Random Orbiting Sanders

[greencat]

Random Orbiting Sanders

I have a gift certificate from Lowes and thought about getting a ROS. I have a ¼ sheet sander now and the only thing its good for is numbing my hand.

Are the ROS that much better and is there a difference in the high end brands? PC, Dewalt, etc. Is the variable speed important? Any difference at dust control or the way the paper sticks?

I’m building an armoire. Would I use the ROS on the large panels or can I do the same job by hand since the pieces are relatively smooth?

Thanks

[dsellinger]

Mini tool reviews

I have 2 myself and they are useful but for very different things.
I have a 5" dewalt palm sized sander that was a velcro backing and a cute little dust bag. It works well but it really suited for finer work. The bag does help but it's not 100%. Papers are a little more expensive, but I also don't see this as being much of a difference from your current sanding unit.
http://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-D26453K.../dp/B0007XXHGY

I also have a PC random orbital with a 6" stick on pad that is also my car polisher. This is one mean unit and works about as well as a belt sander in removing stock. Even with 120/150 papers I need to be very careful or else it's dip city. Due to the quick removal of material, this is great for a weird hard and highspot, like getting past soaked in glue sections etc, but it makes a heck of a mess. Papers are cheaper and due to its much higher speed, it seems to leave a better finished surface. Lowes has a hard to beat price on these. Plus a few foam pads and you get a great car polisher.
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?actio...6SP&lpage=none

[kwgeorge]

I tell you awhile ago I would have probably said no. I have a B&D 5” and upgraded to a PC 5” later. Then I got a gift of a Makita B05012K 5” ROS Variable speed and let me tell you that thing is just a pleasure to use for sure. Does not vibrate my hand, works like a champ and the dust collection is awesome.

Yeah, there really is a difference.


Ken

[wardprobst]

I've had a 5" Ryobi for over ten years and I love it. I have a buddy who does a lot of refinishing and he has 8-10 electric and pneumatic ROS. His favorite is the Freud 6".
DP

[Rob3100]

I have the Bosch 1295 and really like it. I grabbed it from Lowe's for $79.99 and then hit Online Industrial Supply for 50 packs of 8 hole 5" pads. It seems the 1295 is highly regarded.

[Warren]

I use my 1/4 sheet for very fine sanding (300 grit and up) and the ROS for more aggressive sanding (100 grit and up to 300). I have two questions:

1. Are you using a good grade sand paper? Cheaper, lower grade papers perform unevenly and wear out very quickly. Quality sand paper lasts longer and, I find, is not only cost efficient, but more effective.

2. Are you following the progression of grits? Very important to insure the rapid removal sanding scratches from the courser grits. Skipping grits makes the job harder and less efficient.

Also, keep in mind that there are, I believe 2 standards for rating grits and many types of grit material. One company's 150 grit may not be the same as another company's.

[cwsmith]

I have four orbital-type sanders, two of which are "random orbit". I also have a rather old single speed belt sander, which is used for only the roughest of "take-down" work.

The detail sander of choice, for me is my Ryobi "Corner Cat". It's about the best buy on the market IMHO. Does a great job, and works corners and edges very well. I have the model prior to the current unit with the dust bag, so it's a bit smaller. Problem with the Corner Cat, and similar models by other brands is that the paper is custom cut to the model and therefore relatively expensive and not much of a selection in grit sizes.

My two orbital (ROS) are 5-inch, 8-hole disc sanders. One is a Ryobi and the other the Ridgid model. Very similar in design. I've had them over three years and both work flawlessly. I had used a borrowed Makita (2002 model I think) and loved it's fast action. At the time, I couldn't afford the Makita, so bought the Ryobi ($50) and was pleasantly surprised, finding it worked equally as well, but with less vibration and better dust control. I used it so much that I thought I would wear it out and so bought the Ridgid when it was introduced. Both the Ryobi and Ridgid are still going strong and I wouldn't trade either one. Regarding the variable speed, I find that I use it at mostly high speed, but there are occasions when the lower speed settings seem to be just right, especially if I've used wood putty in the project. (Less vibration and heat.)

The last sander I purchased was the Ridgid 1/4-sheet. I don't use this as much as the Corner Cat or the ROS's, simply because the paper is less convenient to mount. However, it does do a pretty decent job and the primary reason I purchased it was for final finish sanding. It certainly offers a better selection of sanding media and is very versatile and economical in that regard. However, I find myself ripping up the sand paper much too easily on the 1/4-sheet, if I use it on anything but large flat areas. Hence the Corner Cat proves to be a better edge sander.

I hope this helps,

CWS

[RayintheUK]

Another vote for Makita - I've got the BO6040 6" Random Orbit Sander and this one has got variable speed plus a two-stage orbit - one is a normal random orbit, the other an orbit with forced rotation. This is great for swiftly removing material, stripping finishes, etc.

Used as a ROS, it's a vibration-free, sweet as a nut machine. The 6" hook and loop velcro disks come in grits from (at least) 40 to 400. Even if you don't need this sort of power right now, one day you will! Highly recommended.

Ray.

[LCHIEN]

some time back i looked at these. I think Wood magazine haad a review article. They stated that the rate of removal i.e. the aggressiveness of the sander varied from brand and model to brand and model and that was a big determining factor against other tradeoffs (I think comfort, controlability and quality of finish)

[Jeffrey Schronce]

I have an old B&D 1/3rd sheet sander. It's crap.
I have an old Craftsmand/B&D Mouse. It's crap.
My Bosch 1295 VS is awesome and I love it.
My PC SpeedBloc is great but I use it for heavy removal only. It tends to swirl more than the ROS, however the vibration is very minimal on this unit.
I like my PC 333 VS and it is a great sander and has been replaced by a newer model that is supposed to be improved. I tend to grab my Bosch 1295 more often, however that could be habit and/or the grit I typically keep on the Bosch (220g).
Warren, I find your statement to be the complete opposite of my experience (while respecting your opinion). I have never used a 1/4 Sheet, including the PC SpeedBloc which is supposedly a superior 1/4 sheet sander, that could attain as fine of a finish as the ROS's. From the way the question was stated I would assume his current 1/4 sheet is likely a B&D or one of the cheaper brands which tend to create much more swirl.

[JBD]

Heres a review of 6" ROS that you might find helpful...

http://plansnow.com/reviewsander.html

[SARGE..g-47]

I"ve had the old PC 333 5" for 5 years. No problems... Recently purchased the Ridgid 6" made by Metabo in W. Germany after searching 5 stores to find one not sold as they recently changed to Made in China and no thank you sir personally. Not enough time logged on it to give a real opinion, but so far preforms marveously.

Have also used the Makita and Bosch. Would reccommend them also as both preform well from my limited experience with them. Other users would agree O believe.

Now, if you want to talk about Festool... nah, that's a different thread in itself! ha.. ha...

Is there a difference? I parked my PC sheet sander and only use it to get in a corner. I usually finish hard-wood with a hand scraper and soft-wood with a hand sand block to eliminate what few swirls are left from an ROS.

Regards...

[lcm1947]

I bought the Ridgid some time ago after comparing the various orbit sanders and decided on this particular sander mainly due to the dust control hose attachment. If I recall correctly the PC and DeWalt took a special hose attachment that you could buy separately but the Ridgid simply took regular round vac hose. As I figured I'd use it alot during the winter months while inside I wanted the best dust collection tool I could get. The only down side to the Ridgid in my opinion and the articles I've read seem to agree is it's not as aggressive as some but then I'd use my belt sander anyway so the Ridgid actually fit a gap for me as I also have the Ridgid palm sander. So this fit right in between the other two. Overall I think for the money it was the best on the market for the two things I was looking for - money and dust control. But remember I have a belt sander so didn't really need an aggressive one anyway but if you don't have a belt sander you may need a more aggressive one. My opinion anyway.

[vaking]

Another vote for Ridgid. Accepts velcro and adhesive-backed disks, comes with the bag but also accepts 2-1/2 and 1-1/4" diameter shopvac houses. I use bag for small jobs, hook up shop vac for large ones. Mine has variable speed but I always use highest.

[germdoc]

I have a DeWalt which I find very good for finish work--very comfortable to use. I'm not sure I see a need for VS. The dust collection, when hooked up to a shopvac (no adapter required), is awesome. This is a quantum level up from a 1/4" sander.

I previously had a B&D which lasted about a year, so I couldn't recommend one of those.

For aggressive removal I'd get a belt sander. IMO a cabinet maker needs a good one like the Bosch or Ryobi clone--you'd be surprised how helpful it is for miscellaneous tasks around the shop.