I’m looking into getting a sander, and the ‘industry standard’ milwuakkee is out of my price range. Greenlight has got a nice looking one for $100 which i was contemplating, but the other day i was in an Ace Hardware store looking at some grinders that i want to get to make better concaves in hand planes. I noticed the guards came off them, and they seem to have the standard thread for screwing on bigger pads. Will these work for sanding boards generally? or should i step up for a regular sander? I’m only askingreally cause my friend works at the store and i can get a really nice discount on one of the grinders. And since funds are really low, is it possible to sand with just a random orbital?
As mentioned above, you can get a decent variable speed (0-3000 rpm) sander/polisher with the 5/8" thread from ANY auto parts store for under $100 (similar to the greenlight one). I got a Black and Decker one that worked fine. After my first dozen boards I stepped up and found a Milwaukee on e-bay (NEW) with a carrying case and polishing bonnet/disk for $250. Milwaukee is definitely better but the cheaper ones will work perfectly fine if you are a casual board-builder. I now keep the hard pad/40 grit on the Black and Decker and use it to grind fin boxes/leash plugs. Then I use the Milwaukee for everything else.
thanks for all the great info everyone. really appreciated. i checked pep boys and they have a kawasaki snader for about $70 whcih i think i’ll use for the meantime. it’s also lime green, so it’s kinda cool… i’ll start saving for a milwuakee at the same time. thanks again!
Spend the money. It’s a one time investment to have the right tool for the job. The 2800 variable speed. No other sander works even as close. You’ll never have to buy another. Take it from a old sander. I’ve tried them all and nothing comes close or will last the as long.
Besides, most all grinders run way too fast for sanding; And random orbital sanders are finishing tools, what you need is a tool that will take out lots of unwanted weight on your board. Listen to Sanolocal’s words of wisdom.
The Kawasaki from pep Boys is about the same quality as the harbor freight sanders… Buy 2 of the harbor freight ones with 2 year warranties for the price of that 1 kawasaki, plus they come with a few good casual builder accessories that the pep boys one doesnt.
The Kawasaki from pep Boys is about the same quality as the harbor freight sanders… Buy 2 of the harbor freight ones with 2 year warranties for the price of that 1 kawasaki, plus they come with a few good casual builder accessories that the pep boys one doesnt.
Is it the best tool? No… I have 4 of these that over the course of 2 years I have accumulated from some of the non-surfboard related projects I do. I am on sets with a bunch of people who either A. dont care about your stuff or B. If its nice it dissappears. I wouldnt take my Hitachi sanders out of the building but these do just fine, I havent crapped one out yet and I have done a few really heavy projects with them.
I usually get em for like 25 bucks this seems to be the 1 week they arent on sale.
Harbor Freight also has a model with the side handle (like the Milwaukee). You may want to go for that one so you can get comfortable with that style of sanding when you move up to a better tool.
Make the sacrifice, save your money and buy the Milwaukee. In the long run you will not regret it. A 2800 with a speed control is the best place to start. You’ll come to see the wisdom in this advice, in a few years. Get the best tools; take care of them and make something you can be proud of. Remember this always.
As a backyardr with a few boards under my belt I would agree with this 100%. If you think you’re going be making more than a couple boards, take the plunge and spend the bucks. The milwaukee is all about trigger speed control and torque! Being able to lightly squeeze the trigger to make that pad spin SLOW but still cut through anything is priceless