Sanders
Pick up tips on selecting the right sandpaper and sander for the job. Learn about using and maintaining random-orbit sanders, orbital sanders, belt sanders, disc sanders, and drum sanders.
For this article, we'll focus on the most popular classes of both types: 5" random-orbit and quarter-sheet orbital finishing sanders.
Q. Some sources recommend sanding wood only to 220 grit. Why not keep going with finer grits and make the surface even smoother?
These often-underappreciated machines do one thing—smooth curves—better and quicker than any other machine.
Struggle with sharpening your hand tools? Consider an electric sharpener to beat the dull-tool blues and get you back to work.
I recently bought a new belt sander and new belts. Four of those, fractured at the seam. Could heat and humidity cause these failures?
Do you know a technique for smoothing plywood edges? I need to remove fuzzy bandsaw lines without rounding over the edges, and I have a lot of pieces to do.
Few of us look forward to sanding, but with most projects it’s inevitable. So why not embrace the abrasiveness? These power sanders help you do just that.
My drum sander starts out working well, but after I use it for even a short time, a burn streak appears in the sandpaper, and eventually the wood. How do I correct this?
Tip of the Day
Dowel-rod "key" pulls sandpaper tight on drums
If you have trouble getting the sandpaper tight on your sleeveless sanding drums, try this trick.... read more