Hi,

I want to buy a sander (for refinishing furniture) and I would like to
know whether sanders use proprietary sand paper or whether generic sand
paper can be with them. If it depends on the sander, can you tell me
what kind of sanders or brands are most cost efficient in terms of sand
paper among the kinds and brands appropriate for refinishing furniture.

Thanks!

Aaron Fude

I'm just a novice, but my cheap-o Ryobi random orbital sander uses the
self-adhesive sand paper. It appears to me that you can buy this just
about anywhere that sells sand paper and it doesn't seem to be
proprietary. It has the option of using the hood&loop type paper
backing too, which also seems pretty much universal. I don't know if
I'd recommend a Ryobi for any serious amount of work, but it does fine
for me and my occasional project.

Actually, rather than sanding, if I want a really smooth finish with no
fuzzies to pop up later, I use a cabinet scraper.

ROS with hook-and-loop (focus on number of holes for debris removal
here) for rougher stuff.

Cost-efficient is in eye of beholder. Ability to remove & replace pad
(much better with hook&loop than adhesive) cutting efficiency and
longevity vary by mfg. More expensive may be more efficient. YMWV.

John

wrote:
Hi,

I want to buy a sander (for refinishing furniture) and I would like to
know whether sanders use proprietary sand paper or whether generic sand
paper can be with them. If it depends on the sander, can you tell me
what kind of sanders or brands are most cost efficient in terms of sand
paper among the kinds and brands appropriate for refinishing furniture.

Thanks!

Aaron Fude

I got an ancient orbital/straightline pad sander from Craftsman, and it
just uses a half sheet of regular paper clamped at either end.
That said, if I had it to do over again, I'd probably recommend a belt
sander, and that's going to need belts rather than sheets, of course.

"z" wrote in message
oups.com...

wrote:
Hi,

I want to buy a sander (for refinishing furniture) and I would like to
know whether sanders use proprietary sand paper or whether generic sand
paper can be with them. If it depends on the sander, can you tell me
what kind of sanders or brands are most cost efficient in terms of sand
paper among the kinds and brands appropriate for refinishing furniture.

Thanks!

Aaron Fude

I got an ancient orbital/straightline pad sander from Craftsman, and it
just uses a half sheet of regular paper clamped at either end.
That said, if I had it to do over again, I'd probably recommend a belt
sander, and that's going to need belts rather than sheets, of course.

I believe you will need more than one type of sander depending on the
situation. I use a random orbital and a Fein Multi Master. The Multi Master
rocks at the tiny detail and the random orbital is good for big stuff. The
Fein has attachments for scraping, cutting or sanding theyre available on
e-bay

On 3 Apr 2006 06:57:29 -0700, wrote:

Hi,

I want to buy a sander (for refinishing furniture) and I would like to
know whether sanders use proprietary sand paper or whether generic sand
paper can be with them. If it depends on the sander, can you tell me
what kind of sanders or brands are most cost efficient in terms of sand
paper among the kinds and brands appropriate for refinishing furniture.

Thanks!

Aaron Fude


The most common high volume sander in recent years is the 5" ROS.
Just about everyone makes one and they are mostly either five hole or
eight hole paper, either PSA or hook and loop. PSA paper cost less. I
have one of each, Porter Cable. If you don't want to use your dust
collection, you can buy paper with no holes. The paper is not
expensive and is available everywhere. You don't have to buy a
specific brand to match your sander. Klingspoor makes very good paper
for all sanders.

If you are going to be doing a lot of refinishing, a larger ROS may be
more appropriate.

you should also have a quarter sheet sander to get into corners or a
very good profile sander. I believe Fein makes the only profile
sander that is worth anything.

If you have any large open surfaces you need a good belt sander, but
you always have to go over it with a finish sander.

Frank

Heres a site for the new Black and Decker 4 in 1 multi sander. I got one for
Christmas and find it fantastic. Low vibration, sands large areas, detailed
work etc., good dust control.
http://www.blackanddecker.com/Produc...roductID=10942
wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi,

I want to buy a sander (for refinishing furniture) and I would like to
know whether sanders use proprietary sand paper or whether generic sand
paper can be with them. If it depends on the sander, can you tell me
what kind of sanders or brands are most cost efficient in terms of sand
paper among the kinds and brands appropriate for refinishing furniture.

Thanks!

Aaron Fude

Hi,

Thanks for all the responses. Only one thing remained unclear: what is
a finish sander. Is it a unifying term for a couple different types of
senders? (A couple of linkes to actual sanders would be useful.)

Also, is hook&loop a synonym for velcro?

Aaron

Thanks for all the responses. Only one thing remained unclear: what is
a finish sander. Is it a unifying term for a couple different types of
senders? (A couple of linkes to actual sanders would be useful.)

Yes, I think a finish sander is just a sander suitable for finish work.
Random orbital, 1/4 sheet jitterbug, profile, etc. Each type has uses
that it's better for than others: the ROS and jitterbug are good for
large, flat areas; the profile sanders usually have different
attachments to sand various shapes and corners.

The only sander mentioned so far that's not a finish sander is a belt
sander - I steer clear of them because an unskilled person (like
myself) can really damage the wood with one of those. It's good for
taking a lot of material off quickly, but can also leave an uneven
surface if not used carefully.

Also, is hook&loop a synonym for velcro?

yes. Velcro is actually a brand name. most of the 5" round ROS just
have a pad on the bottom that can accept adhesive backed paper OR
adhesive backed hook & loop pads. If you go the adhesive route, just
be sure to peel the paper off while it's still warm. Once the adhesive
cools down, it gets harder to pull off (not impossible, just a littler
harder).

Thanks. I also notice that sanders labeled as finishing can go up to
14k rpm (as opposed to 12k). Does the higher rate help make the surface
smoother and is this higher rate a requirement?


I'm afraid I don't know. I'm curious if anyone else can answer this?

wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi,

Thanks for all the responses. Only one thing remained unclear: what is
a finish sander. Is it a unifying term for a couple different types of
senders? (A couple of linkes to actual sanders would be useful.)

I have both a DeWalt and Porter Cable 5" ROS sanders They can be used for
finishing. The term "finish sander" is often used on the rectangular
sanders that can get into corners better. IMO, the ROS is better for most
work as it is faster for a given grit. A belt sander is usually used for
fast removeal of large amounts of wood, not for finishing.


Also, is hook&loop a synonym for velcro?

Velcro is a brand name of a hook and loop system.