Favorite Sanders and Sanding Tricks

[Bob Ohler]

I thought I'd throw this out for discussion... Do you have a favorite (or least favorite) electric sander for working on teak? We have been using a Porter Cable Detail Sander (#444) and an old Milwaukee 1/3 sheet sander. The 444 has a diamond-shaped hook and loop sanding pad that gets into many, but not all, of the tight spots on a CD. The Milwaukee does a great job on the top and outside edges of the toe rails and all other flat areas.

I did discover last evening that taking a piece of sandpaper and running it from the handle, down around the blade of a putty knife, and back up to the handle I was able to get the difficult to sand spots on the toe rails behind the shrouds and stanchion bases. Any other good ideas or favorite sanders out there?

Bob O.

[Sea Hunt]

Bob:

I have used the DeWalt D26453K 5" Heavy-Duty Variable Speed Random Orbit Sander with good results. It is reasonably light, easy to hold and the variable speed is a plus. On slow speed it works well with paper up to 400 grit.

For tight spots I have used the Dremel Multi-tool with the triangular shaped attachment. This allows you to get into small crevices, angles, etc. where the orbital sander cannot go.

Hope this helps.

Robert

[2tocruise]

We have a Bosch variable speed detail sander (1294 VSK) that we pretty much use for everything from fiberglass work to finish sanding teak on the boat. It has several attachments to get into tight corners, the vibration isn't bad at all, and overall it is pretty comfortable to hold and use.

We did have our first one burn out (literally, the universal joint that gives it a random orbit melted) after four years of heavy use. We immediately bought another, which we've had for over a year with no problems. So I'd definitely recommend it.

And no, I have no connection to Bosch whatsoever, I'm just happy to have a tool that works well.

[jbenagh]

I did discover last evening that taking a piece of sandpaper and running it from the handle, down around the blade of a putty knife, and back up to the handle I was able to get the difficult to sand spots on the toe rails behind the shrouds and stanchion bases. Any other good ideas or favorite sanders out there?

I hot glue sandpaper to popsicle sticks and tongue depressors. You can make any shape you want. They are available in box of 500 at craft stores and also useful for epoxy work. When hot glue is not available, I just wrap the paper around the stick.

Jeff

[Steve Laume]

I never owned a detail sander until I inherited a Royobi unit from my Dad. It was a good introduction to the merits of a detail sander but not a very good tool. It made a lot of noise and I believe the handle vibrated more than the the sanding pad did.

I sprung for a Fien, Multi Master and it is worth every penny of it's rather high price. Quiet, aggressive and easy on your hand with lots of optional accessories.

For larger areas the Porter Cable random orbit sanders with dust collection are hard to beat. One trick I often use is to duct tape a shop vac hose to the dust pick up instead of the canister. This will gather almost all of your bottom paint dust or keep any mess in the cabin to a nearly nonexistent level.

I have both hook and loop and sticky pads on different sanders. I originally thought the H&L would be a better option for changing grits. In reality, by the time you want to switch, the old paper is usually dull anyway. The sticky backs are a better bargain and seat better on the pad. They peel off easily if you always run the sand paper on something to heat it up a bit before you try to remove it.

I always save a few of the used disks. IF you fold them in half you will expose the center area, which sees less wear, for hand sanding.

One of the nice things about Porter Cable is that parts are available forever! I picked up a couple of 4"X26" worm drive belt sanders at a yard sale years ago. I believe they were manufactured in the 40s and I doubt they ever made too many of them. When I went to work on reconditioning them I was pleasantly surprised to find out that all the parts were available.

Happy sanding, Steve.

[Sea Hunt]

I sprung for a Fien, Multi Master and it is worth every penny of it's rather high price. Quiet, aggressive and easy on your hand with lots of optional accessories.

Bob:

Steve's reference to the Fein Multi Master is well taken. I looked at them 2-3 years ago before I bought the Dremel Multi Tool. Fein's are excellent quality, top of the line. My recollection is they were about 2x the price of the Dremel Multi Tool. The Dremel has done all that I have asked of it - admittedly, perhaps with a little too much noise.

Both come with an electric cord or a battery. I got the cord model because I did not want to worry about battery discharge in the middle of a project, etc.

To plagarize Steve, "Happy Sanding".

Robert

[bottomscraper]

One of the nice things about Porter Cable is that parts are available forever!

Yea was true but now PC is owned by "Stanley Black & Decker" the same people who own Dewalt (Stanley & B&D merged
about a year ago March 2010). They have since sold off Delta Machinery in January, 2011 to Taiwan-based Chang Type Industrial Co.

Oh and the other good once USA made brand Milwaukee tools is now owned by by Hong Kong based Techtronic
Industries. (they also own AEG, Ryobi, Homelite, Hoover and Dirt Devil)

Sad but true except for a few items it is almost impossible to buy any power tools still made in the USA.

[M. R. Bober]

Over the years, I have burned out two Porter-Cable random orbital disc sanders. In both instances the cause was copper dust from bottom paint getting into--and staying in--the motor. I used the sanders to scuff sand Trinidad not to take the bottoms down to gelcoat. I picked up two tricks: 1) after sanding any bottom area, I ALWAY sand some unfinished wood to "clear" the dust path of paint remains, and 2) I bought a Bosch VSP random orbital sander.

I use a Porter-Cable Profile (detail) sander. It has performed well for many seasons. My only complaint is availability of sand paper out here in the country.

My Makita 1/4 sheet (pad) random finish sander is a true workhorse. It is easy on the hands and leaves a smooth surface. it is an older model. The newer versions have a dust collector.

I have a Craftsman 1/2 sheet pad sander, which is good for winding any self-winding watch. It is a piece of junk and I have not used it for many years.

Buy the best machine you can afford, and never lend it to the "accident prone" in the family or the yard. With luck it will outlast you. Oh one more thing, wear hearing protectors when power sanding.



Mitchell Bober
Sunny Lancaster, (a good place for people with true grit) VA