Disc Sander

[rickal4884]

Can anyone recommend a relatively inexpensive disc sander?

[cdawgs65]

Hello, I have used a Porter and Cable, 5" disc orbital sander with vacuum holes on my boat for several years. I have only replaced the foam disc pad on it once so far and I've done some exstensive sanding. It has a speed set dial on it. I don't know how much it cost but I'd guess about a buck and a half, it was given to me used and from what I have done with it would be worth it. It is also great because I can hook it up to my wet/dry vac. Hope this helps.

[Tim]

Porter Cable 7335.

[Ryan]

Porter Cable 7335.

I'll second that.

[LazyGuy]

Porter Cable 7335.

I'll second that.

I am in for a third

[cmartin]

I upgraded from a hand held Dewalt to the Porter Cable this year; money well spent.

[Shark]

Porter Cable 7335.

I'll second that.

I am in for a third

I'm in for a 4th, with a minor variation. Mine's a 7336. Best sander I've ever owned!

[The Froon]

Is the pad for the Prorter Cable 7335 (5") a peel and stick, or is it the velcro type of application?

I have a right angle sander / buffer that I stick adhesive-backed pads to, but after some limited use the glues begins to heat up and the pads fly off.

This is no doubt a novice question, but I alreaIdy firmly believe in having the right tools for the job! I also know that the forums' members have those tools!

Thanks,

Brian

[bcooke]

I think the stock 7335 comes with the adhesive backed pad and the 97335 comes with the velcro. Or maybe it is the other way around.

In my experience the velcro heats up and melts rendering the pad useless forever. That only happens when sanding aggressively for hours though. I went through three velcro disks before I switched to adhesive backed. I find the adhesive backed to be more forgiving. I try not to leave the tool running when not pressed against the work surface so that the pad doesn't spin up so fast as to start casting discs around. I still cast a few but I think it is better than replacing the pad every other month.

[Tim]

The 7335 comes with a pad for stick-on (PSA) discs.

It will not heat up and spin off your discs the way your disc grinder will.

If you want the best discs for the sort of work you're doing, please visit this thread.

[cdawgs65]

I find if the disks are flying off, that the pad has some sort of residue on it that prevents the stickyback sandpaper from adhering , ie, dust, dirt, dog hair! So I've just wiped it with some thinner or acetone. I don't know if those are the correct cleaning agents to use but they were on hand at the time.

[Commander-147]

Most folks here like the 7335 which does not have dust collection from the cataloog I'm looking at. I know that a dust hose makes the tool heavier to hold but is it worth it to have the dust collection for the reduced dust in the air?

[Tim]

I find if the disks are flying off, that the pad has some sort of residue on it that prevents the stickyback sandpaper from adhering , ie, dust, dirt, dog hair! So I've just wiped it with some thinner or acetone. I don't know if those are the correct cleaning agents to use but they were on hand at the time.

When cleaning sanding pads, use only alcohol. The other thinners may actually make the problem worse over time.

[bcooke]

My 7335 came with dust collection. Or maybe it was that 97335 again.

There are times when it is nice to have and other times where the extra drag of the hose is a pain. It does reduce the amount of toxic dust in the air significantly.

[Tim]

The 97355 comes with dust collection and a plastic perforated hook-and-loop pad. This is the backing pad that apparently melts under the hard use generally required in restoring fiberglass boats; this backing pad might work OK for shop use and other materials. The plastic hook-and-loop pad is also firmer and thinner than the normal PSA pad, and you can't get the really good sanding discs for the hook-and-loop pad.


The 7335 is the standard 5" tool with the PSA pad and no dust collection. Yeah, it makes dust: it's a sander. I guess I'm old-school on this.


Note that these are the same tool--it's just the pads that are different. So you can swap out the pads as your heart desires.

[BALANCE]

Be prepared, this one like to dance. I had a hard time controlling it when using it above my head. IMHO the dust collection add on it pretty inadequate, hardly worth the trouble, although the hose it came with was a life saver on another sander.

[Commander-147]

Note that these are the same tool--it's just the pads that are different. So you can swap out the pads as your heart desires.

Thanks guys.

Tim the fact that they were the same tool was particularly helpful. If I'm working inside the boat with limited ventilation I can simply change out the pad and hook up my vac.

[Bluenose]

The 7335 comes with a pad for stick-on (PSA) discs.

It will not heat up and spin off your discs the way your disc grinder will.

If you want the best discs for the sort of work you're doing, please visit this thread.

Tim and Co.

Does anyone have a similar great reference for sandpaper for their hand sanding applications? Or doesn't it matter that much?

Thanks, Bill

[Tim]

I always have 2-3/4" and 4-1/2" PSA rolls in a variery of grits (80-320) on hand for use with my hand-sanding blocks and palm sander, so I normally just use that when I need to hand-sand. Or sometimes a folded-over 5" disc if need be, for the coarser stuff.

I rarely use 9x11 sheets, but not for any particular reason other than I have other materials on hand.