There are two air powered random orbital sanders that I am aware of that might be useful for use on turnings: the Grex AOS368 - 2" 105° Angle Random Orbital Sander and the Chicago Pneumatic 7200S Mini Random Orbital Sander. I'm currently using an electric drill for power sanding. A random orbital sander would make sanding scratches less noticeable. Besides, it would be a new tool! The question is whether my 1.5 hp - 8 gallon air compressor can power either one of these effectively?
Having found the manufacture's website for both sanders, it appears the Grex uses 2.2 cfm at 90 psi -- something a small shop air compressor should be able to supply. (It would be noisy, unless you could put the compressor in a cabinet to deaden the sound.) The Chicago Pneumatic uses a lot more air: 21 cfm "under load" and an average of 10.5 cfm (no mention of psi -- if you have to ask...?). It would seem the Chicago Pneumatic requires more air than a typical small shop compressor would deliver.
Here's links to the two websites:
http://tinyurl.com/yrppl5 (Chicago Pneumatic)
http://tinyurl.com/2fq3ag (Grex)
Here's links to the sanders on Amazon (so you'll have an idea of the cost, they're available elsewhere):
http://tinyurl.com/2ljj74http://tinyurl.com/3ydlw2
Anyone have personal experience or thoughts they'd care to share?