Sanders - Woodworking Talk

Pianist93 · 01-24-2009, 10:08 PM

Hi,
I was considering buying a sander of some kind. My question is if pneumatic Dual Action sanders leave bad marks in wood grain? I think it would if you have it on the "just spinning" setting but would it on the other setting? Also, when it is on the "random orbit" setting (the one that does something besides just spin), does it move around AND spin less or what? I was also wondering if a DA sander is an okay subsitute for a belt sander in terms of speed to sand down? Thanks for any help!

Handyman · 01-24-2009, 10:24 PM

Pianist93 First question you need to ask yourself is what type of sanding do I want to do? Belt sanders, Inline sanders, random orbital sanders and DA sanders all do something different. They are used to do different things.
Belt sanders are used to smooth rough surfaces.
Inline sanders are used to leveling.
Random orbital sanders are used of fine detailing.
DA sanders do pretty much the same as RO sanders.

Pianist93 · 01-25-2009, 01:10 PM

Handyman,
I was thinking I needed something for sanding out table saw marks and taking down inlays, things that I have used a belt sander for in the past. I was wondering about the DA sander because they are so much cheaper than belt sanders. You know, $40-$60 instead of $150-$300.

sawduststeve · 01-25-2009, 05:12 PM

I have used a 5" random orbital body sander for wood and have gotten real good results. You can get various grits of paper so it can be used for almost anything. I finally went to a electric 5" random orbit makita merely for the fact that I don't enjoy listening to my air compressor run. But both of the air operated jitterbugs and orbitals work fine.

Handyman · 01-25-2009, 07:34 PM

Pianist93 I bought this one at wally world for about $29.00 and use it alot. For a black and decker brand and as cheep as it was it has been a great little sander.

Pianist93 · 01-25-2009, 08:51 PM

I have a Makita one of those but I was wanting something that would sand faster.

firehawkmph · 01-25-2009, 09:02 PM

Pianist,
If you want an orbital sander that works faster, try one of these:
http://www.coastaltool.com/a/port/pr7366.htm

Mike Hawkins

Pianist93 · 01-26-2009, 09:51 AM

That is about equivalent to a 6" pneumatic DA sander isn't it?

Handyman · 01-26-2009, 10:22 AM

I am thinking that a DA sander is going to do the same thing as the random orbit sander but a little more aggressive. I thing a belt sander is the way to go to take it down faster and them finish off with your Makita.

Pianist93 · 01-26-2009, 11:38 AM

Thanks for all the help!