Hi All,
I'm curious as to the differences in finishing abilities of a palm sander and a
ROS. I assume the ROS is more aggressive. My palm sander died the other day
and I am debating about buying another one or a ROS in its place. In an ideal
world, I'd just buy both and not worry about it, but right now it's not an
option. The majority of my items are small and some can be very fragile
(fretwork pieces). I have a stationary belt/disc sander which along with my
hands have been filling the void.
Thanks for any advice.

Kevin Daly
http://hometown.aol.com/kdaly10475/page1.html

PC Speedbloc. You'll want one after you get your ROS anyway.
http://www.woodworkingshop.com/ Has 'em, and though not necessarily at the
lowest price, you'll want to get your rolls of paper at the same time.
Leaving it up to you which to choose, PSA, Velcro or regular. Let the grit
be aggressive where you need it to be.

Don't you presand fretwork? I'd hate to think of sanding it after I'd put
the time in it.

"Kevin Daly" wrote in message
...
Hi All,
I'm curious as to the differences in finishing abilities of a palm sander
and a
ROS. I assume the ROS is more aggressive. My palm sander died the other
day
and I am debating about buying another one or a ROS in its place. In an
ideal
world, I'd just buy both and not worry about it, but right now it's not an
option. The majority of my items are small and some can be very fragile
(fretwork pieces). I have a stationary belt/disc sander which along with
my
hands have been filling the void.
Thanks for any advice.

Kevin Daly
http://hometown.aol.com/kdaly10475/page1.html

I find the palm sander to be gentler then the ros and easier to use on then
wood. The palm seems to give a Slightly smother surface then the ros with
the same grit paper. For edge work the palm has no peer and the ros is not
the tool to use. For very small items the palm is better then the ros.
That being said I use my ros close to 10 times more then my palm, it cuts
faster and easier then the palm on most projects especially when you use a
router pad. For very then small fret work (1/8" or thinner) of solid wood
the palm sander is better, other wise I go with the ros and maybe a once
over with the palm. JMO
"Kevin Daly" wrote in message
...
Hi All,
I'm curious as to the differences in finishing abilities of a palm sander
and a
ROS. I assume the ROS is more aggressive. My palm sander died the other
day
and I am debating about buying another one or a ROS in its place. In an
ideal
world, I'd just buy both and not worry about it, but right now it's not an
option. The majority of my items are small and some can be very fragile
(fretwork pieces). I have a stationary belt/disc sander which along with
my
hands have been filling the void.
Thanks for any advice.

Kevin Daly
http://hometown.aol.com/kdaly10475/page1.html

"Kevin Daly" wrote in message
...
Hi All,
I'm curious as to the differences in finishing abilities of a palm sander
and a
ROS. I assume the ROS is more aggressive. My palm sander died the other
day
and I am debating about buying another one or a ROS in its place. In an
ideal
world, I'd just buy both and not worry about it, but right now it's not an
option. The majority of my items are small and some can be very fragile
(fretwork pieces). I have a stationary belt/disc sander which along with
my
hands have been filling the void.
Thanks for any advice.

Kevin Daly
http://hometown.aol.com/kdaly10475/page1.html

For small work that simply needs to be smoothed you want a finish sander and
or a palm sander. A ROS is going to be more aggressive PLUS the defined
path is hard to negotiate in coffined spaces and on small objects. Since
the circular sanding pad on a ROS goes in a random orbit the edge of its
travel while holding the sander in one place can vary as much as 1 inch from
one side of the sander to the other. As George has indicated, the PC
SpeedBloc would probably be your last sander if you choose that one.

ospam (Kevin Daly) wrote in message ...
Hi All,
I'm curious as to the differences in finishing abilities of a palm sander and a
ROS. I assume the ROS is more aggressive. My palm sander died the other day
and I am debating about buying another one or a ROS in its place. In an ideal
world, I'd just buy both and not worry about it, but right now it's not an
option. The majority of my items are small and some can be very fragile
(fretwork pieces). I have a stationary belt/disc sander which along with my
hands have been filling the void.
Thanks for any advice.

I had never used a ROS until last year when I bought one. I was tired
of using the palm sander, it took FOREVER. The ROS is like heaven on
earth. I think the finish is MUCH better than the palm, and it's so
much faster.

I have both.

There are some applications where a finish sander is preferable, but 9 times
(or more) out of 10 you will reach for the ROS.

I *never* use the finish sander anymore. The ROS rocks. Yes it's generally
more agressive, but my latest has variable speed which is surprisingly
useful.

I generally do the last pass of sanding by hand with the grain anyway.

Buy an ROS.

-Steve


"Larry Bud" wrote in message
om...
ospam (Kevin Daly) wrote in message
...
Hi All,
I'm curious as to the differences in finishing abilities of a palm
sander and a
ROS. I assume the ROS is more aggressive. My palm sander died the
other day
and I am debating about buying another one or a ROS in its place. In an
ideal
world, I'd just buy both and not worry about it, but right now it's not
an
option. The majority of my items are small and some can be very fragile
(fretwork pieces). I have a stationary belt/disc sander which along
with my
hands have been filling the void.
Thanks for any advice.

I had never used a ROS until last year when I bought one. I was tired
of using the palm sander, it took FOREVER. The ROS is like heaven on
earth. I think the finish is MUCH better than the palm, and it's so
much faster.

On Tue, 26 Oct 2004 13:11:52 -0400, "Stephen M"
wrote:

I have both.

There are some applications where a finish sander is preferable, but 9 times
(or more) out of 10 you will reach for the ROS.

I *never* use the finish sander anymore. The ROS rocks. Yes it's generally
more agressive, but my latest has variable speed which is surprisingly
useful.

I generally do the last pass of sanding by hand with the grain anyway.

Buy an ROS.

-Steve

I'm with Steve, if you can only buy one, buy a ROS. And do the
finishing work by hand and a palm sander is cheap enough that, with
the right hints, makes a great Christmas present from someone near and
dear.


TWS
http://tomstudwell.com/allprojects.htm

I have both. The ROS is more aggressive than the palm sander. The
downside of the ROS is the special sandpapers it requires. The palm
sander takes a quarter sheet of any kind of sandpaper (lower cost than
the hook-and-loop papers) and I consider that a big plus. I think the
ROS has become more popular than the standby palm sander. My palm
sander has a longer cord than my ROS--that may not be deciding factor,
but there have been times that I do appreciate the convenience.

On 26 Oct 2004 10:33:44 GMT, ospam (Kevin Daly)
wrote:

Hi All,
I'm curious as to the differences in finishing abilities of a palm sander and a
ROS. I assume the ROS is more aggressive. My palm sander died the other day
and I am debating about buying another one or a ROS in its place. In an ideal
world, I'd just buy both and not worry about it, but right now it's not an
option. The majority of my items are small and some can be very fragile
(fretwork pieces). I have a stationary belt/disc sander which along with my
hands have been filling the void.
Thanks for any advice.

Kevin Daly
http://hometown.aol.com/kdaly10475/page1.html

"Stephen M" wrote in message
...

I *never* use the finish sander anymore. The ROS rocks. Yes it's generally
more agressive, but my latest has variable speed which is surprisingly
useful.


How do you sand inside corners or up close to a panel that joins at 90
degrees with a ROS?

Greetings,

I had a Makita PS forever and it certainly fit the bill for me. Then
I was given a Porter Cable ROS and my poor little Makita PS sits idle.

Here are my impressions of the ROS vs. the PS

1. it is quieter
2. it is more aggressive
3. better dust collection
4. THERE ARE FAR FEWER SANDING SCRATCHES (my most important
consideration)
5. it is easier on my hands. far less post-use fuzzies in the hands

the big negative,

the paper is certainly more expensive. 90 cents for a square sheet
cut in four makes 22 cents each. The cheapest ROS paper I have found
at Lee Valley is about 60 cents. CDN dollars.

Hope this helps.

Brandt

How do you sand inside corners or up close to a panel that joins at 90
degrees with a ROS?

That is a problem with ROS's. A simple solution would be to design the
project without any inside corners or 90 degree joins.

On Tue, 26 Oct 2004 18:08:55 -0700, "mp" wrote:

How do you sand inside corners or up close to a panel that joins at 90
degrees with a ROS?

That is a problem with ROS's. A simple solution would be to design the
project without any inside corners or 90 degree joins.



as much as possible sand before assembly.

writes:

How do you sand inside corners or up close to a panel that joins at 90
degrees with a ROS?

You don't.

That's why Fein makes a detail sander.

Lew

"Lew Hodgett" wrote in message
ink.net...
writes:

How do you sand inside corners or up close to a panel that joins at 90
degrees with a ROS?

You don't.

That's why Fein makes a detail sander.

Lew

Correct.. ROS is a great tool but by far NOT the only sander you should
have.

Don't you presand fretwork?

That would be a yes, but there's always a light touch-up sanding (removing
burrs and such) after it's done.

Kevin Daly
http://hometown.aol.com/kdaly10475/page1.html

I *never* use the finish sander anymore. The ROS rocks. Yes it's
generally
more agressive, but my latest has variable speed which is surprisingly
useful.


How do you sand inside corners or up close to a panel that joins at 90
degrees with a ROS?

Sand prior to assembly with an ROS, or touch it up with hand sanding.

(brandt) wrote in message . com...
the paper is certainly more expensive. 90 cents for a square sheet
cut in four makes 22 cents each. The cheapest ROS paper I have found
at Lee Valley is about 60 cents. CDN dollars.

Take a look at http://www.woodessence.com/abrasivesdefault.html

I've bought a box of 50, and even with shipping, it came out better
than HD or LV. (But then, I have lots of unused sandpaper sitting
around...)

Correct.. ROS is a great tool but by far NOT the only sander you should
have.


I agree Leon, but reread this fromn the O.P.

"My palm sander died the other day and I am debating about buying another
one or a ROS in its place. In an ideal world, I'd just buy both and not
worry about it, but right now it's not an option"

Paraphrased: If I could only have one, which would it be?

-Steve

On 26 Oct 2004 08:12:25 -0700, (Larry Bud)
wrote:

(Kevin Daly) wrote in message ...
Hi All,
I'm curious as to the differences in finishing abilities of a palm sander and a
ROS. I assume the ROS is more aggressive. My palm sander died the other day
and I am debating about buying another one or a ROS in its place. In an ideal
world, I'd just buy both and not worry about it, but right now it's not an
option. The majority of my items are small and some can be very fragile
(fretwork pieces). I have a stationary belt/disc sander which along with my
hands have been filling the void.
Thanks for any advice.

I had never used a ROS until last year when I bought one. I was tired
of using the palm sander, it took FOREVER. The ROS is like heaven on
earth. I think the finish is MUCH better than the palm, and it's so
much faster.

hmm... maybe I'm missing something here, but I have always had BOTH...

Rougher paper on the 1/3 sheet ROS, then finer paper in the 1/4 sheet
Palm sander, then hand sanding/steel wool..

Rather than do that, you could plane or scrape for a superior finish.
Sanders are for places you can't.

"Stephen M" wrote in message
...
I *never* use the finish sander anymore. The ROS rocks. Yes it's
generally
more agressive, but my latest has variable speed which is surprisingly
useful.


How do you sand inside corners or up close to a panel that joins at 90
degrees with a ROS?

Sand prior to assembly with an ROS, or touch it up with hand sanding.

On Tue, 26 Oct 2004 19:03:22 GMT, Phisherman wrote:

snip
I think the ROS has become more popular than the standby palm sander. My palm
sander has a longer cord than my ROS--that may not be deciding factor,
but there have been times that I do appreciate the convenience.

that might depend on where you live....

when my old ROS died about 5 years ago, I was looking for a new one...
it was about the time that all the finishing sanders with round and
triangle heads appeared...
Not only did I have a hard time finding much of a selection in local
stores, but most people were surprised that I WANTED a ROS, with all
the other types available...

To me, the ROS fills the gap between the belt/disk sander and the palm
sander..

IMHO, using one type (ROS/palm/finishing) of sander to do everything
is like using an 1/8" router blade to rip boards.... you need to give
up the "crutch" of overusing a favorite tool (or software *g*) and
decide if it's really the best tool for the job at hand..

"Stephen M" wrote in message
...

I agree Leon, but reread this fromn the O.P.

"My palm sander died the other day and I am debating about buying another
one or a ROS in its place. In an ideal world, I'd just buy both and not
worry about it, but right now it's not an option"

Paraphrased: If I could only have one, which would it be?


For the work you are describing and especially if you are using plywood, I
would go with a PC SpeedBloc finish sander with PSA paper. Second choice,
same sander with Hook and Loop paper.

"mac davis" wrote in message
...

hmm... maybe I'm missing something here, but I have always had BOTH...

Rougher paper on the 1/3 sheet ROS, then finer paper in the 1/4 sheet
Palm sander, then hand sanding/steel wool..

Uh huh... For 15 years I have been using 120 grit on my PC ROS and 180 grit
on my SpeedBloc finish sander. No other grits so to speak.

"brandt" wrote in message

the paper is certainly more expensive. 90 cents for a square sheet
cut in four makes 22 cents each. The cheapest ROS paper I have found
at Lee Valley is about 60 cents. CDN dollars.


If you can locate a local trades supply store, you can do much better. In
Houston I buy Porter Cable PSA 5" with individually protective backs in a
box of 50 for $12.99.

On Wed, 27 Oct 2004 22:16:09 GMT, "Leon"
wrote:


"mac davis" wrote in message
.. .

hmm... maybe I'm missing something here, but I have always had BOTH...

Rougher paper on the 1/3 sheet ROS, then finer paper in the 1/4 sheet
Palm sander, then hand sanding/steel wool..

Uh huh... For 15 years I have been using 120 grit on my PC ROS and 180 grit
on my SpeedBloc finish sander. No other grits so to speak.

yeah.. I use 100 on the ROS and 220 on the palm.. can't remember
what's on the finish sanding block, 300 something...

Hi Kevin,

Have a compressor? I finally went to a
Porter Cable ROS. It died within a year.
I then bought a 5" Dynabrade 5" ROS.
About 8 -10 times faster than the P.C..
The P.C. was noticably better than my
1/2 sheet Rockwell that I had always
sworn by. The Dynabrade is far superior
to the P.C. ROS.

I bought mine on closeout from jjkair.com.
It was about $400 but the closeout price
was about $115 w/ shipping. Believe I
bought the 11011. Along with the sanding
time cut to 1/10th, you will also see far
fewer sanding marks. The speed dial is right
next to the trigger. Can do gentle work or
carve spruce Cello and violin tops.

I would never go back to electric sanders.
Don't buy a cheap ROS, they are just a
waste of time and money. I bought the
Dynabrade for my own use but I also use
it comercially. Have used cheaper model
Dynabrades. Good, but not as good as
the top of the line.
For my employer, time is money, so I have
no option as to air or electric. Need a very
high quality finish and need it quickly. Only
air power will give us that. In defense of
electric sanders I understand that the big
(and heavy!) Fein produces very good results
and will do so quickly. The Fein is heavier
and expensive. Being electric it is also
expensive to repair, and will have a very short
service life when compared to pneumatic
sanders.

Stopped by my Dad's shop the other day.
Used his 5" Dewalt electric sander. These are
great for frustrating your 6 year old son. He'll become an accountant and not
a wood-
worker after using that kind of toy.

A good electric ROS now seems like a slow burnisher. You won't know the
agony you suffered until you use a very
good air powered ROS. You'll need a larger compressor but this is the perfect
argument for buying one.

JMO...
-Rick


Hi All,
I'm curious as to the differences in finishing abilities of a palm sander and
a
ROS. I assume the ROS is more aggressive. My palm sander died the other day
and I am debating about buying another one or a ROS in its place. In an
ideal
world, I'd just buy both and not worry about it, but right now it's not an
option. The majority of my items are small and some can be very fragile
(fretwork pieces). I have a stationary belt/disc sander which along with my
hands have been filling the void.
Thanks for any advice.

Kevin Daly
http://hometown.aol.com/kdaly10475/page1.html