Sanders Buying Guide

No woodworker's tool shop is complete without some kind of sander. While you could finish your wood pieces by hand with a piece (or several pieces) of sand paper, you'll find it much quicker, easier, and effective to use a power sander.

What kind of a power sander should you buy? That is going to depend on what type of projects you take on. If you are working mostly within your workshop, then you may be happiest with a stationary sander. There are a variety of stationary sanders and some are quite affordable. Stationary sanders are very convenient. They don't hide themselves in the back of your truck And they are stable, cutting down on vibration and noise.

But, if you are planning to work on projects outside of your shop, you need to look into purchasing one or more portable sanders. If, for example, you want to refinish that incredible pine-wood flooring you discovered under the wall-to-wall carpet, then you'll need a portable belt sander and possibly a floor edger as well. If you want to remove the paint on staircase banisters, you'll need to invest in a small random-orbit sander or perhaps a detail sander.

Random-Orbit A random-orbit sander uses a round sandpaper disc that spins while the entire head moves in a "random" pattern. This is to prevent the sandpaper from creating visible grooves in the surface. Orbital sanders are easy to use and great for any surface that requires a high-polish finish.

Orbital sanders (once called vibrating sanders) are hand tools. They come in two varieties, palm-held and barrel-grip. Palm-held random orbit sanders give you a bit more control over the sander, but it's a good idea to try both kinds before purchasing either to find out which is more comfortable for your hand.

Sheet Sander Sometimes called a "Finish Sander," the sheet sander has a rectangular head to which a piece of sandpaper can be attached. It has the same function as a random-orbit sander--to finish flat surfaces, but without the random-orbit action is likely to leave a rougher surface.

Belt Sander Belt sanders are generally designed for use on large, flat surfaces, such as floors or stairs. They are called belt sanders because the sandpaper is attached to the machine in a long, continuous belt.

Belt sanders are very good for stripping paint or refinishing wood planks. They are also heavy and can be awkward to use. Look for a belt sander that moves in a straight line as it sands, and that adjusts easily when you change directions. It's no joke to spend hours trying to pull the belt sander back in line.

Some belt sanders are designed so that you can flip the sander over, basically creating a small bench sander. This increases the versatility of the machine. If you do both in-shop and on-site work, you may find this the best, most cost effective option.

Floor Edger It can be hard for a belt sander to reach all the way to the edge of a floor. The wall gets in the way. To remove finish all the way to the wall, you need a floor edger. A floor edger is a larger version of a random-orbit sander. Instead of using one hand, you need to lift the edge with two. The added size and weight makes the job go quicker.

Detail Sander Once you have sanded the large surfaces, you still have those small corners or crevices that need finishing. That's where the detail sander comes in. A detail sander is very small and usually has a triangular sanding surface, allowing you to reach into the smallest spot. Some models come with interchangeable heads, which helps if you need to work with curves or other oddly-shaped areas.

Disc Sander A disc sander spins a flat, round disc-shaped piece of sandpaper. You use it by starting the disc spinning and bringing the material up to the disc, lightly touching it to sand the surface. It is most effective for small, curved or irregularly-shaped pieces of wood.

Belt Sander Like its portable cousin, a stationary belt sander is best for finishing flat areas, since the surface of the belt is both wide and flat. In the stationary belt sanding machine, the belt is set perpendicular to the table, which is helpful for finishing surfaces on right angles.

Belt/Disc Combination Sander It's not likely that anyone would need to finish only flat surfaces or only curved ones. So, manufacturers have created the handy belt/disc sander, which combines the flat belt surface with the curve-friendly disc spinner, allowing them to share a single motor. So, if you work on a variety of small projects and prefer to purchase one machine rather than two, this is a great option.

Edge Sander Edge sanders are wide stationary machine with a long sanding belt, much like a belt sander. The advantage to the edge sander is that you can adjust the belt relative to the table, allowing you to sand along beveled angles. You can finish an edge or surface of any large piece with an edge sander, even one with curves. Many edge sanders feature oscillation, which, like the orbital movement in a hand-held sander, prevents the grit from creating unsightly grooves or scratches.

Spindle Sander Spindle sanders are standing (or benchtop) machines with the sandpaper (or grit) wrapped around a central, conical spindle. As the spindle rotates, the grit grinds down anything placed against its surface. The narrow surface of the spindle is good for sanding the inside surfaces of your project.

Drum Sander A drum sander is a large, stationary sander with a flat surface perfect for finishing the surfaces of large pieces of wood. They come in a variety of designs, from open-ended to closed. The open-ended drum sanders have a smaller sanding area, but, since they are open, you can sand a piece of material up to twice the width of the sander. This gives you more bang for your floor space than a closed end sander.

On the other hand, a closed-end drum sander is wider, and can accommodate that large piece of material in one pass rather than two. So, if you are working on an industrial scale, you can finish roughly twice as much material with the closed-end drum sander.

A double-drum sander is even more efficient, since it doesn't require changing the sand paper as often as a open or closed-end drum sander. This is because the sandpaper is wound over two drums, allowing a greater total of sand paper to be used in the machine. The more paper available for use, the less it wears down as it sands.

Ergonomics
As with any tool, the feel and balance are important. You want to enjoy working with your sander. Also, you should pay attention to how readable the gauges, miter settings, and measurements are.

Noise/Vibration
The amount of noise and vibration that your sander creates is an important consideration, especially with the portable sanders. Since you are in direct contact with the tool, you will definitely feel the vibration while you work. A slight variation can make a huge difference in your comfort working with the tool.

Variable Speed Control
When you are finishing the surface of wood, it's vital to maintain control. Work too fast or too slow and you risk ruining your hard work with unsightly scratches. Variable speed control gives you a way to change speeds so that you can choose the best option for the size of sandpaper grit you are using.

Sandpaper Attachment
All sanders use sandpaper, which must be attached to the head of the machine by one of two methods. These are peel and stick, or hook and loop. The peel and stick method uses self-adhesive sandpaper. The drawback to peel and stick is that, once you stick the sandpaper on, you can't remove it without destroying the paper. So, if you want to change the size of the grit before the sandpaper is completely used up, you can end up wasting it.

The hook and loop method allows you to remove the sandpaper and replace it without ruining the paper. Hook and loop sanders tend to be more expensive to begin with, but can save time and money over the life of the tool.

Dust Collection
Dust collection is a major consideration when sanding. This isn't surprising, since the main function of sanding is to create wood dust. If you can hook your sander up to a vacuum, you'll catch much more dust than if you use a bag collection system. The more dust collected, the less there is floating around in the air for you to breath in.

Size
If you don't have room in your workshop for a stationary sander, you may want to look at benchtop machines. These sanders offer power and stability, in a smaller size. One bonus is that the benchtop sanders are usually much less expensive than the standing machines.

Not surprisingly, hand-held sanders are quite a bit less expensive than the stationary sanding machines. A palm-sized random-orbit sander will cost between $50-$100, with more heavy-duty random-orbit sanders falling into the $150-$200 range.

Detail sanders are quite inexpensive, selling for as little as $10 for a simple single-pad model. If you want a detail sander kit, with multiple pads, expect to pay around $100. Sheet sanders start at about $15, but can cost as much as $300.

A benchtop sander can be found for as little as $50-$100, but some of them cost hundreds more. Standing sanders begin at around $500, with the most expensive, industrial machines costing several thousand dollars apiece.

The prices vary widely, but getting the least expensive tool may not be the biggest bargain. With the amount of vibration that any sander causes, you are better off with a quality tool that costs more than a less expensive model that breaks down frequently.

Bosch
Delta Machinery
DeWALT
Festool
Milwaukee
Makita
Porter-Cable
Skil