I was looking at the makita 9227c as recommended by a few people on the forum a while back, im a fan of big beefy tools that dont feel like they are going to break. I bought hitachi’s 7inch grinder version of the makita 9227c and I am trying to find what kind of sanding pads and stuff are used for it… anyone have a link to an amazon product listing or a product they have used and stand behind? I was using a belt sander at first but I decided this one would probably be the better option, especially once I glass the board…
I would also advise against a grinder - far too fast - get a sander/polisher with variable spped - there are cheap ones available but if you are planning on making boards for the longer term buy a good one. I use a makita - its great. If you use the grinder you risk injury as Aqua mentioned and if you sand with revs too high you’ll get the board too hot - do with that epoxy and you’ll have one hell of a problem.
cheers
rich www.thirdshade.com
And lastly, a large pad on a grinder causes to much load on the tool. It will overheat, and will melt the solder on the windings. Guess how I learned that.
This is what I use. This is the industry standard. A bit heavier than some of the others, but then again I shape with a heavy Skil too. Regardless of brand, variable speed is key. You can start out slow and speed up as you get more confident with the tool.
Don’t buy a grinder. Like the others have said, it spins far too fast for sanding surfboards. I do use my Milwaukee 2800 RPM grinder for grinding down fin boxes and foiling fins.
5000-6000 RPM for polishing.
You can pick these up for about $200.00.
Power-Pad brand sanding pads work great. Medium pad for getting board flat, then Soft for finishing.
Okay thanks for the advice! I didnt really know the difference between the grinder and polisher but i see what you mean with the variable speed, I am glad I havent taken it out of the box yet! looks like Im going to just order it from online…
**What's in the Box**
Makita 9227CX3 7-Inch Electronic Polisher-Sander, hook-and-loop back-up pad, hex wrench, side handle, loop handle, 7-inch wool pad, 7-inch wool bonnet and 21-inch tool bag.
am I to assume the 7inch backup pad is what would be used for the sanding? or do i need another type? Im trying to do this through amazon and cant find any of the Power-pad branded items there unless Im not typing it in correctly?
I love my hook and loop pad - I made mine on a thick old school rubber 6" disk, so I have to work a little to get disks, but I found boxes of 50, 100 grit disks, and that’s one of my main sanding tools. I have an 8"x4" rectangular “random” orbital sander which is my favorite @ 180, 220, and 360. After that I go to hand pads from 3m.
most Swaylockers seem to work outside in a vacant lot.....dust and noise matter to some people....mainly the people that will complain to the city about your dust and noise.......and shut you down...did you think about that?
