Random orbit sander poll and questions

[LinuxRandal]

Is your random orbit sander 5", 6", or something else (in searching I saw reference that now all the sheet sanders were random orbit).
Why did you get that size? (magazine review, recomendation, access to discs, etc)

Trying to help my mother come up with something both my dad and I would use (and since my old, cheapy is a B&D)

Thanks

[LarryG]

(in searching I saw reference that now all the sheet sanders were random orbit)

I'm not going to say that's wrong, but I will say that it sure sounds wrong. Many, if not most, 1/4 sheet finishing sanders use an orbital motion, and have for years, but it's not a random orbit. It's just a square pad moving along the same circular path the exact same way every time.

As the main mechanism orbits, the pad on an RAS also spins, which is why it's round. It seems to me a square-pad sander couldn't have a true random orbit and still be practical to hold and use.

[bthere]

The 6" ROS guys sure are nice and have a lot of power. They also cover the area faster. The main trouble is that they are pricey. You can often find specials on good 5" ROS that make them about half the price of the 6" ROS.

[Jeffrey Schronce]

(3) 5" and (2) 6". I think the 6" Bosch currently on sale at Amazon and posted in Bargin Alerts is a heck of a deal.

I have 3 Bosch 1295 5" sanders with dust collection port for vac. I like them and think they are a great bang for the buck. Finish is great. Vibration can be rough over extended period of time. I like the 6" sanders as the cut down on sanding time pretty substantially and seems to lessen vibration and that is the reason I got them after a couple years of using the 5" Bosch ROS.

In the 6" the aforementioned Bosch is great and the Metabo made Ridgid is very well thought of. Of course the Festool 150 3mm is great, but if you are trying to justify cost of 6" over 5" then you probably aren't interested in that line.

If there is a chance that FIL is going to have more than 1 sander then try to stick with the same size and paper hole pattern.

[Hoover]

I have owned the Bosch 5" for several years, does a good job. I just purchased a Metabo that is now on sale @ Rocklers, paid $40.00 for it. I used the flyer, not sure if the price is the same online. Looks like a good solid sander.

[LCHIEN]

I'm not going to say that's wrong, but I will say that it sure sounds wrong. Many, if not most, 1/4 sheet finishing sanders use an orbital motion, and have for years, but it's not a random orbit. It's just a square pad moving along the same circular path the exact same way every time.

As the main mechanism orbits, the pad on an RAS also spins, which is why it's round. It seems to me a square-pad sander couldn't have a true random orbit and still be practical to hold and use.

I think that Larry is right, the square or rectangular pad sanders are orbital ( as opposed to back and forth - reciprocal?) and they move in tiny circles. The disadvantage is that they sometimes leave visible swirl marks in the wood.

Random orbital sanders have another degree of freedom in that they also rotate and vary the size of the orbit so that the swirl marks don't have any identifiable character to them. These have to be round pads by design.

[Jeffrey Schronce]

Wow! 22 people with 5" units, zero with 6" only and just me with 5" and 6". I didn't expect there to be such a division.

[RayintheUK]

I have the 6" Makita BO 6040 ROS. It has variable speed from 1,600 - 5,800 OPM and 180 - 670 RPM (orbit diameter 7/32"), through-the-pad dust collection and weighs around 6lbs.

I chose it because it's quiet, virtually vibration-free to use, it's heavy, so little if any pressure is needed to get an excellent finish and it has two levels of "aggression," one of which really removes material swiftly when needed.

Ray.

[JSCOOK]

Have the Ridgid 5" ROS and love it ....

[SARGE..g-47]

I just purchased a 5" Bosch as it is 4 minutes to Lowe's and about 20 minutes to Stone Mountain Power tool where they have the 5" Makita. I really had a keen interest in the Makita (even though not on parr with the dust collection of the Bosch), but the PC 333 went down and I am a little behind schedule with a bed and don't intend to be more behind.

I also have the Rigid 6" which I purchased after looking at 3 stores to get one left that is marked Made in Germany (Metabo) when the Chinese version hit the scene. It's a go getter for sure.

I'll be using both in about 30 minutes on a bed as I have bed pieces (the "say so" lady wanted a book-case built into the head-board as she reads at night) ranging from 14" to 2 1/2". On pieces under 3" I hand sand with a block and hand sand all profiles and edges by hand.

Not a lot of sanding as I hand scrape or hand plane all hard-wood which allows me to start with 150 or 120 in the worst scenario.

[maxparot]

I started doing autobody before woodworking so my first random orbital was a 8"& 6" DA pneumatic but smaller sanders can get closer in some areas so a 5" electric comes in handy too.

[Tom Slick]

I have a PC 5" RO, Bosch 6" RO and a Makita 1/4 sheet sander. I have all the bases covered.

I bought the 6" Bosch 1250DEVS for prepping my house for paint. it had several areas that needed aggressive sanding. that thing is a monster with a ton of power and it will remove material quickly in "turbo mode". on the other hand if you turn it down and have it in normal sanding mode it sands very nicely with a nice finish. the only problem with it for wood working is that it is big, the size of a 4.5" grinder, so it doesn't work well on smaller projects. One benefit of this sander is that it doubles as a car buffer and works very well at it. it is much more powerful then the popular PC RO buffer.

The PC 333 5" RO palm sander works great for general woodworking use. it's light and small and does a good job.

The Makita 1/4 sheet sander gets in the corners really well and leaves a finer finish than either of the other two sanders I have. it will not remove material, so it truly is a finish sander.

[JimD]

I have a Rockwell speed bloc (now is the PC), a Rigid 1/4 sheet (that has dust collection which the Rockwell lacks), and a DeWalt 6 inch right angle grinder style random orbit sander. The DeWalt is a beast but even at slow speeds it is difficult to use on anything small. I like my Ryobi 3x21 belt sander better than the DeWalt. Removes wood faster but is easier to control. I like the Rockwell best but I do not like to breathe the dust so I use the Rigid more than the Rockwell. The Ryobi has dust collection so it gets used a lot too. The DeWalt has dust collection - a bag but I have the vacumn connector too - but is just too hard to control for the speed it works. On something too big to move from the sander, it works well.

Jim

[Pappy]

2 electric 5" Bosch and a PC. I also have a 6" air powered. Generally called a Dual Action but the same motion as a ROS.

[cabinetman]

I have several sanders, but mostly use a 5" 8 hole H&L. There is always a few choices for the different grits at the BORG, if I run out and don't have time to order. I do have a 1/3 sheet sander that has an action choice switch that gives it an in-line direction of vibration, I think it's a Craftsman. My 1/4 sheet sanders are good for the corners, and seem to work better for the faster applications. I also have the 1/3 sheet size in an air tool, but it gets a little cumbersome with an airline attached. On occasion I use a DA.