Black and Decker

[tomsalwasser]

Six years ago I purchased a B&D 1/4 sheet sander. (mdl FS500). It came with a paper punch and could be attached to a shop vac. It does an incredible job of sucking up the dust as I sand. This was a vast improvement over an older Craftsman sander that left dust everywhere and was difficult to change sanding sheets as well.

Then, a couple of years ago I, by chance, discovered that B&D had "reconditioned" FS500's for only $11. I purchased three more, gave one each to my son and son-in-law, and now have one each in Gainesville and the U.P. They all are working very well.

B&D no longer has this model, new or reconditioned. I see that they now have a model 540 which looks about the same, but I don't know if it has the quality of the older tool.

On the other hand, in a moment of weakness/temporary rapture while at Woodcraft, I purchased an expensive Festool pad sander. Of course, this also requires you to purchase their velcro backed sanding sheets with the vac holes already punched in them. Lotsa $$$$ and smiling faces on the other side of the check-out counter.

This Festool sander is quality plus. It comes in a hard plastic case that stacks with cases of their other accessories just in case the temporary rapture returns. It's suction is so efficient that the sander will virtually suck itself down hard and immovable on the wood. Now I find that I need to have a new vacuum with "variable suction" - more $$$$. So far I've resisted.

So now when I need to do some sanding I find myself reaching for the $11 B&D and the Festool stays in the case. Go figure.

I spent all morning yesterday flattening some glued up panels with everything I had, including random orbital sander, belt sander, home made sanding blocks, and a lot of elbow grease. The panels came out pretty nice but my shop is a total disaster. It's not a healthy situation...I need a better way. I'm on the prowl for a sanding solution with dust collection. Everyone raves about the festool sander dust collection but as Ralph points out above it's not for the faint of heart. For the price of the festool and vacuum I could almost buy a drum sander. I would consider the Shopsmith Sand Flee but I just don't think it was meant to flatten glued up panels. The Bosch 1250DEVS gets great reviews and should work with any dust collection system, unlike the Fe$tool. I'd enjoy all your thoughts on the subject!

Best,
Tom

[pennview]

8iowa, there's no need to purchase a variable speed vacuum as one of those router speed controllers from Harbor Freight or MLCS will work with a shop vac so you can have variable speed. You might want to keep an eye on the vacuum if running for an extended period of time so it doesn't overheat.

[robinson46176]

The best way to control suction on a vac is the simple bleeder as used on household vacs for many decades. It is just a hole, usually about 1/2" or so with an equally simple way to control the size of the hole. Most household vacs have long used either a tiny slide door or a ring that you rotate to cover part or all of the hole. It works exceptionally well and you don't risk overheating of the motor due to the cooling fan being ran too slow.
The twist ring (marked #2) in this pic is the most common.
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If you want to get a little more fancy consider a cheap ball valve.
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[garys]

I like Black and Decker tools. I had a 3/8" drill that I abused for almost 25 years until I wore it out. I also had a B&D circular saw that lasted me 30 years. During that time, I used it to finish out an addition to my house, build two garages from scratch, and hundreds of small jobs. I doubt you will get better service from any of the high priced brands.

[cincinnati]

Did the old DeWalt ever make hand power tools?

My understanding is Black and Decker made a line of Pro tools called Black and Decker Professional. They did not sell the best because customers thought of B&D as home owner grade stuff. So Black and Decker took the professional line, Painted it yellow and called it DeWalt. One of the most successful marking ideas in Retail.

I have one of the Old B&D professional electric drill. Purchased it from Furrows Lumber 20- 25 years ago. Sill works like new.

[tomsalwasser]

The best way to control suction on a vac is the simple bleeder as used on household vacs for many decades.

Thanks Francis, a brilliant simple idea. I'm putting the Festool back in the running now that I know I can use my existing DC with a bleeder if needed to control the suction. I really want to be able to sand without breathing all that dust and making a mess of the shop.

Best,
Tom