Do I need a palm sander?

[DMF]

Then you need a quality 1/3 sheet sander and sand the wood before cutting as others have said. A belt or orbital sander would be too aggressive. I would also invest in a reasonable wet/dry vac and attach it to the sander.

Agree, would want to do this before i ended up with lots of little bits! I got a 1/3 sheet clip makita from the bay new for £35 with the fact you can buy big rolls of paper cheap it sounds ideal for that.

A couple more things though, if you do have to do some sanding after by hand it won't be so much and if you were not keen on that then as it sounds like you do a few then make a frame to hold ten of them at a time like one of those puzzles i just got for my nephews maybe?!

Lastly no good if your in a rush as i've just had a knee op but not to far from you and i have a Bosch random orbital, makita belt and 1/3 sheet, dewalt palm, festool triangle thing etc so if your still unsure of what sander could help you and when i can move in 3 weeks or so then feel free to pm me and arrange a sanding session!

 

[Ives]

Thanks so much Graham and DMF! I'm not in a rush, just realising there might be a better way, but can wait! So a visit to have a sanding session might be a good idea, I'll let you know if I decide to come!

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Could you not use birch ply? It would need very little sanding.

 

[brihol]

I bought one of these
http://www.ffx.co.uk/tools/product/... Bo4555 240V Palm Sander Clamp Hook And Loop
and have been very satisfied. I chose the hook and loop system so I could use it with these
http://www.axminster.co.uk/hermes-hermes-1-2-sheet-velcro-backed-multi-hole-abrasive-prod656099/
which I cut in half.
Brian

 

[heatherw]

I was experimenting with something like this just before Christmas, and what worked best is what a lot of people have said, sand the wood before cutting and then sand lightly afterwards. I happen to have a 1/3 sheet sander and this worked perfectly, I was surprised. I think a belt sander would be too aggressive unless the planer marks are very pronounced, and it's hard to control them on small pieces. (I have a belt sander too, though it didn't even occur to me to try it on this type of thing because I know what a brute it is. We always used to use it to sand table tops after gluing them together and that sort of thing )