Hi folks, I’ve been surfing for over 20 years now and have decided it’s about time I tried my hand at shaping. I’m in the process of putting together a tool kit and wondered if anyone out there could advise me when it comes to power sanders. I’m not interested in what brand is best, but rather I’d like to hear people’s thoughts on types of sanders.
I know the sander/polisher is the industry standard when it comes to shaping, but could you just as easily use a smaller random orbital sander? What is it that makes the sander/polisher better than the random orbital version?
E Wassup bro; get yourself a VARIABLE SPEED sander with various sized soft pad discs that you adhere sandpaper to with feathering disc adhesive; this is the bomb tool for sanding boards; variable speed is the key so you donʻt grind through your work with high rpmʻs [ like I used to do,what a dumb shit]; youtube has some good videos on sanding so check those out to see how the journeymen do it…chow
The milwaukee sander/ polisher seems to be industry standard, but I’ve been using a 40 dollar one from Harbour Freight that works just fine, I tried to use a hand orbital sander before and when you sand/ try to get the shinies out, it doesnt get them out as easily as the the power sander does. You’ll end up sanding too much and still not getting all the shinies out. Switching from a smaller palm orbital to a real power sander went from a chore taking a few hours to get everything out to about 15 minutes
I’ve been using a Makita 1/3 sheet finishing sander for all my sanding on my first 3 boards, because I already had it in the shed. It does the job, but takes forever! And it’s hopeless for grinding down fin boxes. For board number 4, I will be buying a decent sander/polisher. If you haven’t got a sander yet, buy a proper one from the start - it will save you time and money in the long run.
I’ve used the harbor freight sander/polisher for a while,it was on sale for 35$ new.The variable speed switch is real touchy though and the trigger doesn’t work sometimes.I just scored a brand new makita on craigslist for 100$ and cant wait to use it this weekend!Makita also makes a variable speed grinder,I use one at work to polish granite.I want to get one for shaping as well because it is smaller and lighter than the polisher.
Bros. if you are thinking of using a sander to shape foam, be careful; yea… I watched some youtube guys using it sparingly to even out the nose kick, a place that the planer canʻt reach…but that was it!! try using it to mow foam and it works, but not as good as the planer and you gotta be really careful lest you gouge out some foam; but I absolutely love my variable speed sander…works like a charm for sanding…all right!!!
when i first started making boards all i had were my hands and a orbital sander attached to the air compressor and that really sucked, now i have a chicago sader/polisher witch sometimes has only lasted me a week (but up to a year) so if you get one of those get the warentie but you are able to do a much more percision job with one and there are lots of diffrent pads that you can use with them so thier quit versitel
1.--------Milwaukee sander/polisher 2.-----------Makita sander/polisher 3. Dewault or Hitachi sander/polisher 4. --------Harbor Freight cheapo sander/polisher In order of quality of tool and price. All will do the job for a period of time, some longer than others. All are variable speed. The Milwaukee is the" Industry standard". Makita a close second. Don't waste your time on anything else or any quirky ideas about using quarter sheet or orbital sanders to sand a hot coat or do ding repair. If you are serious get a serious tool. For low $$$$ the Habor Freight will do several boards. Always blow it off with the air compressor every day after use. All sanders will last alot longer if you do. Triggers and brushes usually go first.
The important point is that there’s a right tool for each job.
The random orbital disc sander is pretty much useless for the “shaping” phase of surfboard construction. You can take out more foam AND be more precise if you do it with your hand-powered sanding instrument. On the other hand, I like it a lot for finishing up ding repairs.
The** standard disc polisher/sander** is a much more powerful and versatile tool for taking down some of the wood in the stringer while shaping. Must be careful, 'cause as someone mentioned, one can very easily turn a pass on the foam into a disaster with this tool. Also, very important, it is THE TOOL for sanding a board down once its glassjob is ready for the sanding phase. It has the benefit of multiple pads that correspond to different parts in the sanding process.
It would be cool if you could post your progress with your shaping so that when the time comes when you think you should use a power sander on the half-shaped blank, other techniques can be discussed here. (Probably other techniques that are ultimately better and more efficient than using a disc sander at that particular point in the shaping process.)
The advice I got when buying a disk sander a couple of years ago was to go for one that was not too heavy and had nice balance when cradled near the “neck”. This means that you can easily vary the weight of the sander on the piece (I seldom use the front handle) and don’t get exhausted lugging the thing. The other think was to look for one where the disk attachment was not too far from the body because a disk closer to your front hand helps with estimation of angle and where you’re hitting the piece.
I went out and got a good quality variable speed de Walt and I haven’t looked back. I had a few sand throughs, and I’ve taken chunks out of foam sanding laps, but that’s all be part of my learning curve. Swaylocks needs a thread on “how to sand a board with a disk sander”
I got a 7" foam backed disk with velcro attachment of sandpaper disks. In my town all the auto repair shops stock a range of 6" velcro backed paper disks, but no 7" which makes it a pain for me to get sanding disks if I’m in a hurry.
Thanks for all the advice guys, I’ve taken it all on board (no pun intended) and will hold out for a quality polisher/sander when it comes up on “Fleabay”. Another question has occurred to me though, that the Sways community may be able to help with.
Rather than go for the standard thruster, I thought I'd try my hand at knocking out a mid
70s style single fin first off.
Because that's what I've ben riding for the past three
years - a 1976 Watercooled single fin out of Torquay, built for Southern Ocean juice, that really comes into its own at 6'+ points like Lennox Head (not sure of a Northern Hemisphere equivalent) - and I
love it. and;
Because you don't have to make them so thin and I reckon
it might be a bit more forgiving on a novice like me.
Can anyone out there recommend a fin type that would suit this
style of board? None of the ones I've seen online (to my un-learned eye) seem to
be specifically intended for that style of board - probably because not many people are making them anymore. Perhaps one designed for a longboard? I know many of you out there will say "make your own", and I intend to, but just not yet. I'm taking baby steps, and I haven't even built my shaping racks or bought the blank for my first board yet.
Howzit CassS, Try Amazon for a quality sander/polisher they have some decent prices for new ones. I have used Milwaukees and Makitas and I went to buy a newone and all they had was Makita and I love them. bought the first in 95' and the second in 99' for a back up but it turned into a lend out instead. They are almost 5lbs lighter than the Milwaukee and latelty it seems the quality is great. I have put new brushes and a cordon the old one and put brushes on the other which I lost a couple of years ago. As I have gotten older and after my cancer I really enjoy the lightness of the Makita. It's up to the guy using it that should decide since some want the weight of the Milwaulkee and some like the lightness of the Makita. I have tried bot the Dewalt and POrter Cable and I just didn't care for the way they felt. You'll figure out which one to use and if you want to make a living then get a good one but if you are lookig at 2-5 boards a tear you might look into the Harbor Freight ones since they are cheap and a crap shot on how long it will run. Aloha,Kokua
Check bunnings for the Ozito sander /polisher. Comes with pads and polishing bonnet , variable speed control that works.
I bought one for a backup that I use a 40grit hard pad for knocking down jobs quickly , been a good tool for about $75.00.
I use a variable speed Makita ( about $350.00 ) for sanding and polishing but if you are only doing the odd one the Ozito will serve you well for years.
You don’t need a power sander for shaping, except for grinding the stringer at the nose and tail. For that, you can use an air grinder since you want the smallest disk possible. If your intention is also glassing, then follow the other’s recommendations.
Hey Mooneemick, I was just in Bunnings yesterday and had a look at the Ozito. I can’t see myself ever making more than two or three boards a year (in an ideal world), so perhaps it would be my best option. The price is definitely right at $99 (must have gone up since you bought yours).
Petec - Thanks for the advice. I’m going to be doing the glassing myself, so I think I’d better get myself one.
Thanks again to the Swaylocks community for your advice and support. I know it’s been really encouraging to be able to tap into such a wealth of knowledge and it’s really inspired me to sink my teeth into this shaping game. At first I was just going to try to make a single fin - fairly simple stuff - but now I’m going to aim a bit higher, try my hand at resin tints & swirls, knocking out a fish or two, make my own fins. I think I’ve caught the bug BIG TIME and I haven’t even started cutting my first blank.
Gotta slow down, take deep breaths, baby steps…
Anyway, I’ll post a few updates as my first efforts progress and hopefully you can steer me in the right direction before I go too far off track.
It really depends on how you value your time, along with your experience and skill level.
If you have an orbital laying around and your time spent sanding is no big deal, use that. It may take 4 or 5 times as long, but if you just want to make a board or two…
Now if you want to be more efficient, and you are taking it more seriously and plan on doing more boards, then step up in price and quality – as has been suggested. Big aspirations fade quickly when faced with the realities of a first board. There is some good advice in this thread, so apply it to your realistic expectations. Spin sanders like a Harbor Freight are good for beginners, then progress normally. Don’t go broke on high-dollar tools for your first board, or you might regret it. Let the tools and their price escalate with you board making skills. That takes time. A Harbor Freight spin sander can always be down graded to home fix-it projects later on if it gets replaced by a better, more expensive brand.
Now I just keep the hard disk on my harbor freight and use it to grind down fin boxes in the shaping bay after an install.I keep the makita in a clean place(not in my shaping room) and use it strictly for finish sanding boards.I’ve been doing alot of granite work and the variable speed 4" makita grinders I use at work seem like a tough tool,they run all day every day polishing stone and cutting it.I want to get one for foiling fins etc.
