On Jan 3, 12:22*pm, WayneJ wrote:
Hi all,

I need to buy a new sander, primarily for finishing. I was set to go get a *
palm sander, but a couple of friends are telling me I should get a random *
orbital instead. They claim that they can be just as good for finish work *
and better for coarser things. I question whether they are really as good *
for finish sanding, and I already have a straight disk sander for rough *
work.

I need to keep the cost reasonable, but I don't want to buy junk either. *
I'm looking at brands like Dewalt, Makita, Milwaukee, etc. the money for *
brands like Festool isn't there. I think a 1/4 sheet palm sander or 5 inch *
random orbital sander, is what I'm looking at.

Does anybody have thoughts on this, and any recommendations in the price *
range I'm limited to?

Thanks,
WayneJ

--

Palm sanders aren't limited to the few grits available in
hook and loop discs. Anything is available for quarter
sheet sanders, up to and beyond 2000 grit. 320 is the
finest I've seen for ROS.

Fast way to a flawless, ready to finish surface with a palm
sander is to go up to 320, then finish by hand, straight strokes,
with 220 to remove the swirl marks.