December 29, 2011

Sanding tools - Bosch belt sander, Ryobi random orbital sander, Ozito palm sander

When you are planning to spray a high gloss paint finish over MDF, it pays to have some good sanding tools to make the job quicker and easier. I'm using a two part builders filler. I believe it is similar to automotive body filler, but intended to adhere to timber. I'm also trying out a filler over the top to get things smooth. It is premixed.


Belt sanders are extremely handy. I like to use the belt sander over butt jointed edges and it can help get things flat and it does a quick job. You can start with coarse grit paper but you can't expect it to get smooth and there is always a join. They also make a lot of mess so it's a good idea to get a good one. Bosch have a good filtration system. When you pay a bit more for a Bosch when compared to say a Ryobi or some of the cheapies, that's what you get. It's worth the extra.


After the belt sander, these two units come next. On the left is a Ryobi random orbital sander. You have to buy the special sanding discs that will stick on and they also have the holes - see the first photo. The beauty of this one is that it has suction built in so that most of the sawdust goes in to the bag. It costs little more than the cheapies and has variable speed and a better filtering system. If you use the belt sander in your workshop, it will cover everything in sawdust, but this unit doesn't have that problem. The paper only goes up to 240 grit so that does limit its use.


The palm sander on the right is a cheapie. I bought this one primarily to use with fine grit paper prior to polishing a painted surface. It needs not special paper, so you can buy big sheets and cut to size, meaning it's more economical. It has a 3 year warranty. The filtration system only works with a vacuum cleaner attached. This is why this unit is so cheap! 

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