Recommend me an orbital sander.

[Jim@sea]

I've had one of these for some years now. Still doing sterling service !

Mac Allister Corded 300W 220-240V Random orbit sander MSOS300 | DIY at B&Q

They are quite good I bought one from Screwfix and lent it to someone who burnt it out, Took it back to Screwfix and as they had recorded the purchase 11 months ago just gave me a new one.
The best one to buy which body shops use is a Stork I bought on around 1985 and they were £130 over £325 now.

 

[Kelpie]

Probably too lightweight for the OP but I'm delighted with my Makita cordless sander, it's transformed the task of doing brightwork whilst away from mains power.

 

[lindseymorgan]

My husband has a Makita cordless Sander, I steal it sometimes to do some work with it.

 

[Scarron]

Mirka all the way, so lightweight and controllable. Use the Abranet discs and the whole process becomes dustless.
Mirka DEROS System 1 240v ACE Kit
Expensive but absolutely the best.

 

[john_morris_uk]

ha! Just doing it at the moment. Beast of choice is Matika BO6030 with Mirka pad savers and abrasives and a shop vac. Starting at 40g to 80 and finishing up at 120.
Great machine.

The very tool I’ve been using on daughters new washboards I’ve been making over the last few days.

 

[SaltIre]

My husband has a Makita cordless Sander, I steal it sometimes to do some work with it.

Welcome to the forums Lindsey. What kind of work are you doing?

 

[lenten]

I use Wolf on a semi-professional basis. Excellent and always some-one to speak to on the phone!

are wolf still going ------best tools ever------30+ years ago

 

[lindseymorgan]

Welcome to the forums Lindsey. What kind of work are you doing?

Thanks!
There was a wooden cupboard that needed some work, and my husband had no time to do it.

 

[Goldie]

There seems to be a huge range and widespread prices. Application is for preparing the hull for Coppercoat.

Is this a tool that will see ongoing frequent use or, when the hull prep is complete, rarely see the light of day?

Like others, I have a great respect for Makita tools but when faced with sanding a 36ft grp hull a few years ago, I bought a cheap orbital sander from Toolstation for £19.95 (for a 450W sander) thinking that if it failed before the job was complete, at least it had a 2 year warranty. That was about 12 years ago and it’s still going strong!

 

[Stemar]

Thanks!
There was a wooden cupboard that needed some work, and my husband had no time to do it.

I hope that man knows how well off he is

 

[Rappey]

Pick one with variable speed (helps when you want a little more control) and at least 300w power so it can effortlessly spin those p60 discs .

 

[savageseadog]

Metabo

 

[savageseadog]

An extra thought on sanders, and here I'm talking about dual action orbital sanders. How well do the sanders you've used collect the dust? I've rigged a vacuum extraction system with mine but because I generally use second hand tools they never come with the on-tool dust collectors so I've no experience with them.

 

[Poignard]

An extra thought on sanders, and here I'm talking about dual action orbital sanders. How well do the sanders you've used collect the dust? I've rigged a vacuum extraction system with mine but because I generally use second hand tools they never come with the on-tool dust collectors so I've no experience with them.

That's a good point.

It is irresponsible, inconsiderate and dangerous not to collect the antifouling dust and dispose of it safely.

 

[howardclark]

Metabo duo for me -

 

[Poignard]

I have a Metabo SXE 450 which is very good but it uses 150mm discs. I wish I had bought the next one down that takes 125mm discs because that would have been more handy when working on the boat.

It would have been improved if it had an electronic brake.

 

[Laysula]

Some years ago I bought a Wickes 1/2 sheet sander. It was probably the worst tool I have ever bought. The vibration from it was excruciating. I later bought a Makita and gave the Wickes one away. The only "fault " with the makita is the size of the pipe for dust extraction, it's rather small in diameter.
Why can there not be some sort of industry standard for these things?

 

[lustyd]

My brother is a sprayer and he recommends using paper on a length of ply as it's significantly faster than a sander and also prduces a better result. If you're just keying the hull then orbital might be the way to go but if it's a full prep I'd seriously consider manual sanding as it will reduce the work involved. You may need two people to hold the ply though.

 

[penberth3]

are wolf still going ------best tools ever------30+ years ago

Not still going, it's only a revival of the brand name, I wouldn't expect the same quality as 30 years ago.

 

[GunfleetSand]

Picked up one of these at a boat jumble must be four years ago. Have given it absolute hell since then, finishing floors, drywall joints, worktops and more. Well worth the £10 I paid and still going strong. New ones get a two year warranty.