Hi,
I don't think this is a crazy idea but...
I'm having a heck of a time finding someone with a drum sander to a 42" wide table top I've glued up. You can now rent floor sanders that are essentially 4 random orbit sanders. My understanding is that they're not very aggressive (although more so than the big square orbital sander)
Why wouldn't this be a good way to sand my table top? Has anyone tried it? The material is white oak.
Thanks.
Mat
All crazy ideas are initially described that way. ;)
It'd probably work. Not sure how dead flat it would get it and how dead flat you really need it.
In my situation, having to drive to rent the sander, lugging it back, sanding the table top, returning the sander, paying the rental fee and buying however much paper I'd used...well, I'd be more likely to use planes and scraper planes. It's more work, but I'm cheap, I like planes and the exercise is good for you (at least I'll believe that until next week when they'll come out with a new study saying otherwise!). I doubt the sander would save you enough hours to compensate for the travel, rental and gym club membership unless your glued up top isn't very flat to start with.
RYou get extra points if you can get your wife to sand it while it's installed in the house, clothing optional...
The last time I had to do this, I glued up the top in halves (to fit the sander), put 'em through said sander and then did the final glue up in my studio. It worked pretty well and the effort to correct any misalignment was minor.
I've never seen one. Now I'm not disputing that these exist, but if they're any use on a floor then presumably they're nuclear-powered and just as powerful as the usual floor drum sanders. I wouldn't want to use anything of that power (and fondness for cutting divots) on a table top.
Tue, Dec 5, 2006, 3:04pm (EST-3) snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com waves and writes this message in orange crayon: Hi, I don't think this is a crazy idea
I would "not" stand on top of the table while doing it. Other then that, I don't know if I'd want to try it or not - never used one of those sanders - mostly it'd depend on how much disposable funds I had that I could to waste. I'd want to see one demonstrated first. What I might try instead is a nice flat piece of timber, with sandpaper glued on, like a real long sanding board. It'd be preferred to have someone on the other end too.
If you do try it, be sure to let us know if it works well or not. So the rest of us will know to it's OK to try it - or if we should send a get well soon card..
JOAT I am, therefore I think.
I believe that version of floor sander is for finer work than the drum type. For example a new floor where the surface is more or less flat. The old drum types are used when a significant amount of material needs to be removed. If your table glue-up is flat and you have a good match from borad to board then the orbital type might work but then again why would you need it? I assume you have some difference from board to board...? If so, I think it is either a drum sander or planes, etc. If you do try the floor sander I might build a simple box that fits just over the table top so you have something to guide (or stop) the sander at the edges.
Good Luck
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