On 3 Apr 2006 08:49:27 -0700, wrote:

Also, don't mean to start a long discussion here, but if I want to make
this a moderate hobby (say, refinish 1 piece a month) is the price
difference between Ryobi and DeWalt worth it?

IMHO, no. Ryobi 1/4 sheet sanders are good kit (UK models anyway).
They'll wear out in time, but for hobby use you'll see a good lifetime.

A random orbit (Bosch PEX400 is a good hobbyist machine) gives a better
finish, but for furniture you can only really use it on tabletops,
because of the access.

If you're doing big stuff, then the Skil 666 1/2 sheet sander is the
machine to have. These things are great solid beasts capable of a lot of
work.