Best tool for sanding oak blocks?

[Tim Downie]

I got about 80 small oak blocks (about 15cm x 19mm x 19mm) that I want to smooth off on two of the long faces. They were ripped with a table saw from some oak planking which has left the sides a bit rough and with a few burns from the saw.

They're not going to be terribly visible but I've tried sanding with my orbital sander (not one of the random ones but one with a big rectangular foot) which does seem to touch them, even with a coarse grade paper. I don't know whether it's a problem with the grade of paper I'm using or whether orbital sanders are just a bit pants or just down the the fact that it's oak.

If there a better tool (always looking for excuses to buy better tools) or is there a demon paper/other abrasive that would do the job?

Tim

[Dave Liquorice]

"does seem to toch them", so what is the problem? B-)

Bit of both I suspect.

Try a belt sander along the grain fitted with aluminium oxide paper. I've not got a belt sander but it's on the list I've had enough of orbital types dieing on me and they aren't that good at sanding if anything more than a minimal amount of material needs to be removed.

For hand sanding aluminium oxide papers are much better than anything else I've tried, the particles stay sharp longer and clogs and be simply removed by knocking the paper/sanding block against something.

[Tim Downie]

Doh! Finger trouble. Should of course have read "doesn't".

I'll give the aluminium oxide paper a go but I think I might need to go the route of a belt sander.

Cheers.

Tim

[boltmail]

A (sharp) plane if you can stand something non-motorised.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

A decent random orbital one works well. Those rectangular orbital types a waste of space. Check out Lidl for a pretty good random orbital one - rather larger diameter than most. Cheap decent discs from Lidl too.

[The Medway Handyman]

Belt sanders are the fastest way of ruining anything you use them on. Very hard to control. An elderly ex chippie I know once said that if you had a belt sander you should find someone you really dislike & give it to them. I think I agree.

Have you tried a random orbit sander? With 40 grit paper they remove stock like a good un, but can almost polish with 240 grit.

[John Rumm]

something like:

very good for this sort of job, I find having one in the workshop is great for cleaning up all sorts of things.

(The disc is actually surprisingly good as a primary machining tool for small items as well - you could use it to mitre small section picture frame material quickly and accurately).

Failing that, clamp a bunch of them together and stick em through a thicknesser.

[zymurgy]

Same with an electric plane, very easy to take too much off if you are ham fisted.

But there's nothing quite like either if you have a lot of doors to rip down and fit.

P.

[Dave Liquorice]

Hand held I can belive but I was thinking more of something where the powered belt is fixed and you move the work to it. Like that rather nifty looking and cheap machine from Axminster that Mr Rumm posted a link to.

TBH I don't know the last one I had was definately only orbit as it would leave nice little swirly lines as you moved it. That died. The previous couple I can't remember them leaving swirly lines.

How does a random orbit sander differ from an orbital sander? And how is the random bit generated?

[Dave Plowman (News)]

There are two pivots - so the center of the disc moves round a circle as well as the disc spinning.

I've not had the need to take one apart. Some form of epicyclic gearbox?

With the correct grit papers they can not only shift paint etc quickly but produce a pretty good finish that only needs a minimum of hand sanding to make perfect.

[The Medway Handyman]

Wot he said :-)

ROS are the way forward.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

They're hardly new - my Bosch one which is the smaller of the two I have is at least 10 years old. It was pretty expensive then, though.

[Dave Liquorice]

Ah right so the disc actually rotates as it would if you fitted a backing plate into a drill but the axis of that rotation is offset from the center of the disc. Never had one of them...

1043 and my new thing already.

[Rod]

But better... :-) Probably like a Spirograph in actual operation.

Damn fine devices - I concur that they can do fast attacks on thick, old paint and extraordinarily fine, smooth. I got the Bosch GEX-something or other (not now on Axminster site - maybe the 125-1AE is the replacement model?).

Speed control is essential.

[Tim Downie]

nice but overkill for me. In the end I bought the cheapest belt sander I could find (

[Dave Plowman (News)]

I can seriously recommend the Lidl one - it's 150mm, vary speed with soft start and a rather clever way of speeding it up by applying more pressure to the front handle. At about half the Bosch price for their smaller one. Mine has had a pasting and still works fine. Good dust extraction too.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

[Dave Liquorice]

Do Aldi do one? Lidl means going right into the centre of Carlisle, something we rarely do. Aldi has a store in Penrith or north Carlisle.

I guess I need to keep an eye on both those sites for their specials...

[The Medway Handyman]

You can sign up for a weekly e mail with both of them, I find it useful.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

I dunno - they don't seem to use the same supplier. But others have said Aldi stuff like this is ok.

You can get then to send you emails with the weekly specials. They've recently had a DIY day so it will be about a month before it comes round again.

Other way would be to get someone who lives closer to post one to you - still be a lot cheaper than a 'brand'.