LumberJocks Woodworking Forum banner

Recommend a RO/DA sander please...

593 views 7 replies 7 participants last post by  RichT 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
I am jumping in with both feet and doing my first serious wood project. I am constructing a epoxy river table out of a 9 foot slab of Parota wood.

I am looking for a sander to be able to go from sanding wood to finishing epoxy.

Thanks.
 
#2 ·
You're probably looking at a 6" random orbital sander.

If you have the compressor capacity, you might look at an air sander. Mirka is probably the best, I have a 3M and am very happy with it.

IME the premium sanders are worth every penny. Personally I have a Festool, but other brands such as Fein are available. If you were going with Festool, I'd be looking at the Rotex for a job like this.
 
#3 · (Edited by Moderator)
I have two Porter-Cable orbital sanders. An older one (about 20+ years) that is similar to the current model 7345 and it is a work horse. I have used it for everything from stripping paint, sanding wood to sanding Corian counter tops (similar to epoxy).
The other is about 10 years old and similar to the 382 model with variable speed and the dust catcher. I use for doing finish sanding.
What ever you choose I recommend a variable speed and the difference between 5" a d 6" is nominal for the non commercial wood worker. Also variable speed sanders can be used for polishing and buffing…furniture, cars, boats, etc.
 
#7 · (Edited by Moderator)
When you ask for a tool recommendation, you'll get nearly as many different answers as there are brand of tools… even the cheap crap have owners that are probably too ashamed to admit their mistakes and may be vindictive enough to make others suffer their fate… just kidding… sort of.

A lot depends on the amount of shekels you have squirelled away in/for your retirement. I have a Fe$tool belt sander that can remove heaps and keep it relatively flat…

Love my Mirka (my go to sander) but not for super heavy duty.

Recently purchased a Fe$tool Rotex… with it's dual purpose it's hard to describe it's efficiency, however, if the opportunity arises, I thoroughly recommend you try a demo before making any purchase.
My belt sander has now been relegated to the dust bucket… Furthermore the Rotex has a gentle function for your delicates.

PS. Just fully read Robert's comment and looks like he echoed what I said, even before I said it.
 
#8 ·
I have the same Porter Cable that LesB mentioned. It accepts all 5/16-24 accessories, which gives you a wide range of options. I have 5 and 6 inch heads for mine in a variety of stiffnesses. You need different counterweights for the two diameters.

I use mine as an aggressive sander. I believe the orbital diameter is 5/16". I also use it with Mirka abralon pads for wet sanding a finish to the perfect sheen, then buffing in carnauba wax as a final finish.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top