Just thought I’d post up a sweet new tool I got at the ol’ Depot. $129 Retail.
Its a Ridgid random-orbit sander, 6", 6-hole disks (easy to find in all kinds of grits). The best part is that the dust collection port accepts (at press-fit) a standard 2" hose from a Shop-Vac. And that’s a lot cheaper than going all Festools on us.
It has lots of speed settings, although I have no numbers - it just goes from A to F. On the “D” setting, it doesn’t melt epoxy, for whatever that’s worth. You can also adjust the orbits from a 1/4" random-circle to a 1/8". I thought that was useful - 1/8" on the 80 grit; then 1/4" on the 150 & 220. Spray-can gloss after that, & all the repairs are invisible…
It’s nice & heavy, like a Milwaukee sander/polisher, so its stable, but its light enough to hold with both hands & skim across rails without making flat lines. It pulls up every bit of dust. I wore a mask, but it probably wasn’t necessary. It never got hot.
I’m a long-time woodworker, and used to certain brands being the best. Milwaukee Sawzalls, Porter-Cable routers & random-orbit sanders, Skillsaws, Delta Planers… I always thought I knew what I was looking for. But I bought this thing last night, and sanded with it for more than an hour tonight (many repairs on both sides of a composite-skin Cobalt board). No vibration-fatigue, no escaped dust. And it only took one (!) 80-grit disc. I’m sold. All the power & adjustability of the Milwaukee, with all the dust collection & paper availability of a Home Depot machine. And not too expensive, either.
Thanks, RoW… I do & I will. Its a habit that’s not a big deal to me anymore.
It is pretty cool, though, not to be scattering dust all over my clothes & shop, though. Its kind of a new thing for me. Most of my other dust collections have been jerry-rigged and not 100% effective.
Not that I’ve found so far. But its hook & loop, so its easy enough to contact-adhesive some velcro onto different foams. That’s how I make most of my pads anyway. Punch 6 holes so the dust goes through… Sponges work pretty well on rails
Benny I’ve go one similar (different make) I love it, its great.
If it takes those velcro sanding pads, then you can stick an old one to some foam or rubber for the backing with spray adhesive then stick any type of paper you want to it, I made same with high grits and a soft pad for polishing, even have one with a shammy for buffing.
Howzit Benny, I’ve got the same sander and they work great. Considered buying a Bosch with random and cicular motion but went with the Rigid. On one job a friend used his Bosch then tried my Rigid and thought the Rigid worked better. Now make sure you register the buy on their website and send in the warranty form to the company and they will give you a life time warranty. If you don’t do both you only get a 3 year warranty, but even that’s good since most tools are only warrantied for 1 year. When using the 1/4 random mode it is one of the most aggresive random sanders I’ve ever used. Rigid is Home Depots high end tools as opposed to Ryobi being the lower end. Aloha,Kokua
I’ve also been very happy with the Rigid tools. I bought one of their 24 volt cordless drills and it works much better than my old Milwaukee one (which seems to me the most overrated brand out there). Be sure to do as Kokua says and register it. It took them about 6 months to complete the process, but it was well worth it since it also covers the batteries!
Howzit DanB, Is that cordless a lithium-ion battery drill. Home Depot has the Rigid model on sale for $179 which is a great deal for a lithium-ion tool. Aloha,Kokua
Howzit E-pacman, Rigid buys tools like Craftsman does and some tools come from China and some other countries like Germany. The best lithium-ion batteries are made by Panasonic but not sure if their drills are as good as the batteries. They make a lithium battery driver that you can change the driver heads to an impact wrench, impact driver or a drill. Being on Kauai the prices are always a little higher due to shipping costs. A couple of friends bought the Makita drill and impact driver set for about $325 ( had some discount coupons )over in Ca a couple of months ago at H.D… They keep after me to buy them but my nicads are still in good working condition so until they die (and the prices drop on lithiums) I will use them. It amazes me that some people just have to have the latest tools available ,but I’m not a tool whore yet.Getting harder to find tools not made in China.Aloha,Kokua
Nativeson, I still have a 7" polisher. Its great for buffing & polishing, and for sanding huge areas fast. But I hate the dust and its also really noisy. I do a lot of work at night and that means either I fill my garage with dust, or I annoy the neighbors with outside noise (and have to work in the dark).
I’ve never used the Festools, so I can’t compare. But it sure seems to pick up every bit of dust I can see. I also find that the lower speeds & random-orbiting stop epoxy from heating up so much. The big sander can be so fast that the epoxy can get gummy, and the small 5" R-O I used to use (with the shop-vac) heats up, I think because the disk/pad is just that much smaller. The whole thing can get hot after a while, even if you keep it moving. It also vibrates the heck out of my hands and is fatiguing after a while.
The 6" gets warm, but not hot. And the handles are very comfortable and vibration is minimal. I think its a pretty solid tool.
Its a habit that’s not a big deal to me anymore.
