Orbital vs sheet sander. The random orbital sander. As a result these tools are often called quarter sheet sanders. Random orbital sander vs. Learn the differences between random orbit sanders and finish or sheet sanders.
You have to be somewhat careful when buying media because there are 2 standard but basically incompatible hole patterns 5 hole and 8 hole. The orbital sander is the older simpler and less expensive of these two tools. Orbital sander vs random orbital sander. It generally has a square foot that accepts a quarter of a 911 sheet of sandpaper.
Read our guide on orbital sanders vs random orbital sanders to learn more. Finish sander duration. Regular orbital sander which is also known as sheet sander and. This does a great job of eliminating swirl marks so you get a higher quality finish.
A palm sander is nothing but a small orbital sander that uses a 14 sheet on a rectangular pad and hence they are also called 14 sheet sander. The motor on a orbital sander moves the pad in a motion similar to the sheet sander but in random is the operative term. The large orbital sander works on a similar principle but they are bigger in size. When you are ready to put the finishing touches on your wood piece and are going the power tool route then you need to get an orbital sander.
The random orbital sander used an offset drive bearing that causes the pad to also move in an elliptical pattern. Well they are 2 different tools made for different applications. There are larger orbital sanders for example 12 sheet which are not considered as palm sanders. A palm sander can be a great finish sander.
Orbital sander which to get. So looking at each of these tools ups and down assuming you already have an aggressive sanding tool like a drum sander you would be better off with palm sander. There are also half sheet orbital sanders. But remember the general recommendation is whenever youre using this sander you want to finish your project with hand sanding in the direction of the grain to make sure you take off any swirl marks left behind by a random orbit sander.
A random orbit sander costs the same or more than a sheet sander with more or less the same specs and the sanding discs cost more than normal sandpaper.