Stoopid question on (new) random orbit sander +++

[gidon]

OK and an excuse to says it's my birthday today and since I work at home I have no one to tell (so sad!)

Anyhow, for my birthday a nice shiny Metabo SXE 450 arrived in the post. I've had my eye on this for sometime - but have always got by with my Skil ROS. But boy does that wobble and vibrate (does give a very good finish though). I know some of you have the sander - so perhaps can help me. Is there a way of seeing which mode you in - ie 3mm or 6mm? Or do you have to manually spin the base to tell? Even doing this I can't be sure - and am feeling very stupid. Also I was quite surprised that the finish from this sander with 120 grit paper is not as smooth as my old Skil - although not sure of the orbit size of the Skil. I had already bunged it on Ebay but am now wondering if it's worth keeping?

Also for my birthday my wife (well me actually) has ordered a set of Ashley Iles chisels - can't wait for those to arrive.

That's it so far (unless you count the order I just put in for an SDS drill with birthday money).

I do feel old today .

All the best,

Gidon

 

[Alf]

ccasion4:

Sorry, that's it. Nothing else to see here. Move along, you old wrinkly, you... :wink:

Cheers, Alf

 

[gidon]

Thanks Alf! I feel so much better now.
Cheers
Gidon

 

[Alf]

Well shame on me for forgetting your hint yesterday and failing to start a thread to embarrass you properly. #-o :lol:

 

[Neil]

Happy birthday, Gidon!

Unless I'm missing something, I don't think there is any direct way to tell which orbit it is in, which annoys me a bit I must admit. Once you have a bit of muck on the abrasive its easy to tell anyway - you can see the little orbits quite clearly as the tool slows down, and the difference between the 6mm and 3mm orbits is very obvious.

The other way I tell on mine is that it is much harder to hold it steady on the 3mm orbit!

Cheers,
Neil

 

[gidon]

Alf - I'll have to make those hints a little less subtle in future!

Neil - I've only had a quick play - but I couldn't really tell the difference. Will have more of a play over the weekend.

Cheers

Gidon

 

[GCR]

Gidon

I also have the Metabo SXE 450, purchased because it came out well in a magazine test. I have no idea if it changes orbit "mode", cant see much difference after twiddling the base. However, mine does not vibrate that much and it gives a superb finish, so I am happy with it.

Bob

 

[Waka]

Gidon

Can't help wit your question, but happy birthday.

 

[JFC]

Happy birthday mate I spoke to a tool repair man today about this and he said he cant see the point in the different ossolations . dont worry it was a water damaged Ros not a fault with the machine . When moving the base by hand the larger ossolation should seem to go sideways ive found but its hard to spot . Sorry for the ossolation spelling if its wrong :lol:

 

[Der_Goalie]

OK and an excuse to says it's my birthday today and since I work at home I have no one to tell (so sad!)

Anyhow, for my birthday a nice shiny Metabo SXE 450 arrived in the post. I've had my eye on this for sometime - but have always got by with my Skil ROS. But boy does that wobble and vibrate (does give a very good finish though). I know some of you have the sander - so perhaps can help me. Is there a way of seeing which mode you in - ie 3mm or 6mm? Or do you have to manually spin the base to tell? Even doing this I can't be sure - and am feeling very stupid. Also I was quite surprised that the finish from this sander with 120 grit paper is not as smooth as my old Skil - although not sure of the orbit size of the Skil. I had already bunged it on Ebay but am now wondering if it's worth keeping?

Also for my birthday my wife (well me actually) has ordered a set of Ashley Iles chisels - can't wait for those to arrive.

That's it so far (unless you count the order I just put in for an SDS drill with birthday money).

I do feel old today .

All the best,

Gidon

Hi Gidon,

simple way to tell which orbit setting it's on is to turn the machine upside down so you are looking down onto the pad. Get some sawdust and rub it into the pad. Then hold the pad firmly with your thumb, and start the machine up (don't worry it won't sand your fingers off!). You will see the sawdust making circles as the pad occilates (keep holding the pad to stop it spinning), you can then change the orbit setting & repeat the process, you should see a difference in the size of circles.

If this doesn't make sense let me know and I will try to post a video clip of what I mean.

Hope it helps.

DG

 

[Noel]

Happy days Gidon.
BTW, I'd keep the Skil, if I were you, always handy having an extra sander.

Rgds

Noel

 

[tombo]

I have this sander also and it does give a great finish, but I find that the orbit change does not always work reliably, i some times have to try two or three times before it switches. As DG says just stop the pad with your hand and you can easily see what its doing. Though i would say that it becomes fatiguing to use for long periods especially when used vertically or upside down.

Tom

 

[weirdo]

i found this difficult to begin with. now when ive pressed the button and rotated the disc i keep the sander off the workpiece. now standing in a normal working position press the trigger. from a birds eye view you can see how far the pad rotates from the body of the machine. try it 5 or 6 times in a row and you should soon be able to spot the difference.

 

[gidon]

Thanks for the b'day wishes.
A few things to try - at least it isn't just me then. Wouldn't be hard for Metabo to add some indicator to show the eccenticity?
Doesn't like water then JFC?
DG, W, Tom - will have a go at that when I get up to the shed thanks.
Noel well at the moment it's going for 50p - got to be worth more than that!
Cheers
Gidon

 

[Knot Competent]

Don't sell it, Gidon! You never know when you're going to need it in a hurry, 'cause you've got a job you want to finish and the glitch fairy visits your one and only sander. Or if someone asks to borrow one, you can happily hand over the spare for a while.

John

 

[Alf]

...the glitch fairy visits your one and only sander.

Okay, I know I'm a hopeless case an' all, but surely even the Glitch Fairy (like that one, btw. Close relative of the Drill Chuck Key Fairy, I assume?) can't render a sanding block inoperable. Or am I the only person left on the planet who doesn't use a powered sander unless absolutely necessary?

Let me guess; I am, aren't I? I'll just go quietly then...

Cheers, Alf

 

[Knot Competent]

It's often a matter of available time, Alf. The simple truth is that a powered sander is quicker. The other aspect is, and forgive me for this as you're a lady, that if you get all sweaty doing sanding by hand in a cold workshop, it's 'orrible once you cool down. In warmer weather the sweat evaporates, but in a cold environment.... Not pleasant for yourself or others!

And on that unsavoury note, Happy Birthday Gidon!

John

 

[gidon]

John - I know you're probably right - maybe a bit brash getting it on ebay so quickly!
Alf - it depends on the size of the piece you're working on (and the shapes - sometimes hand sanding in the only option) and if I'm being perfectly honest how well those joints fit! But hand sanding can be even more dull than power sanding - I do tend to finish with some 240 grit hand sanding if I have time.
Cheers
Gidon

 

[Alf]

The simple truth is that a powered sander is quicker.

Probably depends what stage you've got to before you decide to get out the sander - but heaven forbid that I should start reccomending the benefits of planing over sanding... :-$ :lol:

There's a saying that always make me chuckle:
Labourers sweat
Gentlemen perspire
Ladies merely glow

Cheers, Alf

 

[gidon]

Probably depends what stage you've got to before you decide to get out the sander - but heaven forbid that I should start reccomending the benefits of planing over sanding... :-$ :lol:

There was an article in FWW (I think) recently taking about planing versus scraping versus sanding. Upshoot was after applying finish it was very difficult (none of the FWW staff could tell anyway) to tell the difference. Before finish was applied you could tell the difference - but then isn't that pretty much irrelevent? I liked the conclusion: "use whatever method you like or you find easiest for the occasion!" (well something like that). No need to feel guilty for not using that hand scraper .

Cheers

Gidon