Description
This article is from the Woodworking FAQ
Collection 5, by multiple authors.
56 About sanders
From: bill@fedeva.UUCP (Bill Daniels)
Date: 20 Mar 90 13:02:55 GMT
A question about sander recommendations a bit ago prompted one reader
to ask for an explanation of the various types and how they might be
used. Here is my attempt at explaining their use.
A portable disk sander is not used often in woodworking. Metal
workers and body shops are more inclined to use this tool. Control of
this tool is too difficult on a soft surface such as wood. It tends
to gouge anb tear wood. There is a stationary disk sander that is
used by woodworkers that can afford the space and dollars. It is
great for truing crosscuts or rounding ends of a piece of lumber. It
has a table that enables one to remain in control which is a feature
that the portable sander doesn't have.
A belt sander is one tool that helps cover mistakes. By varying the
coarseness of the sanding belt, one can use the belt sander to remove
lots of wood fast or finish out an every so slight bulge or bump. The
belt sander can, however, get away from you and damage your work so it
must be used with care. If the sander is not kept flat against the
work, the edge of the belt will cut and gouge, especially with a
coarse belt. Many woodworkers that do not own a thickness planer will
use a belt sander to true glued panels. Lets say that you need a
piece 15" wide and you glue three 5-1/2" pieces together. Even with
nice clamps, dowels or biscuits, etc., it is almost impossible to not
feel and see the edge joints. Some quick work with the belt sander
running bias to the grain will smooth out those joints. But now the
grain is all torn out from the sandpaper running at an angle to the
grain. The belt sander is then run (with the same grade sandpaper)
quickly with the grain. Repeat this sanding with the grain through
the proper range of sandpaper grits (oh, down to about 120 let's say).
Now you have a panel that looks and feels fairly flat and smooth. But
120 grit sandpaper will leave scratches that will show up terribly
with stain. Oh, there is a stationary version of this tool as well.
Now comes the vibrating finishing sander. Some people swear by the
sanders that vibrate in-line or back-and-forth because the action can
be forced to go with the grain, which means the scratches are with the
grain and easier to hide during staining. I like orbital vibrating
sanders (the action is little circles) because they seem to work
quicker and if you never skip grades of sandpaper the finest grades
used (320 or 400) don't leave any scratches that show anyhow.
Anyway, using the finishing sander of choice, begin working through
the grades of sandpaper. It doesn't hurt to drop back one or two
grades coarser that the grade last used on the belt sander. Progress
through all the grades of paper with the finishing sander and the
piece is ready for most any finish that you could want to use. On
extremely hard woods, sometimes 400 or finer sandpaper is too fine.
It sometimes leaves a surface that will not take stain readily. If
you think that this will be the case, don't sand down that fine.
By the way, I own an AEG 3x21 belt sander and a Makita palm finishing
sander. I wish that I hadn't cheaped out and bought the Makita
instead of the Porter-Cable 330. The Makita was about $10 less. It
seemed like a good deal at the time but what is $10 spread of many
moons of use? I have used both sanders and the P-C is a better tool
IMHO.
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