sander

New Low-Vibration, High-Quality Random Orbital Sander from Bosch

December 8, 2011 By Paul Mayer & filed under Buying Advice, Product Review.

Bosch ROS65VCL-6 Review In spite of the fact that I use a ROS quite a bit, and have had a love/hate relationship with this tool category. I enjoy the benefits of fast, swirl free sanding, but the gyroscope effect from most of the units that I have used leaves me feeling beat up after a…

Abrasive Cleaner Stretcher

January 24, 2010 By David Munkittrick & filed under Shop Tips, Skill Building.

I regularly use abrasive cleaner sticks to prevent burning and extend the life of my drum sander belts. I hate to throw away the nubs when they get too short to hold against the spinning drum by hand, (I prefer to sand wood, not fingertips). Instead, I epoxy them onto some 1 x 2 scrap.…

How to Use a Belt Sander Like a Pro

November 19, 2009 By George Vondriska & filed under Sanding, Skill Building.

Many woodworkers are afraid of using a belt sander, and you can’t blame them. Used incorrectly, a belt sander can ruin, in seconds, a project that you spent days building. I’ve succeeded in making some reasonably flat boards into moonscapes, thanks to improper use of a belt sander. But I’ve learned from this, and want…

SuperMax 37-Inch Drum Sander

October 2, 2009 By David Munkittrick & filed under Buying Advice, Product Review.

George’s review of the Performax 22-44 was so popular we thought it might interest our readers to hear about the advantages a larger machine offers. This is a review of the SuperMax 37; a machine that shares a lot of great features with the Performax 22-44, including variable speed feed rate, a non-slip conveyor belt,…

Hand Abrasive Planer

August 17, 2009 By David Munkittrick & filed under Sanding, Skill Building.

I reach for my hand abrasive planer whenever I need to flush up hardwood edging to a veneered surface, sand a table top, or flatten figured wood. It never leaves tear-out like my iron planes and it never creates dips and divots like my power sanders can. I also use it to joint the edges…

George’s Top 5 Must-Have Stationary Woodworking Tools for Your Workshop

September 11, 2008 By George Vondriska & filed under Buying Advice, Tool Education.

I’m asked all the time, “What’s the first tool I should get?” My tongue-in-cheek answer is, “A credit card with a high limit.” But since people really do want advice on stationary tool purchases, I’ve developed “George’s Top 5 List.” It’s important to understand that this is my list of preferred tools and there will…

JET 22-44 Drum Sanders

September 8, 2008 By George Vondriska & filed under Buying Advice, Product Review.

Two new versatile, production-class sanding machines – the JET 22-44 OSC Drum Sander, $2,451, and JET 22-44 Pro-3 Sander with Digital Readout, $2,647 – feature exclusive SandSmart variable feed control from 0 to 10 feet per minute. Variable feed control enables the operator to use the best sanding rate for each job and helps prevent…