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Sander Buying Guide

A sander is an essential tool that will get used in almost all DIY projects that involve wood. Sanders can remove large amounts of stock or surfaces finishes easily and quickly, as well as being able to create a smooth surface on your projects. There are many types of sanders out there, and several can only be used for certain applications. One key to purchasing a sander is to get the one that will meet your needs best. Here are the types of sanders you will want to consider:

-- Belt Sanders --
Belt sanders are best used in the initial phases of sanding big rough sanding jobs as well as for the initial phases of refinishing jobs. Belt sanders remove a lot of material quickly, so a light touch is needed to avoid over-sanding the material being sanded. Belt sanders also tend to be heavy. Look for one that has an adjustable speed control and a lock button that lets you lock the speed which will allow you to place your hands in the most comfortable position when using the sander; this also helps reduce user tiredness when using a belt sander.

-- Detail Sanders --
Detail sanders are small sanders that are most often used to sand around odd shapes and in small nooks and crannies like notches, carvings, inlays, curves and grooves. Detail sanders are oftentimes used for craft projects and on mill work like door and window casings. To get the best use from your detail sander, look for one that has a lot of attachments as this will make your sander more configurable and make it suited for more situations.

-- Disc Sanders --
Disc sanders come as both hand-held and bench-mounted varieties. The hand-held models are most intended for occasional users while the bench-mounted models are usually used by people who need to perform sanding on a more industrial scale. But there are some smaller bench-mounted models that are still cheap enough for consideration by the occasional user. Disc sanders are excellent for finishing the end grain of wood and for sanding angled edges. If you are looking at a bench-mounted disc sander, some additional features you will want to look for are: a sliding miter gauge, a tilting table, and a belt sander on the frame.

-- Random-Orbit Sanders --
Random-orbit sanders have circular pads that move/vibrate in a circular motion with a random pattern. The random pattern lets the user move the sander in any direction on the material being sanded, even across the grain, without marring the surface of the material being sanded. This is the "safest" type of sander and it is one of the best available multi-purposes sanders; this makes it an excellent choice for the novice user. Most random-orbit sanders require the use of special sand paper specific to the brand and/or model of the sander being used.

-- Sheet Sanders --
Sheet sanders are available in different sized models that make use of 1/4 or 1/3-sheets from standard sandpaper. Some models of sheet sanders require the use of specialized sand paper with velcro or adhesive used to adhere the sand paper to the sander. Other models can make use of use any type of sheet sand paper. Obviously, the latter type of sheet sander is more flexible for the everyday user. Sheet sanders are different from random-orbit sanders in that the sheet sander vibrates the sand paper along the axis of the tool, therefore sheet sanders have to be moved in the direction of the grain of the material being sanded or else the surface can be scraped. Sheet sanders are extremely versatile and, like the random-orbit sander, they can be used on a wide variety of projects.

-- Spindle Sanders --
Spindle sanders are excellent for edge sanding, particularly on curves. Spindle sanders are always bench-mounted tools that have a cylindrical spindle located in the center of a large worktable. As such, spindle sanders tend to be used by more industrial users and wood-working enthusiasts. If considering a spindle sander, your best option is to get one with an oscillating spindle; the oscillations increases the removal rate of material and it reduces the probability of gouging the material being sanded.

Article Source: http://www.articleresourceindex.com

Frank has been a carpenter for more years than he would care to admit. You can read his sander rankings at eDistiller.

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