From the job to the machine
| Job | Machine type | Why | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoothing furniture, tabletops and panels between grits | Random orbital (5 in) | A round pad that orbits and spins, for general sanding of flat surfaces | Random orbital |
| The same, away from an outlet | Cordless random orbital | The same machine on a battery platform | Cordless |
| Flat work right up to an inside edge | Quarter- or third-sheet | A square-cornered pad taking clamped paper | Palm and detail |
| Small parts and narrow recesses | Mini random orbital (3 in) | A smaller round pad | Mini |
| Removing stock, levelling glue-ups | Handheld belt | A belt running in a straight line under a flat platen | Belt |
| Squaring ends, shaping small parts, inside curves | Bench belt-and-disc, or spindle | The work is brought to a fixed abrasive on a table | Benchtop |
| Flattening wide boards and panels | Drum | A drum over a powered conveyor | Benchtop drum |
Machine motions as the sander guide describes them from the makers' manuals; each linked guide has named models' figures.
What to settle before choosing a model
- One machine or several. A random orbit sander covers general sanding; the other types each do one job it cannot. Buy the others when a job needs them.
- Corded or battery. A battery sander ties you to its maker's platform; voltage labels are not a measure of how it sands. See cordless random orbital sanders and portable sanders.
- Abrasives. Every machine takes its own format — round discs with a hole pattern, cut sheets, belts of one size, sleeves. See choosing sandpaper.
- Dust. Every type comes with a bag, box or port, and none of those is exhaust ventilation on its own; OSHA's preferred control is exhaust at the source. Stationary machines such as drum sanders need a dust collector sized as their maker states.
- Space and power. Bench machines need a firm surface — RIKON says its belt-and-disc sander must be fastened down — and drum sanders a circuit their maker specifies.
Before buying
How each type moves and what its figures mean is in the sander guide; the technique for the commonest machine is in using a random orbital sander; and the grit sequence that applies to all of them is in how to sand wood.
Before buying a sander
- The job: smoothing, edges, corners, removal, curves or flattening
- The machine type for it
- Corded or battery, and the platform
- The abrasive format, and where to buy it
- Dust: bag, box, port and extractor
- Space, mounting and power for a bench machine
Sources
Specification-based: the machine types are as their makers describe them; figures for named models are in each type's guide. No sander was tested, none is ranked, and no prices are given.
- 1.
ROS20VSC 5 In. Random Orbit Sander/Polisher. Bosch.
Used for: A random orbit sander's round 5 in hook-and-loop pad and variable speed.
- 2.
Finishing Sander BO4555 / BO4556, Instruction Manual. Makita.
Used for: A finishing (quarter-sheet) sander's 4-3/8 × 4 in pad taking clamped paper.
- 3.
MOUSE Detail Sander, 1.2 Amp, Corded (BDEMS600). BLACK+DECKER.
Used for: A detail sander's pad for odd and awkward angles.
- 4.
Belt Sander 9403 / 9921, Instruction Manual. Makita.
Used for: A 4 × 24 in handheld belt sander, held with both hands.
- 5.
50-112 4" x 36" Belt / 6" Disc Sander, Operator's Manual. RIKON Power Tools.
Used for: A bench belt-and-disc sander fastened to a workbench, with a tilting table.
- 6.
JBOS-5 Benchtop Oscillating Spindle Sander, Owner's Manual. JET.
Used for: An oscillating spindle sander with sleeves from 1/4 to 2 in.
- 7.
16-32 Drum Sander, Owner's Manual. SuperMax Tools (Laguna Tools).
Used for: A drum sander sanding 32 in wide in two passes on a 16 in drum, with a 20 A service and a 600 cfm minimum dust collector.
- 8.
Wood Dust: Possible Solutions. U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Used for: Exhaust ventilation at the source as the preferred control for wood dust.
About this buying guide
Written by BenchRoot Editorial. How BenchRoot sources, checks and corrects its pages is set out in the Editorial Policy. If something here is wrong or unclear, the contact page explains how to tell us.