Shopsmith Forums

Can anyone tell me of a style or type electric sander I can get where I won't have to come behind it and hand sand in order to get the squiggly lines out of the wood, or is that just something I have to accept doing? I do a lot of prepping and varnishing of wood on boats and it's very time consuming coming behind and hand dancing.

rodbone wrote:Can anyone tell me of a style or type electric sander I can get where I won't have to come behind it and hand sand in order to get the squiggly lines out of the wood, or is that just something I have to accept doing? I do a lot of prepping and varnishing of wood on boats and it's very time consuming coming behind and hand dancing.

Finer grit paper?

I read a suggestion that one use the power sander one step farther than needed for initial finish and then do hand sanding with the grain using normal final grit. So the hand sanding is removing just minor swirls and using courser grit to do it.

You'd probably want a random orbit sander with a hook-and-loop disk for easy sand paper grit changes. Something like this -- http://www.factoryauthorizedoutlet.com/ ... /97455.asp --

Orbital sanders make the small orbit circles due to the action which is an orbit pattern of normally arround 3/16" in diameter (depending on manufacturer). Orbital sanders have rectangular pads. Random orbit sanders have round pads and because the pad is allowed to rotate freely on a bearing as the pad orbits you do not get the small orbit pattern sometimes called pig tails. The lines are all random and become undetectable as you go through proper sandpaper sequences. When using a random orbital sander you need to keep the pad flat and let the paper do the work, If you tip the pad to work on an edge the pad will no longer rotate on the bearing and the action becomes an orbital acttion and the pig tails come back. If your work piece is cupped like a chair seat or convex as a turned piece is again the sander will tend to lock into an orbital mode. It can still be used but it will act as an orbital. Random orbit sanders can not reach into the inside corners of drawers and book cases because of the circular pad.

Thank you! That makes sense and as I think about where and when I have them you are exactly right.

hb2 wrote:Orbital sanders make the small orbit circles due to the action which is an orbit pattern of normally arround 3/16" in diameter (depending on manufacturer). Orbital sanders have rectangular pads. Random orbit sanders have round pads and because the pad is allowed to rotate freely on a bearing as the pad orbits you do not get the small orbit pattern sometimes called pig tails. The lines are all random and become undetectable as you go through proper sandpaper sequences. When using a random orbital sander you need to keep the pad flat and let the paper do the work, If you tip the pad to work on an edge the pad will no longer rotate on the bearing and the action becomes an orbital acttion and the pig tails come back. If your work piece is cupped like a chair seat or convex as a turned piece is again the sander will tend to lock into an orbital mode. It can still be used but it will act as an orbital. Random orbit sanders can not reach into the inside corners of drawers and book cases because of the circular pad.

Great description! I use both orbital and random orbital sanders all the time while restoring my house over the years. Random orbital is the way to go to avoid these swirl marks, but as noted, let the sander do the work. When I push the sander too hard (literally and figuratively), the sander ceases to orbit and the mark will appear. Nice gentle, even pressure and let the sander do the work. Also, make sure to change the sanding discs as needed - it's when they get clogged or worn that I'm inclined to start pushing them harder to keep working, but this is when it will cease to function properly. I buy the sanding discs in large 50+ packs and change them pretty regularly, especially when sanding painted surfaces (which is mostly what I use it for).

dgale wrote: I buy the sanding discs in large 50+ packs and change them pretty regularly, especially when sanding painted surfaces (which is mostly what I use it for).

Where do you buy your sanding discs in 50+ packs?

joedw00 wrote:Where do you buy your sanding discs in 50+ packs?

My local Ace Hardware usually has them, as least in coarse grits (60), which I use a lot of for initial sanding on house siding etc. I also am pretty sure I bought them in these large packs at Home Depot last time I was at one of them (the nearest HD or other big box hardware store is a 3-hour drive, so I'm not very up on their inventory). Actually, a quick search of Amazon found lots of options for 50-packs of varying grits:

Amazon Hook+Loop Sanding Discs

Definitely a much better $$ deal when you buy these big bulk packs.

I bought some of Shopsmith when one of the wood stores had them at half price. For the price I can't tell much difference in how long they last. I will check out the box stores around here. Thanks