What sander for what use?

[davidtu]

I have only one sander: the Ryobi One+ Corner Cat (or is Ryobi the mouse, I forget)...

Being a newbie, my main sanding need so far has been to correct for my table sawing skills... overcoming ridges caused by workpiece mysteriously rising from the table and some burns. Besides my own shortcomings, some of the stock was too rough for my likes (even though it was just for a garden fence) and so I spent a lot of time with the Ryobi ROS and a borrowed Makita 1/4 Sheet sander.

I am wondering if I need an additional sander, and if so which one first? Can you tell me what each type of sander is for, how commonly I'd use it, etc?

Random Orbital Sander -- (this is what I have... doesn't mean I know when to use it of course!)
1/4 Sheet Sander
Belt Sander (portable)
Benchtop Belt Sander w/ or w/o Disc Sander
Spindle Sander
Drum Sander
Oscillating Spindle Sander

Any more I don't know yet??

And, of course, I need to figure out which one to get first/next.... type and recommended brand/model.

Thanks!

[davidtu]

Oh... and Edge (Belt) Sander

[Pappy]

First, a mouse/corner cat and a ROS aren't the same thing. Assuming what you have is the corner sander (pad comes to a point) the first recommendation would be a ROS. Probably the most versatile and useful sander to have.

After that I would get, in order:

Belt sander (my favorite is the PC 352VS)
Rigid Ossicilating spindle/belt sander
Belt/disk sander
Drum sander (expensive, but it will see a lot of use once you have it)

[Howard]

I love my new Rigid OS/BS. works like a champ. table folds down out of the. LOML barely even knows it's there in the garage. Think she will notice the jointer I want to get???

[LarryG]

Here's one more important type to consider.

One type of "sander" that you need to buy sooner rather than later is a starter set of card scrapers similar to these. There are two reasons for the sooner-rather-than-later stuff: the sooner you buy them, the sooner you can get going on learning how they work and how to sharpen them; better yet, they'll eliminate a HUGE amount of the dreary boredom of sanding.

A starter set of decent quality card scrapers, a burnisher, and a mill file (the latter two items being needed to put a hook on the scrapers) can be had for as little as $25-30. Definitely one of the best bargains in woodworking, and a must-have for any well-found shop.

[wreckwriter]

I agree that if you can only have one sander, the random orbital is the one. I have a DeWalt and I'm very happy with it. I also have a belt sander, I think its a Makita. I'm less happy with it but don't need it as often either so likely won't replace it until it dies.

[drumpriest]

Here are the sanders that I have, in order of how often they are used.

Bosch 5" ROS
Ridgid OSS/OBS
Ryobi Belt Sander
Ryobi corner cat


Here is the sander that I want.

Performax 22-44 drum sander.

I start my sanding process with cabinet scrapers, then a fine grit of sand paper on the ROS. After that it's hand sanding. I use the corner cat from time to time on small project, but mostly I sand surfaces pre-glue up so that I don't have to fight with tight corners.

The performax will be used for flattening panel glue-ups, and truing self cut veneers for bent wood projects and veneer projects.

My belt sander used to get clamped down so that I could shape would with it, but not I use the Ridgid for that. The belt sander hardly sees any use anymore, more of a construction tool for me now.

[Tom Miller]

...my main sanding need so far has been to correct for my table sawing skills....

For that, you need a block plane, IMO.

Otherwise, a true ROS (not clear if you have one of these or not) will be a workhorse for you.

Regards,
Tom

[jnesmith]

ROS next, for sure. They can be pretty aggressive though. A 1/4 sheet less so, so I use it in certain circumstances.

I also have a 12" disk sander and an OSS, both of which see a fair amount of use.

Card scrapers are a good suggestion, but be warned - there is a pretty step learning curve to tuning them up. At least for me. I've read at least a dozen articles on how to sharpen them, and have tried at least 5 different methods. I've nver quite gotten the hang of it. I give up, revert to sandpaper, then try the scraper again in a few months. Still no go for me.

[LarryG]

Card scrapers are a good suggestion, but be warned - there is a pretty step learning curve to tuning them up. At least for me.

(Thread Hijack Alert) You may be trying too hard, and overdoing it. I had a bit of trouble at first, and it turned out that was the problem.

The method described in Leonard Lee's book works for me. The latest issue of SnopNotes, with the router end-grain sled on the cover, also contains a good how-to write-up.

[davidtu]

What is the difference between the ROS and the Cat Corner? I thought it was randomly oscillating... is that literally just for sanding corners and tight spaces?

Thanks to everyone for your great suggestions. However, I am still not sure what each sander is used for... can anyone provide a list & description of use or a URL that has one?

HD has a "deal" right now on the Rigid portable Belt Sander... for $179 it comes with the 1/4 Sheet Sander ($49 value, in theory). That, minus the $35 gift card (I'm sure I can find $20 to spend) would make it (sort of) $144 for both. Any thoughts?

Thanks!

[vaking]

My usage:
Ridgid ROS is a workhorse, in use all the time.
Hitachi orbital sander (1/4 sheet) to get into corners. Used sometimes.
Ryobi 3x21 belt sander gets used both in hand and mounted as stationary but it is used not as a finishing tool. This is more of a shaping tool than surface preparation.
The same goes for those small sanding drums in the drill press - I use those in the abcense of OSS but that is also a shaping tool.
For weird-shaped non-flat surfaces I use 3-d sander from craftsman. This tool is surprisingly useful.
I don't have a disk sander. Not sure what it is good for.

[davidtu]

this is the one... http://www.homedepot.com/prel80/HDUS...gmj.0&MID=9876

my local HD has the combo deal I mentioned.

[Ken Weaver]

HD has a "deal" right now on the Rigid portable Belt Sander... for $179 it comes with the 1/4 Sheet Sander ($49 value, in theory). That, minus the $35 gift card (I'm sure I can find $20 to spend) would make it (sort of) $144 for both. Any thoughts?

Save your shekels and spring for the Ridgid Oscillating belt/spindle sander. You will use it a lot more and be a lot happier with the results.

Here are my sanders in the order of max use -

Ryobis ROS - I use it for all general sanding, I have one for 220 or finer grit and one for 120 and below, just too lazy to change the pads I guess.

Ryobi Corner Cat - I also have two of these, one with 220 and one with 120. I have found that I use them a lot more than I thought I would. Sometimes I will load 80 grit and do a whole project with them. Usually I use them after the ROS

I try to sand before I assemble, makes the corners easier.

Ridgid Oscillating Belt/Spindle - I use it for shaping curves or any time I need to remove burn marks (yeah I know, but occassionally I feed stuff too slow). I really like this machine and it can be very aggressive to a really fine finish depending on the paper. See Tom's review at NewWoodworker.com . In fact, you might look at all his reviews on sanders to get some more ideas.

Scrapers - I use them after a glue up to remove squeeze out and to make the joints purty. I'm still learning about all that they can do.

Ryobi Portable Belt Sander - I hardly ever use this thing and every time I do I get into trouble with it. Wish I hadn't bought it, but it was on sale.

[Pappy]

A starter set of decent quality card scrapers, a burnisher, and a mill file (the latter two items being needed to put a hook on the scrapers) can be had for as little as $25-30. Definitely one of the best bargains in woodworking, and a must-have for any well-found shop.

I hit on idea over the week end with scrapers. Rather than using a file to clean the edge, I have a cheap set of diamond hones from HF. The fine 'stone' gives you a cleaner edge to work with than a file. I am going to build a jig that will allow me to interchange the different grits if I get a bad spot on a scraper that needs to be smoothed out.