Sander Delima

[Sawdust King]

Ok, Here goes. I am debating MY need for a sander, type unknown as of yet. I am doing simple child puzzles at present and came dangerously close to walking out of HD with a DeWalt ROS (darn gift card burning in my pocket). My question is do I really need one for what I have done historically. I am thinking of trying some fretwork (1/4" and less) and suspect at some level I should get a sander. I guess if I have to ask the question, I really don't need one as I would know when I need one when I do.

Thanks,

[urband]

My suggestion would be to wrap sandpaper around a block of wood to do your sanding. It is just as effective, although slower, than a power sander. If it takes too much time or you get bored silly then you need a power sander.

I have a 1/4 sheet finish sander, a belt sander and a random orbital sander. I have found the belt sander and random orbital sander to be effective for preparing wood or removing patterns from not-delicate projects. I use the finish sander for final sanding on all my projects except those that are really delicate. Then I use a piece of sandpaper wrapped around a couple fingers.

Hope this is helpful,
Dan

[lucky788scroller]

If your using nicely prepared wood, Dan is right, a block of wood and a sheet of paper works fine. You will want to finish up your sanding that way anyways, so your sanding lines all go with the grain.

[SharonW0111]

Being a fretwork fretter I must say that you will need a good sander aat one point in time- so if you have a gift card that would be the best way to get a good one- I have made some 1800 victorian style fretwork style furniture and saw real quick where a good sander was need. I did put a sanding pad on a old drill and mounted it to a table and there are sanding drums you can put on a drill press but a good wide belt sander for some things would be great-Did you see the bird bath in this months issue? I made the bird feeder that matches it for my mom for Christmas and needed a belt sander then .So if you can get a good sander then by all means get it now- you will use it. fretwork isnt all pictures.
Sharon

[harrisg]

I love my little mouse sander. Smooths the wood, it's inexpensive and gets into corners.

Harris

[Gill]

In an ideal world I'd have a Fein Multimaster. Until then, I'll just have to dream while I use sanding paper wrapped round an old block of pine.

Gill

[Mick Walker]

Sawdust King, I have made fretwork clocks, portraits, scenic pictures and hundreds of butterflies. I always sand the wood with my Dewalt random orbit sander before I attach the pattern to the wood. Very little sanding is needed after the wood is cut. That I do by hand. Projects that I am going to stain I will sand to 220 grit. Projects that will just receive a clear finish I will go up to 400 grit. Mick.

[beemerbob]

In an ideal world I'd have a Fein Multimaster. Until then, I'll just have to dream while I use sanding paper wrapped round an old block of pine.

Gill

I love mine. The weight sure helpd to build up the ole arm muscles.

[CanadianScroller]

As much as I like power tools there is a certain feeling you get with hand tools that just cannot be duplicated.

The smooth finish of a piece of wood when you use a correctly set up plane,
the patina from a hand rubbed finish or the satisfaction of building something entirely out of wood with no metal fasteners.

I have a 1/4 sheet palm sander, a thickness sander I have yet to use, and drum sanders for my drill press. The majority of my sanding is done with a sanding block.

I will be buying a sander eventually, I think I would like a bench mounted belt sander. My friend has one that also oscilates. I am not sure if I can find one of those but it sure works well. I want the belt sander for sanding straight edges without a rollover. Hard to doo by hand.

[BobD (Archive)]

I look forward to doing a lot of finishing with scraper and plane when i get my workbench set up. My dad doesn't sand anything--everything he does is with planes and scrapers...there is nothing like that finish. i can sand up to 1200 grit, and his planed surfaces still shine brighter!

I collect and restore old planes, and i've inherited several planes from my father when he upgraded (he loves the newly engineered Veteris (SP) planes the Lee Valley sells)...but since I've only got a workmate at this point, I can't really put my back into planing. I've also got the sharpening down, so that isn't a concern.

Bob

[Sawdust King]

Well, it seems the wood I am using already has quite a smooth finish. I think it is craft/cabinet grade wood, plus the fact I am using a #5 blade, it all seems pretty smooth to me. Maybe I need to retake shop class. I'll grab some 220 and see what happens and if I can tell a difference. Now if I can just find a place to get new bearings for that ShopSmith.