) with a used Fein 8" R O Sander for $450 from a big Corian counter business that's closed shop (they have 4 of these). I will get to touch & test before purchase.

I am just getting started in WW but I have been equipping my shop. I have a 5" Rigid ROS, a stationary 4" wide belt sanders, a Rigid oscillating spindle/belt sander, and a Makita hand 4x24 belt sander. I've used them all at least ten hours each and they are all very useful.

I would LOVE to replace my huge ear-splitting 6.5 HP Craftsman vac with something that is quieter, smaller, and auto-triggers on/off, but the seller wants to sell both as a package. Sanding always seems to take longer than I had hoped and the dust usually means I need to do a lot of cleaning myself before I can walk in the house. It seems like the excellent DC would be a huge improvement and the 8" sander would be in another league for sanding - right?

At the same time I've seen all the TV shows of David Marks, Mr. Hand-held Cabinet Scraper, and I've been spending time here on SMC with Neanderthals, devotes of smoothing planes and scrapers. I need to re-read the FWW article on this subject, but it seemed to me that sanding was still the way to go and then use a scraper to de-fuzz the surface before finishing.

I like good tools and good deals (on eBay, a new Fein Turbo I or a reconditioned Turbo II cost $250), but I temper my lusts when I can by asking advice from experienced people -
Forget the sander - scrape and plane?
Good tools, even for a serious hobbyist?
Good deal?
Anything special to look for when I test them?Thanks

[Joe Jensen]

Inspect the tools closely. It's my understanding that Coriann shops are as hard on tools as any commercial venture. Apparently the Coriann is very apprasive to bearings and such. The repair shop I uses said that Coriann shops are their bread and butter for power tool rebuilds...joe

[Faust M. Ruggiero]

Doug,
I read a lot of folks mention the sanders they own by the diameter of the disc. I never hear anyone speak of the orbit size. A Fein 8" random orbital sander has a 5/16" orbit making for fast stock removal. Their 6" sander can be purchased as a 5/16" orbit or a 3/16" orbit. Amongst my growing army of grain smoothers, you will find a range of orbit sizes down to 3/32". Sanders are built with different pad sizes and different orbit widths to allow a range of sanding from "fast stock removal" to "glass like" finish. Buy a sander that suits your needs.
Scrapers are fun, especially when we see DM peeling off curls. However, in practice that level of performance is not easy to achieve and maintain. Sharpening them takes a lot of practice. Well sharpened, and properly held on a straight grained wood, they can produce a finish so pure it reflects light. On cranky grain, a certain amount of light sanding is still needed to handle the back grain.
Here's the bottom line.
fmr

[William Addison]

I have a Fein 8 inch ROS and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. I have had some trouble with it and it's *very* expensive to repair. It vibrates a lot and you have to be careful not to ruin the H&L pad which costs a hundred dollars. Also the only place I've found where you can buy paper is Klingspor or Fein and Fein delivers the paper in an armored car-or should. Short answer? Don't buy it.

[Doug Hobkirk]

Joe, Faust, & William -

Thanks! I think you just saved me some money. My ardor for this deal cooled some as I composed my thoughts for the post. I would be paying about $175 for the vac and $275 for the ROS, substantially too much unless you guys gave rave reviews.