RW…right on…great approach to finding the high spot…I love it, another ‘common sense genius’…and I mean that in all sincerity!!!
Thanks!!!
That’s smart to have it checked for trueness…I’ve never done that but it was basically because I had distributors coming to me and dropping off a bunch of stuff at the same time.
Some really great people sent me different pads to try out and it was a great experience. After doing this I have to say the Power Pads reign supreme by a long shot. Probably the only other pads I would consider using are some softee ones that you have to run at very low rpms…and the slowest machine I have is a Milwaukee 1750 RPM polisher…although I have a dial down Makita lightweight, it’s currently outta commision at the moment.
The Power Pads are superior because of the bevel…it’s easy to float the sander along (even with one hand while grabbing a squeeze bottle of soapy water while wetsanding or whatnot. For a novice it’s the best choice too because you are far less likely to ‘dig’ into your work causing sanding cuts that you will be tearing your hair out later when you gloss the board…you will never get those cuts out once you discover them under the gloss…just figure you will be resanding the whole damn board and reglossing. What fun.
To each their own. Just my two cents worth.
I love the way one simple question turns into a VERY expanded discussion in here sometimes,...... NO!!!!! You will never get a Power Pad back to balance once you hear, in horror, the sound of your grinder tipping off the table and onto the floor. I have tried with hammers, vice grips, Clamps, etc,.....
The only thing I can pass on when it comes to the beloved workhorse of sanding surfboards,..... is BUY a new one,.. in fact,.... buy a new one and a back up. Especialy the soft pad.
Whoaaa,.... I guess I stand corected. If Larry,... the guys that makes the power pad, says it can be flatened back out,... then I got to retract my statement.
Sorry,.. I missed his comment while reading through the thread.
You mentioned if you had a rheostat you could do better. If you go to: WOODWORKER.COM they have a variable speed control for routers, but you can use them on most anything. 6 months ago they were $20.00 but now they are up to $50.00. These are actually a “chopper” by cutting power in the middle of the elec. cycles so you just get the highs and lows of the sine wave of an elec. cycle. More efficient and no tool burn out. They also sell cheapies through Harbor Freight but caviat emptor. Consider the source. You do get what you pay for, but the lesser model may suit your need. Cheers. I know this was some time ago, but may be still relevant.
5540 Milwalki Sander 2800RPMs varible speed.
If you like building surfboards own one. After many years of Harbour Freight Sanders and a Hitachi and watching the 5540 in action It was time to get with the program. Going cheap never pays. Quality first or take up a different hobby.
The senitivity of the trigger is worth the price for the control that is gained.
Beautiful tool… set up for a south paw like me (or maybe I unknowingly learned RH’d?) I hope it doesn’t blow everything in your face like my old Mil polisher. The triggers are sh-t on the Harbor polisher, in fact so are most their switches on other tools.
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Call to arms out there............the title says it all.
Anyone?
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IF THE DUST IS BLOWING IN YOUR FACE PUT A PIECE OF TAPE OVER THE HOLE. NOT THE ENTIRE VENT JUST PART THATS GETTING DUST IN YOUR EYES
I want to try and stick a bent one in a wheel press. I used to work for a forklift shop and pressed the rubber tires on and off rims. I think if you get the right size adapter to fit around the hub on the pad it should work.
I always like deadshaper’s posts. He and Kokua know almost as much as me. HA!..anyway…I agree about the Milwaukee variable speed polisher. It has perfect balance,trigger snap, and weight and the thumb speed control dial is in the right spot. Router speed controls work great also but I like the thumb control.
I used to use three pads on a board sand job. Starting from a hard power pad working on down to one of those super soft deals.Each board can have a different sequence of events depending on how it is finished and whatever art work is going on the hotcoat. That is a long story though.
Hmmmmm,
that's a high tech lookin' board there, obviously a carbon fiber afficionado.
Does that thing reall float you? :)
Has anyone bent a fixed Power Pad?
Hello everyone! Glad to be a part of your community!