The best finishing sander

[Gary H]

I'd happily buy one myself, if I ever felt the need.

Whoa, praise indeed from the Webrax Appreciation Society Founder Member!!
Does this mean we must all rush out and buy one, now? (I could do with an ROS anyway, but cash flowing the wrong way, ATM ).

Gary

only kidding Alf!

 

[Alf]

Gary,

You'll notice I haven't felt the need yet. :lol:

Cheers, Alf

 

[Gary H]

Alf

I have noticed, yes.
The Webrax will be 'pryed from your cold, dead hands' then, eh??

TA muchly

Gary

 

[Alf]

I haven't felt the need for that yet, either. :lol:

 

[ike]

Alf,

Yup, it's the same model you mentioned - 9444 single speed. They don't seem to import the varispeed versions of any of their sanders into UK. Is it reasonable quiet though in your opinion? Sounds encouraging though..hmmm, i'm very tempted now having found them cheaper direct from Porter Cable UK than from Rutlands.

My flexible friend may just bend over backwards sooner rather than later:lol:

thanks a lot

Ike

 

[Alf]

Quiet? Erm, yeah I suppose it's not bad. I tend to all ear-muffed up every time I so much as switch on a light these days, so I'm not 100% certain.

Cheers, Alf

 

[Johnboy]

I have the Porter Cable ROS. It is not especially quiet but my dust extractor drowns out the noise of the sander anyway. I have had it a couple of years now and been very happy with it.

john

 

[Noel]

Ike,

Me too, I've the PC ROS, couple of years now and sure I've used better but not at the £85 odd it cost. As has been mentioned the "Sandtrap" dust bag is very effective, 95% dust free with shop vac connected. Don't find it noisey (or I'm deaf), good stock removal, nice finish, takes 125mm grits. Metabo do the right hole spacing. Even have a "Sand Sitter" (if anyone knows what that is?) to go with it but never use it. Do a search on the US site for user opinions such as www.epinions.com or www.amazon.com

Rgds

Noel

 

[ike]

Well, it just so happened that the local tool shop were doing a 'VAT free weekend' (do the words 'moth' and 'candle' spring to mind?). I found the Makita 5012. Very similar to the PC - 5", light, rubber palm grip - very nice to hold, and I was able to power it up in the shop - what a difference from my old sander!. It is very quiet, vibration isn't too bad and has variable speed unlike the PC. On the minus side it has a paper waste bag and doesn't brake the disc when running free. At £76 though, it wasn't much of a contest.

I've not used a ROS before - it is astonishingly efficient compared to a standard orbital sander. Purely as a matter of interest, is this type of sander generally better?

I've also ordered the PC333 Linear Profile Sander today (only because its my birthday in 3 weeks you understand).

 

[ike]

Noel,

A 'Sand Sitter' you say. My neighbour's got one - it's a tabby and white and keeps leaving presents in my sand pile. :lol:

Ike

 

[Noel]

Thanks Ike,

You gave me a monday morning laugh with your sand siter, the neighbour owning, present leaving version.
Here's my version and I use it so much I couldn't remember it's proper name:

In theory it's maybe a good idea but I reckon the actual "landing pad" part was designed for the dimensions of the sander's backing pad and with a disc stuck on the sander it will not fit snugly unless the disc is mounted exactly centrally which is never the case. Although I seen to recall that the instructions do suggest that the sanding disc may need trimming for it to fit the landing pad. Life is waaay too short for that sort of palava. Maybe we should start a thread on "good WW ideas that don't really work".

Rgds

Noel

 

[ike]

Noel,

Anything to brighten a Monday morning! It's a sort of skirt thingy then - like a hovercraft in reverse!.

BTW I checked out reviews on the PC profile sander (Model 9444 not 333 as I mentioned before). I checked out amazon.com for reviews and found very mixed opinions (thanks for the site tip). It looks like people either think it's just a pile of poo, or its incredibly useful, but a common thread is that it has some reliability issues - profile pads falling apart etc. I'm not entirely sure but get the impression its more of a problem with the variable speed model which has 50% more stroke than the single speed model. It was also mentioned that Porter Cable might be updating the design. So, the upshot is I am going to hold off placing an order until I can find out a bit more from other users.

So, other users, what can you tell me about the Porter Cable 9444 Profile sander :?: , and do you know of any similar priced alternatives (I know, "why don't you just get a Festool", you're going to tell me) :lol:

 

[Noel]

Not quite a hovercraft in reverse. The theory is that it saves time whilst waiting for the motor to stop rotating and clean the disc as the inside surface of the landing pad is made of the same material as a belt sander cleaning block.
www.sandersitter.com
The landing pad rotates on bearings and "captures" the sander rather than having it skit around the bench. That's the theory anyway.

Rgds

Noel

 

[ike]

Aahh! I see what it does now - talk about completely missing the point!

 

[Anonymous]

Good Woodworking issue 132 Comparative Group test of Professional 1/2 sheet Orbital Finishing Sanders

Bosch GSS 280AE Best on Test

Spec box shows weight, motor size, price(typical and list), orbit size, decibels etc

Good Woodworking Issue 144 Comparative Group test of Professional 6in Random Orbit Sanders.

Metabo SXE450 Duo Best on Test

Spec Box lists weight, orbit size, motor size, speed ratio, price (typical and list) decibels etc.
:!:

 

[ike]

Andy,

I agree it's a cracking good tool - a real all-rounder (excuse the pun). If I hadn't already got a orbital roughing sander (Makita 9046), and now I know just how much better a dual orbit ROS works in comparison, I'd have ordered one tomorrow. But anyway since I needed only a machine to fill the final finishing niche, the Makita 5012 I got the other week has proved very capable with the advantage of being really light and comfortable to use one-handed. All I need now is a vacuum - the dust bag is hopeless!

 

[Jake]

Spec box shows weight, motor size, price(typical and list), orbit size, decibels etc

Andy, could you post the Spec Boxes please? Otherwise your post is interesting, but a bit of a bald assertion.

Many thanks

Jake

 

[Anonymous]

Hi

New to the group - sorry!

Just bought a ROS and I'm amazed at the efficiency! I have a half sheet sander as well, so which is best for which jobs and why?

Dave

 

[ike]

Hi Dave,

Welcome to the forum. One of the factors is the orbit diameter. A small orbit (1.5 - 3mm) gives the best finish but will remove less material less quickly. Roughing sanders on the other hand have an orbit typically 5 -6mm. These remove material aggressively. You can still finish sand with a roughing sander using a suitable grit, however they are less comfortable to use and control than finishing sanders. Many sanders have orbits diameters somewhere in the middle of the range, to suit roughing and finishing. Generally though, they do compromise a little on perfomance for either operation. A few sanders are multi-purpose e.g. the Metabo Duo . You can select the orbit diameter to suit. Like you, I have only recently got a ROS and too am amazed at how much more efficient they seem than an equivalent normal orbital (i.e. 1/4, 1/3, 1/2 sheet).

Ike