Replies

1. 
   riverr1 | Oct 06, 2002 06:07pm | #1

   Wow, difficult question to answer. I guess I'll start with this; There are things a belt sander can do that an ROS never will. One example would be scribing counter tops to match a wall and then sandinggrinding the top to the scribe line. With a good alum. oxide belt and a belt sander, this task can be completed in about 2 minutes for a 10 foot counter top. I'm not sure I would ever want to tackle a floor or something "immoveable" that takes a lot of sanding with an ROS. But then again, in those situations, if the stock can be freely handled, I would run it through a planer. I don't know, I think you can achieve a finer sand with an ROS then a belt sander, but this not a half a dozen of one, and 6 of the other situations. But then again, even after using an ROS, scraping is good to do. I know, not much help.

   Don

1. 
   Sancho | Oct 06, 2002 06:52pm | #2

   If your talking about finishing..I use both a palm sander and a ROS. You'll find they both "sand" I use the ROS through  the sanding process but my final sanding prior to stain/ finish is done with a palm sander. Darkworksite4: When the job is to small for everyone else, Its just about right for me"

2. 
   LRutherfor1 | Oct 06, 2002 11:58pm | #3

   I don't know if you want to hear this, but I use several sanders to achieve a surface that will look good and take the finish well. 

   I use a belt to do the rough sanding (150 grit), a ro to do the smoothing (220 grit), and a palm to do the finish 400 grit.  I use a profile sander in corners or on beads, ogies, coves, etc., and sometimes I'll use roll emery cloth for round objects such as legs.

   You can make a nice finish with most any sander if you take your time, and change grits often.  One bit of advise: let the sander to the work, keep it flat, and keep it moving.  Any time you tilt a sander, you are digging into the grain and will leave a divot in the piece. 

   Good Luck, Len

   Len's Custom Woodworking

1. 
   AhneedHelp | Oct 07, 2002 04:14am | #4

   Well, I should have thought it through before posting my question.

   It is interesting to hear palm sanders being used for very fine grit sanding as the final touch.

   Although I can't expect one sander to do everything, I thought the Fein RO sander/Vac would be a good starting point to get me rolling along with the projects I have in mind.

   It appears the palm sander will have a place in this.

   I'll have to see if there is a palm sander that can take advantage of the Fein vac.

   Dust collection is a major concern.

   Thanks for the feedback and I do apologize for asking such a open ended question.

   It would be nice to have an arsenal of sanders to meet all needs.

   Alan

1. 
   DonaldCBrown | Oct 07, 2002 04:25am | #5

   Dust collection is a major concern.

   The dustless method is to use scrapers. They are simple tools and surprisingly easy to sharpen despite all the lore. They can get into any nook or cranny that a sander can and many that a sander can't, and for many tasks they are more effective and faster than sanders.

   And, they are inexpensive.

3. 
   AhneedHelp | Oct 07, 2002 02:55pm | #6

   Thank-you, Dave and the rest who are kind enough to offer encouragement and advice.

   With a collection of FW, I have drooled over hand scraping/sanding tools as well as other countless finishing stories.

   I guess I'm in kindof a "get the work done" mode - definitely not at the master woodworker level. (Head down in shame.)

   (To fess up, we bought a house next door to prevent it becoming someone else's rental and now I am having to do a decent job of sprucing it up without going overboard. I am still putting a lot more into it then a professional landlord would have, as many of my friends observed.)

   The current situation calls for removing old stains/finishes on cabinet surfaces and window sills that are needing a coat of stain/sealer for better protection. So most of the tasks involves refinishing or prepping for a fresh finish. Most would be done with the trims, etc. in place. Some of the cabinet doors may have to be removed.

   Then there is the concrete counter top that I want to make, which does call for a RO sander for polishing.

   I am prepared for plenty of elbow grease on areas where a machine can't match a set of hands.

   There probably won't be any need for custom milling/shaping/finishing new pieces for repair work, although I would love the excuse to start converting the garage into a woodshop.

   Thanks for the advice - I need lots more.

   Alan

4. 
   Sancho | Oct 07, 2002 07:08pm | #7

   You might want to look into strippers. You need to find one that is compatable with your exsisting finish. More than likely your cabs have a laquer finish. But strip, them sand restain and refinish them thats it inna nutshell

    Darkworksite4: When the job is to small for everyone else, Its just about right for me"