Sander


D

DALDEI

Member
I'm in the middle of my benchwork at the stage where I need to trim a lot of 2x2 and 1x4s and sand the edges to take the sub roadbed

Been thinking of investing in an inexpensive hand sander but I'm lost
So many kinds even in the sub $50 range ...
Belt orbital weird pointed things that vibrate
Or maybe best to stick with a sander plate on my power drill????

Any suggestions welcome
Is a hand sander useful ? What kind ? Are cheep ones worth even the few $ or is more expensive better then nothing ?
Note I have a small desk sander but i can't move it to my benchwork
 
Sounds like you are a prime candidate for a quality finishing sander, sometimes called a palm sander. Here's one model by a quality manufacturer:

Makita finishing sander

I finally wore out my Makita palm sander and bought a Porter Cable. Either brand is good.

Random orbital sanders are needed for very fine finishing work, where it is important to minimize any sanding marks. You probably don't need that for what you are doing. They tend to be larger than palm sanders and quite a bit more expensive.

Belt sanders eat wood like power termites. They take it off fast, like a cheap stripper. They have their place, but it probably isn't what you want.

Those pointy things are called detail sanders. They are for getting into tight corners where nothing else will reach. I have one that rarely ever gets plugged in, and is slow, slow, slow going to use.

Disc sanders (drill or self powered variety) are too hard to control for general woodworking use, in my opinion. I never use mine.

Buy a decent name brand like Makita, Milwaukee, Bosch, or Porter Cable. Avoid Ryobi, Black and Decker <shudder>, DeWalt (B&D painted yellow and priced higher), and any house brand. Expect to pay about $50 for a quality finishing sander.

Hope this helps.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Thank you !

This is exactly the information I needed. Its so disconcerting to walk into Home Depot and see 30 models of hand sanders from $25 - $400 and have no clue what each is actually good for. I just picked up a Makita for $44+tax cant wait to try it out.

Thanks for the information !
 
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