My friend says i don’t need to get the more expensive Milwaukee sander… i can get a sander that does as good a job for much less… i didn’t skimp on the planer, i got the clark modified planer… should i get the milwaukee or can i just head down to Home Depot and pick something up for cheaper? Any sander suggestions? thanks jg
harbor freight, pawn shop look for lower rpm (1,000-3,000 rpm) grinder/sander/polishers. preferably variable speed. i have used an industry standard tool and an old 5,000 rpm grinder. the industry standard was defiantely nice, but you can do it just as well with the pawn shop special. Make sure you get a good sanding pad tho - Power Pad is the standard but i read on here somewhere where a guy makes custom ones from upholstry foam and old jeans.
Jeff, I purchaed the Harbour freight variable speed sander and it is fine. Much lighter than the Milwaukee. Comes with a polishing bonnet also. If you don’t like it you can keep it for polishing and get the Milwaukee (6078). Try the link below. I also bought one of the inexpensive planers to try. I beveled the edges and corners, replaced tension spring with a lighter one, put teflon washer under knob and tapped adjusterthreads to 5/16 “coarse” to get quick open close. Unfortunately there is no easy way to connect dust bag or hose. You already have the Hitachi but someone else might like to try the HF. I like the lighter sander since the Milwaukee weighs 18 pounds, you will look like Popeye in short order if you use it often. Mike > http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=46507
The thread with the cheap way to make power pads is called SANDING 101 I beleive TRY EBAY I have gotten all 5 of my grinders off ebay, I prefer the HITACHI spv18a model very light and variable, I had the Harbor Freight but Ive exchanged 3 of them es team manager www.paradoxdistribution.com www.ovellesurf.com www.hardinsurf.com http://www.paradoxdistribution.com
Kokua uses the Hitachi’s also I think. Thought I read that in a thread sometime back. Good auctions right now on E-Bay for 'em. Try link below. Mike http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?cgiurl=http%3A%2F%2Fcgi.msn.ebay.com%2Fws%2F&krd=1&from=R8&MfcISAPICommand=GetResult&ht=51&SortProperty=MetaEndSort&query=hitachi+sander
Howzit Krokus, I’m still using Makitas for grinding but a Hitachi is what I’m going to get next. The only problem is my Makitas just keep going, going, going and never had any problems with them. Aloha, Kokua
I paid $20 for my planer at a pawn shop! I went home and modified the hell out of it. Works perfect for me. I hooked up a vacume to it- the whole 9 yards. No guilt here. If it was new, it would have killed me to tweak it. They had various kinds of planers. Hitachis were $30, but you can talk pawn guys down usually.
thats pretty cheap for a pawn shop, Like i said I like ebay because certain guys on there are authorized factory reconditioners, so the products come with "AS NEW"warranties, I am all about the GREEN {hitachi} thier grinder is great too. es team manager www.ovellesurf.com ovelle surfboards www.hardinsurf.com Hardin Surfboards http://www.paradoxdistribution.com
Whats the difference between a grinder, sander and a polisher? I picked up the makita polisher and liked the weight, but will it get the job done as far as sanding the hot coat?
Just different names for the same machine…speed being the determining factor.Grinders may run at 6000 rpm and a polisher at 1200.Makita,Hitachi and Milwaukee all make pro grade tools,get the variable speed model.Weight is not a big factor unless you plan to or polish ten boards a day.
Hey Phil D: For some reason us surfboard people use the tools backwards.What most tool catalogs call a sander, we use for polishing.They’re usually 5000 or 6000 rpm’s.And likewise,what they call a grinder/polisher, we tend to sand with it.Most of these tools are for the automotive industry(think bodyshops)& I reckon they like to polish slow and sand fast. Most sanders I know use a 2800 or 3000rpm sander.Milwaukee discontinued there old 2800 and now only offer a variable speed 0-2800,which doesnt have the ass of the old one and new triggers cost twice as much and go bad twice as fast.AS a matter of fact, if anybody knows what other brands are being used in the 3000 range for board building I’d like to know(Makita,Hitachi,???).We use a 1750rpm for wet/dry sanding on our polishes,a slower tool leaves less wheel marks.For buffing with compound,we used to use a Milwaukee 5000,but again their quality seems to be going to the wayside.I’ve had to send them back after polishing 2-3 boards because gear grease was coming out of the housing and they were burning up,hot to the touch.W’eve replaced it with a Dewalt 6000,kinda heavy but you get used to it, with a big 'ol solid metal housing on the front end. Some guys sand boards with 5000’s,but you got to be good.Once you get used to the time savings of a faster tool cutting thru a hotcoat it’s hard to go back to a slower tool.I tend to sometimes use a 5000 for longboards that are gonna get glossed,or big 'ol boards with a lot of heavy cloth. Also, we use a 5000 set up with a hard back disc w/50 grit for our “grinder” duties.(Fin boxes,FCS plugs,leash plugs.)
In the electric tool department the “grinder” usually comes equipped with a hard grinding wheel and shield. The others are very similar and sometimes marketed as one dual purpose tool. Speaking of Milwaukee, ironically, they have decided to outsource the production of some of their tools to Mexico. Even more ironic is that Milwaukee Tool Company (Wisconsin, right?) is owned by a Swedish Corporation. I’ve heard plenty of griping about Surftechs and Boardworks being made overseas but I guess when it comes to power tools it doesn’t matter, not that we have a lot of choices. You can’t really generalize by brand name either - often a brand outsources one product yet manufactures another product domestically. Makita, Porter Cable and Sioux are a few that have domestic manufacturing of some products. Does anybody else find it weird that a company with an “American” name like Milwaukee is owned by Swedes and sells products made in Mexico while a company with a “Japanese” name like Makita has production facilities right here in US. For anybody that cares, here is a link to a website that features made in USA products. http://www.usstuff.com/index.htm
Folks will bitch and gripe cause it really takes no commitment or effort to do so. If the influx of foreign goods really bothered people, then we would shed all the crap we have today - down to the skin, and go live in cave. America doesn’t manufacture a damn thing anymore because it’s perfectly ethical, and smart business today to farm it out to third world countries at slave wages, and sell it to the sheep at first world prices. Makes me sick to think about it as I sit here naked in my cave… I got poly, and I got poxy, gimme plywood, and I’ll ride that too.
I normally sand by hand. But I have been considering getting a sander. How about an orbital sander. Would that work. I am a little intemidated by the more high powered rotary sanders.
Hey Grant: I took your same path for a couple boards, then got a little finishing sander… burnt that up in no time. I wanted to wait before I got a disc sander (and I’m still glad I did) to get a little better at the whole process. Finally picked up the Harbour Sander/Polisher… just as everyone here said, once you get used to it there’s no going back. I can’t imagine hand sanding an entire board anymore… but I’m sure the increased ease has to do with my increase in glassing skill as well. There’s no substitute for flat smooth laps. I exposed weave several times (stay away from the course grits for awhile, they’re twice as potent with the power sanders) but no big deal. Learned to go slow (spin speed) and keep the thing moving. Stay away from the orbital, save your money for some Power Pads. Go pick up a Harbour…
Concerning sanders- There’s some misconceptions about 'orbital sanders" I’m thinking you mean the variety that uses 1/4, 1/3 or 1/2 sheet of sandpaper? They are nice, but they are best at sanding flats, flat surfaces. The exception to this rule is the really small air-powered jitterbug sanders. Body shops love them and they allow power wet sanding. For slow but relatively painless power sanding, I’d recommend a random orbit sander, one of those rigs that uses a disc and sort of shudders around. Very nice for doing areas you wouldn’t want to do by hand 'cos of their size. With appropriate grits of paper ( 80-220 and as low as 40 or 60 for brute stock removal ) and variable speed, you can sand just about anything, though for big areas you have to be patient. Great for ding repair. Myself, I like and have used the Porter Cable 7335 for several years now without a breakdown. Uses standard PSA-type 5" discs and I like the disc sander-like two hand grip it requires better than the palm type random orbit sanders you see in the hardware stores; much better control. The #7336 is the same tool with a 6" pad, the 7334 is the same tool without variable speed. Another friend swears by the Bosch. The best discs I have found for it are the 3M Gold discs, kinda pricy but they last longer than the cheapies in my experience, long enough to make them an economocal choice. The white Porter cable discs are worthless for working with glass and resin. I think you could get away with just 100 grit discs if you had to. doc…
Howzit John, I hear you,after hurricane Iniki I bought a Coleman generator only to find out that they’re a japanese product now. Aloha, Kokua