Hi all, I'm wondering... using the random orbital sander on the face side of boards seems whats it is made to do. When I use it to clean up the 3/4 inch thick parts of the board I always wonder should I be using another type of sander. What is the group's experience with this? Thanks in advance, John O'Toole
On exposed surfaces of often do a roundover. A couple of passes with sandpaper is all that is needed. On a flat edge, I use the ROS. Just keep it perpendicular and it works. Ed snipped-for-privacy@snet.net
My experience is that it's risky business. Real grabby and tough to control.
A quick run with a plane is my preference, second is a quick scrape, third is a 1/4 sheet Rockwell orbital.
I have no problem with it, but I do it with care, always keeping the hand that holds the board closer to the sander for stability (wear a leather glove on that hand if need be). Also, try putting the workpiece in your vice. The more stable the workpiece the more control you have over the ROS. If you have more than one edge to do, stack them, then put them in the vice.
I'm getting some mixed messages here. Your subject is edge of boards, in the body you say face side, then you talk about the 3/4" thick parts.
Are you asking about the wide flat face, or the edges (the narrow part) of the stock?
it helps to slow it down all of the way....
dave
John O'Toole wrote:
snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com (John O'Toole) wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@posting.google.com:
For the types of projects I do (one at a time, no production runs to speak of), a well-tuned hand plane or three gets them very close. Then a rubber sanding block (actually three - 120, 220, 320) touches them up. If it's needed.
If you are doing a kitchen full of drawers, doors and face frames, another, more mechanized approach may be in order.
Turning off the machines, and hanging the ear muffs on the band saw knob offers a quieter, more peaceful moment in the process.
Enjoy the process!
Patriarch
I sometimes (actually quite a bit) sand the edge with a ROS with 150 grit. You need a light touch and good control. However, you will still get some rounding due to slight loss of control and the softness of the sanding pad. If I really need the edge square, I hand sand with sandpaper wrapped around a block of wood.
Preston
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