- Thread starter Duddy
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fernicarry
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If you're going to do any amount of sanding indoors you'll want an extractor. Which pushes you towards picking a particular manufacturer for all your tools so that everything works with their "system". Same deal as with batteries.
Most of my gear is Bosch and their extractor has a rubber bung on the end of the hose that either goes inside the dust port or over the outside depending on the size of the tool so it works with everything they make. It also has a bayonet connector for the chop saw. By coincidence Henry fits almost perfectly on the handheld tools so he gets drafted in from time to time.
You can get adapters or bodge something with duct tape to make different systems work but it can be a pita trying to get into confined spaces with extra stuff hanging off the back of the sander or it coming disconnected at inopportune moments.
I have a couple of 4" orbitals, one mains and one battery and they cover most needs. I've even done a couple of floors with them but I'll admit something with a bit more power would be preferred for that sort of job.
For small or hard to reach spots I use a delta sanding pad on a multi-tool but you have to be careful to keep it flat to the piece. I also have a sort of flexible sanding pad for the multi-tool which I thought I could maybe use for profiles but its completely useless. The paper burns through in no time. You really need to go carefully by hand on profiles or gently use a shave hook to ping off old paint. Its slow and tedious.
What matters more than the brand of the sander is the brand of the paper. Avoid the cheap stuff, its a false economy. I've been buying mainly Mirka recently. Bosch's own branded papers are pretty decent too.
For the outside of windows I often use a caustic chemical stripper. I've had bad results with it on internal timber but externally you can at least rinse it off thoroughly and the wood doesn't mind so much getting wet. Makes getting rid of decades of thick oil paint an awful lot easier but its not pleasant stuff.
Don't forget PPE and ventilation if sanding old paint.
Most of my gear is Bosch and their extractor has a rubber bung on the end of the hose that either goes inside the dust port or over the outside depending on the size of the tool so it works with everything they make. It also has a bayonet connector for the chop saw. By coincidence Henry fits almost perfectly on the handheld tools so he gets drafted in from time to time.
You can get adapters or bodge something with duct tape to make different systems work but it can be a pita trying to get into confined spaces with extra stuff hanging off the back of the sander or it coming disconnected at inopportune moments.
I have a couple of 4" orbitals, one mains and one battery and they cover most needs. I've even done a couple of floors with them but I'll admit something with a bit more power would be preferred for that sort of job.
For small or hard to reach spots I use a delta sanding pad on a multi-tool but you have to be careful to keep it flat to the piece. I also have a sort of flexible sanding pad for the multi-tool which I thought I could maybe use for profiles but its completely useless. The paper burns through in no time. You really need to go carefully by hand on profiles or gently use a shave hook to ping off old paint. Its slow and tedious.
What matters more than the brand of the sander is the brand of the paper. Avoid the cheap stuff, its a false economy. I've been buying mainly Mirka recently. Bosch's own branded papers are pretty decent too.
For the outside of windows I often use a caustic chemical stripper. I've had bad results with it on internal timber but externally you can at least rinse it off thoroughly and the wood doesn't mind so much getting wet. Makes getting rid of decades of thick oil paint an awful lot easier but its not pleasant stuff.
Don't forget PPE and ventilation if sanding old paint.
I like my Bosch random orbital sander too, coupled to a vortex dust catcher and my old Titan vac.
Agree that the cheapest disks are not worth buying.
For more detail and getting into corners I've got a cheapy B&D mouse sander. For me it works better than the multi tool, the ability to flip/replace just the pointy end of the paper is economical and it fits on my extractor too.
Agree that the cheapest disks are not worth buying.
For more detail and getting into corners I've got a cheapy B&D mouse sander. For me it works better than the multi tool, the ability to flip/replace just the pointy end of the paper is economical and it fits on my extractor too.