beginner question - sander

[kcjamd]

Hi

I would like to buy a sander that can get into nooks and tight areas(so I probably need an iron shaped head) but is not too heavy .- I am 50 and female.

I would want to be using 240 and higher sanding paper/velcro to get a nice finish.

A friend let me try his cordless sander which he said had very little vibration (sorry cant remember make/model). It gave a nice finish but I found it too heavy. I'm guessing that a cordless version would be heavier than a corded tool.

Any advice on a suitable make/model would be much appreciated.

It is going to be used for my hobby so I dont need anything too gutsy and the budget is up to about £60/70 though if the advice warranted it I would go a bit higher seeing as this is my husband's Christmas present to me lol.

Thanks in advance.

KC

 

[Alexam]

I heard from Santa that hubby really wants to spend a little more if necessary, so don't worry. These sort of sanders arereasonableheavy if you are going to handle them for verylong. I have a Bosch GDA280E 240V Delta Sander, but there may be other madels that are loeer cost. They have finger attachements which are ery useful. There are fingersanders like http://www.screwfix.com/p/evolution-pre ... 240v/54960, but I dont know if the sanding belts o them are fine enough.

Alex

 

[YorkshireMartin]

Be sure to budget in abrasives too, you'll need every grade up to your desired finish in order to get the best results. In general, the smaller the stroke the better with finish sanders. Something around 3mm would be ideal. Corded would be preferable to cordless to keep the weight down I'd think.

As Alexam said, the term for a triangular shaped head is a "delta" sander, which might help your shopping a bit.

What sander are you using to get to 220 grit, that might help with recommendations too, as some sanders compliment one another by having similar actions, interchangeable accessories and abrasives etc.

 

[graduate_owner]

I have one of those narrow belt sanders and it is certainly not a finishing sander, very rapid material removal.

K

 

[BearTricks]

The delta sanders I've used have never really lived up to their promise of getting right in to corners, although the Black and Decker 'mouse' sander that I have is better than most DIY level sanders I've used.

For corners and edges I'm always tempted to go for a cabinet scraper or a very sharp chisel and a steady hand if I'm trying to remove a finish.

Sent from my LG-H815 using Tapatalk

 

[Wildman]

get yourself to a shop and try to find one that suits YOU. preferably one that allows you to plug it in. Welcome to the forum by the way.

 

[kcjamd]

Thanks for the advice everyone.

This site is great but I haven't had time to explore it thoroughly yet.

I went to my local B&Q earlier and had a look but the range was limited to corded models with the cords cut so no way of trying anything out.

I am in Swansea so I will have a look at some local shops where I can try things out, probably after xmas now.

I have seen member's stats saying how they have thanked/been thanked so apologies now for not giving proper thankyous for your replies - I'm not sure how to do that yet but I will try to work it out.

Wishing everyone a great time over Christmas.

KC

 

[Alexam]

It's just the little yellow hand at the bottom right of the message page - click on it to say thanks if yu wsh

 

[BearTricks]

I'd go for corded too. Battery powered aren't as powerful, you get limited working time between charges and the battery will hold its charge less over time.

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[shed9]

Only advice I can offer is buy a recognised brand such as Makita, Metabo, DeWalt, etc. The no-name or store brands are more often than not a false economy in my opinion. Also maybe consider buying two to compliment your needs such as;

http://www.ffx.co.uk/tools/product/Maki ... g%20Sander

and

http://www.ffx.co.uk/tools/product/Meta ... der%20240V

The two examples are only £20 over your max budget and will give some flexibility. Not suggesting that you buy these ones specifically but just showing there are good options out there that will not break the bank.

 

[sitefive]

Don't listen to any of the posts above!
what you need for fine detail/very tight -hard to reach corners are Something like Bosch GOP cordless multitool,
I bought mine not for sanding purposes, but All it does now is sanding.
Ideally you need a random orbital sander as well, one tool can't do it all.

as for it being cordless- it's perfect, It does 30-40mins sanding on 1 battery.

 

[shed9]

Don't listen to any of the posts above!

???? Why would you post that?

To the OP, do listen to all of the post above, I'd be tempted to ignore ones which suggest to be ultimately authoritative based on the use of one tool though.

As for the corded / cordless argument, unless you need it to be battery powered you will unnecessarily be paying more.

 

[Rhyolith]

I use a multi-tool with a delta sanding attachment for the sorta job described. There are plenty about, avoid B&Q as they tend to be a rip off and they change their range so often that you will never get spare parts for one of their machines. FFX as suggested by shed9 is a good site.

 

[AJB Temple]

KC, over the years I have tried seemingly everything with sanders, as my interest in making and repairing musical instruments has meant that I am often working in tight spots or with mouldings.

A good quality delta sander will serve you well. If you are in a workshop environment and always or usually doing your sanding in the same place, then a wired solution is best as it is more powerful and lighter. Don't be too put off by the weight of tools: you want the tool to do the work, not you, so the weight can be an advantage. What counts is good balance: so try to handle them before you buy, but remember that the weight of the tool is usually against the workpiece, not waving about in the air.

Battery life is an non issue as you will rarely be sanding for hours at a time if you are a hobbyist. So just pick the tool that seems comfortable for you.

I find flat plate hand held electric sanders very useful too (And they are very cheap), and a decent quality random orbital sander. Some of the budget ones are perfectly acceptable now, with good dust collection and low vibration.

Don't discount hand sanding in tight spots! Glasspaper or cloth wrapped onto sticks can be very effective in awkward corners, as can judiciously applied scrapers ,such as a sharp chisel used the wrong way around). Some will no doubt regard this as sacrilege, but it is only metal and easily re-sharpened. Over the years I have made (well in fact my brother has made for me to my pattern) some scrapers out of spring steel for things like violin scroll work, and if you find a friendly metal worker these things are quick and cheap to make.