1/2 sheet sander

I’ll double your money and pay shipping if you send it to me. :)

I like them for sanding flat panels, but clean/fresh paper is a must to keep swirl marks down.

I put about 5 sheets on at a time and tear off as needed. Sand a panel until you think it’s enough, then tear off to a fresh sheet and go over the whole panel once or twice more.

Thanks jbay, good info. I’ll put that bit away in my memory. I like the sander from what I have used of it so far. I’ve got a big gum stick for cleaning sanding belts, etc. I might use it often on the sand paper on this thing to see what that does for it also. Thanks again.
Mike

”... clean/fresh paper is a must to keep swirl marks down.”

- jbay

-- "I build for function first, looks second. Most times I never get around to looks." - Mike, western Colorado

Yep that’s a keeper.

-- Alaskan's for Global warming!

The 1/2 sheet orbital is one of the most underrated gems out there. Growing up, we had a Porter Cable 1/2 sheet sander that got hundreds of hours of use. A while back, I bought the Makita BO4900V that I just love. Even without a vacuum attached, the dust collection works amazingly well. Like jbay said, it is a champ at sanding flat panels. Compare its 40 sq in of surface to the 20 sq in of a 5” ROS, or even 28 for a 6” and it’s easy to see its value. The sandpaper is cheaper too.

-- Knowledge is not skill. Knowledge plus ten thousand times is skill. -- Shinichi Suzuki

Thanks for the info Rich. We are planning a house build in the near future along with a small shop/RV storage building so it may see plenty of use. It doesn’t look to have been mistreated or abused and the pad even looks in good shape.
Mike

-- "I build for function first, looks second. Most times I never get around to looks." - Mike, western Colorado

As it turns out mine is a a PC 505 not sure how old it is but I have had it for many years.

-- Alaskan's for Global warming!

Looks in good shape AlaskaGuy. Good to know they are still working after many years.
Mike

-- "I build for function first, looks second. Most times I never get around to looks." - Mike, western Colorado

I have two of those older Rockwell 1/2 sheet sanders, they have performed flawlessly since about 1970 and have thousands of hours on them. They are fantastic sanders. I also pack them with a few sheets of paper to tear off. They are comfortable to use for big jobs – less vibration to the user than other sanders. The big down side is the complete lack of dust collection….

-- The optimist says "the glass is half full". The pessimist says "the glass is half empty". The engineer says "the glass is twice as big as it needs to be"

My dust collection is to open a door on the north and a door on the south. Depending on the time of day, the wind blowing thru the shop will take the dust either north or south. I usually don’t try to make a lot of dust unless a little breeze is blowing thru the shop. I also wear a dust mask. I’ll probably use the sander outside mostly. Maybe someday, I will invest in a DC.

“The big down side is the complete lack of dust collection….”

- TungOil

-- "I build for function first, looks second. Most times I never get around to looks." - Mike, western Colorado

I had an old B&D Orange Color, I thought was pretty good. It designated and sits on the repair shelf. It was special because it was my first one. My Dad bought it for me. I may have to look for another one now with this post. Dan

“The big down side is the complete lack of dust collection….”

- TungOil

Time for some Yankee ingenuity
Home made down draft table, a box fan with a filter. Dust mask.

-- Alaskan's for Global warming!

I ll double your money and pay shipping if you send it to me. :)

I like them for sanding flat panels, but clean/fresh paper is a must to keep swirl marks down.

I put about 5 sheets on at a time and tear off as needed. Sand a panel until you think it s enough, then tear off to a fresh sheet and go over the whole panel once or twice more.

- jbay

All my sanding gadgets from big Bosch ROS to manual sanding sand smoother as the sandpaper wears out. The only reason it could be the opposite if you cheap out on sandpaper and buy the cheapest one that crumbles instead of wearing.

I ll double your money and pay shipping if you send it to me. :)

I like them for sanding flat panels, but clean/fresh paper is a must to keep swirl marks down.

I put about 5 sheets on at a time and tear off as needed. Sand a panel until you think it s enough, then tear off to a fresh sheet and go over the whole panel once or twice more.

- jbay

All my sanding gadgets from big Bosch ROS to manual sanding sand smoother as the sandpaper wears out. The only reason it could be the opposite if you cheap out on sandpaper and buy the cheapest one that crumbles instead of wearing.

- Carloz

That’s right, and the smoother the paper is, the more it polishes the wood, the more polished areas
will absorb less stain, and that leads to an uneven finish.

That s right, and the smoother the paper is, the more it polishes the wood, the more polished areas
will absorb less stain, and that leads to an uneven finish.

- jbay

So true. Besides, I don’t think of orbitals as finish sanders. I rarely put anything finer than 120 grit on my 1/2 sheet Makita. It’s just to flatten the surface. After that, I switch to the ROSs and go to whatever grit the situation calls for.

Everyone has their own ways to work though.

-- Knowledge is not skill. Knowledge plus ten thousand times is skill. -- Shinichi Suzuki

The classic Chatterbox sander! Great for sanding sheet goods.

-- Pete