# What Is A Good Power Sander For Sanding ...



## Alan Sweet (Dec 24, 2013)

bowls on a lathe?
I would like it to be able to take at 2 - 3 sizes of pads, low profile, uses hook and eye pads, right angle drive, reversible and power driven.

I know I have seen such a critter but I can't find one now.

The only ones I can find are not power driven.


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## woodtickgreg (Dec 24, 2013)

Milwaukee makes a nice angled right angle drill. Hey you got me thinking, I have an older one that I should try with some different sanding pads, might do a better and quicker job. Ha Ha, thanks for posting this!


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## Kevin (Dec 24, 2013)

*This is my absolute favorite overall sander*. It's a beast, but can also do delicate finish work. The turbo mode is about as aggressive as you can handle - approaching that of a serious belt sander and more aggressive than smaller belt sanders. And the RO mode will, as I say, be about as delicate as you're able to be. Granted, it's not for finishing dainty projects because it's a large, heavy beast compared to your average 5" ROS (the 1250 is a 6"). But I have used it to do the finishing on small pictures frames and a small jewlery box last year that normally my Rockwell detail sander would be used for and I managed with it quite well with it.


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## Alan Sweet (Dec 24, 2013)

Kevin,... Is that the Milwaukee sander?


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## Kevin (Dec 24, 2013)

Alan Sweet said:


> Kevin,... Is that the Milwaukee sander?



No, a Bosch is not a Milwaukee.  But these days you never know maybe they are made in the same Mexican or Chinese factory.


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## barry richardson (Dec 24, 2013)

Well... hate to bring this up, but Harbor Freight has one. I only need one occasionally for inside sanding, and so far it has held up... about $35 I think.


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## woodtickgreg (Dec 24, 2013)

Kevin I think he was asking about a sander for turning that takes 2" or 3" sanding pads for sanding the insides. But heck, maybe I'm wrong, dunno.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Tim Carter (Dec 24, 2013)

I prefer the Powerlock disk system. There are a number of sizes. I use the 1", 2" and 3" mandrels. You can get just about any grit you'd like. I prefer it because you can put some pressure on them and they don't break down like hook and loop systems.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Alan Sweet (Dec 24, 2013)

Kevtin .... I see that Bosch has a right angle drill that could be used as a sander. IT is listed at around $250. Is that the one you like?


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## Dennis Ford (Dec 24, 2013)

This one is on my list:
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwaukee-3-8-in-1300-RPM-Close-Quarter-Drill-0370-20/202311915#

I have used and finally worn out an older model (also worn out a couple of off-brand knockoffs), much easier to use for sanding than a regular drill.


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## Kevin (Dec 24, 2013)

Alan Sweet said:


> Kevtin .... I see that Bosch has a right angle drill that could be used as a sander. IT is listed at around $250. Is that the one you like?



Alan I linked the sander. The bold type in my post that says "This is my absolute favorite overall sander." is a link. Just click it. I also use it to sand my turning projects while spinning them such as pepper mills and bowls etc. that aren't too small. Obviously it cannot sand inside bowls that are smaller than it, but for outer sanding it works great.

Reactions: Like 1


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## woodintyuuu (Dec 24, 2013)

grex pnuematic RO bout $80.00 from sanding glove. tell bruce i sent ya best sander on the planet barr none!!!!!!!!!!


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## woodtickgreg (Dec 24, 2013)

Dennis Ford said:


> This one is on my list:
> http://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwaukee-3-8-in-1300-RPM-Close-Quarter-Drill-0370-20/202311915#
> 
> I have used and finally worn out an older model (also worn out a couple of off-brand knockoffs), much easier to use for sanding than a regular drill.


Dennis, mine is a much older version of that one, I'm gonna have to give it a try.


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## Schroedc (Dec 24, 2013)

If you have compressed air in the shop I bought a small air sander designed for 2-3 inch discs or smaller and I use that regularly on bowls and stuff.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## ChrisK (Dec 24, 2013)

I use a Robert Sorby angle sander with 2" or 3" pads. CSUSA offers these sanders for sale. Also, as said above, a small air sander with a 2" pad.


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## Alan Sweet (Dec 24, 2013)

Well I do have compressed air available. I do have a compressor which I use for various things; nailer, stapler, tires, painting, cleaning dust off stuff, blowing tools off work bench, knocking over stuff, ... :) . I had not thought about an air driven sander. Now, that has muddied the waters for me, just when I thought things were going to be sorted out. So I need to widen my search. Does an air driven sander have any advantages over an electrical one?


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## ChrisK (Dec 24, 2013)

Small tool, light, without any motor, precisely the needed pads for the sanding job.
I tried to upload a pic of mine but the shop I purchased from (UK's Axminster) doesn't offer them anymore. But you'll find a lot of these tools in the US I'm sure about that.
If you want, I can take a pic of mine tomorrow and upload it here. A caution though: you need quite a big compressor with huge air capacity. That is, you have to check the needed air for the air sander before purchasing it. My compressor is a small one but I use the air sander for specific jobs and it works anyway.


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## woodtickgreg (Dec 24, 2013)

Christos is right, you would need a compressor with a fairly large tank and cfm rating to run a air angle grinder/sander. Another thing is air tools requir oil lubrication and that oil can be blown out the exhaust of the tool and contaminate your work piece. Electrics are better in that regard, or better yet the tools like the sorby that just use the spinning work piece to power itself.


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## ChrisK (Dec 24, 2013)

I agree with Greg. In fact, if you haven't used anything yet to sand your bowls, and if I may suggest something, the Sorby angle sander should be your first acquisition. If you aren't satisfied with this sander then you could pick either an electric or an air sander depending of your use. If I use the air sander it's for rough sanding. For fine sanding I use the Sorby tool.

Reactions: Like 1


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## ChrisK (Dec 25, 2013)

Alan,
I understand all this seems confusing.
But when you browse woodturning shops, either in the US or in Europe, the products offered for sanding bowls are the likes of Sorby angle sander (called the Sandmaster in Europe), the "Rotary Sander", the Vicmarc "Swivel Head Sander", etc.
Generally these tools are sufficient for our sanding needs. Also these sanders use 2" and 3" sanding pads attached to a shaft. And you can use this mounting (pad+shaft) with your drill driver, your percussion drill or even an angle drill like this one: http://www.axminster.co.uk/bosch-gwb-10-8v-lin-cordless-angle-drill-driver-li-ion-body-only

Now when somebody rather prefers power sanding, one option is the sander suggested by Kevin above. But this kind of sanders are for bigger bowls or platters, etc.

If you need a power sander with 2"/3" pads, you'll note that the woodturning shops (like CSUSA) I mentioned above generally offer pneumatic sanders. IMHO a good solution is the one suggested by Cliff (woodintyuuu) above, that is the pneumatic sander offered by Sanding gloves. Here: http://thesandingglove.com/GREX-105-Random-Orbit-Sander.asp

Reactions: Like 1


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## Mike Jones (Dec 25, 2013)

I'm in the market for a new power sander myself, ( my pneumatic DA sander is dying.) so I have been watching this thread, and shopping online too.
Dust containment is an important consideration for me now, and the pneumatics make containment all the more difficult. The pneumatics available use proprietary threaded mandrels, and I cannot use all my backing pads...a disadvantage. Mine has a speed control, but all pneumatics need speed to work, and it's difficult to get it down to the speed that I want. There certainly is no economy of operation...my compressor is 6 HP vs. fractional hp of an electric. The sanding pattern of a DA sander is said to be better with the finer grits than a Random Orbit, but for power sanding things like bowls, it hardly matters.

What I want is an electric or cordless, with a key-less chuck, reversing, 0 to xxx rpm variable speed, angle head, lightweight, (one hand control) and one that comes with a decent warrantee, and local return policy. Anymore, I will always look first for "Made in the USA", but I'm thinking that most of the major brands are not anyway, so I've narrowed my own choice down to the (gulp, cough, choke, whisper) Harbor Freight model for $39. I think that if it works when I get it home, it'll suit me just fine for a year or so. If not, HF takes their stuff back and refunds cash out of the drawer or replaces...no questions asked. (Three blocks from my house!)

I have gone through two Makita cordless right angle drills, and I loved them both for sanding. I'd get another, but I get no life out of them at all. They just are not made for this kind of service.


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## woodintyuuu (Dec 25, 2013)

mike i go through about 11 HF $39 sanders a year but i always buy the 4.99 extended warrantee. so i really get 2 yrs out of a dozend of um . bruce at sanding glove will sell you any size and configuation of mandrels you possibly need. he is a bit fussy but is a good man and wont steer ya wrong tell um i sent ya and ya want the JC cambell class discount
LOL LOL the sanders are in the cost of sandpaper at my shop a nessesary evil. 39 hb OR 200 MILLWAUKEE i get the same time out of either sanding. PS the hb units will wear out thier plastic gearing before the motor always. no drill motor is MADE for our use the dust just shreds um little less aggresive will last bit longer cl


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## DKMD (Dec 25, 2013)

I've been using a Dewalt drill with mandrels, pads, and discs from Vince Welch... I've got about a year on the current drill, and it's going strong. Prior to that, I was using a cordless drill... Too heavy! I've got a couple of pneumatic sanders, but they're really noisy and harder for me to control the speed.


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## ChrisK (Dec 29, 2013)

Another alternative that some turners are using in Europe is a flexible shaft power tool (Foredom and the likes).

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## NYWoodturner (Dec 29, 2013)

I've had a Milwaukee 18v cordless that I have used for about 5 or 6 years now. I use the 2" pads hook and loop and couldn't live without it. Very versatile, durable and handily reversible.

Reactions: Like 2


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## Norm192 (Jan 4, 2014)

Google Frederick Williamson bowls. On his website he modified and uses a Makita GV 5000 sander/polisher. Interesting read with lots of info.
I'm using a corded Milwaukee close quarters angle drill with 2" hook and loop pads right now with no complaints.

Reactions: Like 1


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## David Drickhamer (Sep 21, 2014)

I recently bought the Sanding Wonder Angle Sander and a bunch of paper from Vinces WoodNWonders.
http://vinceswoodnwonders.com/

Although the sander is pricey I found this to be worth every penny. I have a Sorby sander too and think it will be promoted to be used as a door stop.

http://vinceswoodnwonders.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/The-Sanding-Wonder.jpg

Thumbs up to Vince's products. I can't see the reason to use anything else.


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## The PenSmith (Oct 29, 2014)

Our club had Trent Bosch do a demo a few years ago and one thing that I was very surprised about him, he purchases some of his tools at Harbor Freight. When a tool such as an angle drill is on sale he will buy 3 or 4 and when they break he simply throws it away. I had my fist one for over 4 years before the dust took it's toll. Check this one out.

http://www.harborfreight.com/38-in-close-uarters-drill-60610.html

Reactions: Informative 1


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