I just picked one up…Like it alot. Here’s a link.
http://www.harborfreightusa.com/usa/itemdisplay/displayItem.do?itemid=46507
11 amps, yeah it’ll eat a lot of juice… but I wonder about the torque of this thing, since it looks like the motor housing is a relatively small cylinder. What is your experience and what can you compare it to?
F’rinstance, I have an 11 amp Milwaukee and it’s a beast. Heavy and needs a speed reduction, but SOOOOOo much torque. Makes me think to go back to my old 7 amp Black and Decker, but the torque is hard to leave behind.
Don’t have much experience…Only on my 10th board or so. I did use one of the nice Milwuakee’s that I borrowed on one of my first boards, but I didn’t know enough to be able to tell any difference. I’m only going to be making probably 6-10 boards a year at the MOST, so this little guy should suit me fine. So far I’ve just sanded a full board and it worked like magic. I have to say though, to me it seems that getting some nice pads made all the difference in the world. I was using a weaker model of the HF sander with a crappy, hard pad that I made and it was VERY frustrating. I’d rather get in a car accident than sand with a crappy pad again 
Tenover,
Which pad(s) are you using now - Brand and density? I picked up a couple of Diskits (brand) a while back and they work pretty well but I think there is better out there.
In another thread, Plusoneshaper and KeithM really like Ferro Industries. I went to their website and they do have a lot of choices for the 5/8 11 thread sander. Ferro Website
Thanks,
Herb Bean
Ferro website isn’t working for me in Firefox…use IE
I bit the bullet and bought two of the PowerPads from FoamEZ. I bought the large ones, in both the soft and medium density.
Quote:
In another thread, Plusoneshaper and KeithM really like Ferro Industries. I went to their website and they do have a lot of choices for the 5/8 11 thread sander. Ferro Website
what they don’t seem to have on their website are PRICES…can anyone help me out with that??
also, i really like the idea of the medium density pads that get soft around the edges…seems like it would reduce the smileys from the occasional slip that we’re all guilty of every now and then (either i need to start sanding inside, or the girls from the school down the street need to start wearing more clothes when they walk by my house).
I don’t recall exact prices but they were in the same ballpark as PowerPads, or thereabouts. I’ve seen them at Tool Depot & marine supply shops…
…Learn to build your own.
…I build much better pads than what is offered on the market today.
…I pay about 4 - 10 bucks a pad…whatever size I want…hard as a rock …to… soft as a cloud.
…This is where the boys get separated from the men,so to speak.Herb
Quote:
Quote:In another thread, Plusoneshaper and KeithM really like Ferro Industries. I went to their website and they do have a lot of choices for the 5/8 11 thread sander. Ferro Website
what they don’t seem to have on their website are PRICES…can anyone help me out with that??
What a coincidence! Last night I ordered a HF sander. Today I called called Crystaliner in Costa Mesa to see what pads they carry. They carry the Ferro pads in 3 different densities including supersoft. They have them for just under $25. That’s better than the Powerpad and 3M Stikit prices I’ve found. No website. No online ordering. If you’re not in southern cal you might have some trouble getting them.
what jobs are you using it for?
how would it handle foiling wood fins? what pad? I’m looking for something inexpensive to mess around with.
I found another link and it’s selling for $25.00. Weird. They’re both from harborfreight but the one tenover has is from harborfreightusa.com
Is there any difference?
Rio
Here’s the link: http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Category.taf?CategoryID=105&pricetype
don’t forget, harder pads are for lower grits and flat surfaces, medium pads are good with medium grits; supersoft pads are kind of specialized and best with fine grit papers. If you’re only going to have one pad you probably don’t want to start with a supersoft one… powersanding rails is not where to start either for that matter. Get used to your sander on the flats first, handsand the rails for a while.
Herb’s “make em yourself” is worth thinking about too. I’ve done it and while I don’t think my homemade pads are as good as the commercial ones, if I kept working at it they might get there. Just haven’t been that inspired yet.
Thanks Ryan!
I went over to crystaliner and they had the ferro pads for 23.20. I got the medium density pad. Its an 8 inch pad but it should work for almost all sander/polishers. The guy said that these pads were designed by a shaper then made by ferro. It’s great that these pads were specifically made for surfboards! The guy was extremely helpful but he said they don’t ship out orders. I found the number to Ferro industries and I think anyone interested can order from them.
Ferro industries: 1-586-792-6001
Medium Density pad # 798L (8’’ PSA Face)
Rio
What’s this? A HF sander for thirty bucks? I think I might get one…Or maybe I’ll just burn the $30 or flush it down the toilet. Oh, hey maybe I can get one to match my surftech since they come from the same factory!! I wonder if they were both made by the same 7 year old? How cool would that be? I guess I could do a DNA test on all the blood, sweat and tears that went into them to see!! Awwww, forget it. I’ll just “use” the $30 and flush it down the toilet.
You’re welcome Daklaw.
Crystaliner seems to have a good variety of supplies compared to the other places I’ve been. Too bad they’re not open on weekends. It makes a nice lunch trip though with Wahoo’s Fish Tacos just up the street.
Aquafriend,
Dude! I salute your patriotism, but for someone like me there really aren’t many options. I do a repair here and there on my boards and my friends boards. It doesn’t justify a $250 unit. My choices are basically to struggle with 5" plastic discs on my 3/8" drill or get a cheapy import that I can put good pads on. If there were an non-Chinese, I won’t even say US made, just non-Chinese made machine that was anywhere near the price I might go for that instead. How much would I pay? $60, $80, $100, $120 maybe depending on quality, but everything is twice that. There really isn’t a competitive option.
I don’t know why the gap is so huge on this particular tool. I look at other tools like wood working saws, drill presses, hand drill, etc. and I see the great difference in quality. For a lot of reasons I choose not to buy the Chinese product in those cases. Even if it is a less expensive tool. But it’s not a price difference of 5 to 10 times in those cases.
It’s kind of odd. If you look at a lot of tools like I do, you wind up noticing there are a wide variety of prices and quality levels out there. It doesn’t even have to be Chinese. Look at circular saws for example. The US Makers offer a wide range of quality and prices in that one tool. The smart consumer buys the one that fits his need. When it comes to this sander thing, there just aren’t those options out there. It’s either high dollar industrial or cheap’o China. Too bad because I’d like a mid-range option.
L8r