1/2 Sheet Sanders

[Bert_]

Why are these not common?

I just bought this makita sander. All I've used in the past were various 1/4 sheet sanders that are very common, I am no woodworker by any means. First time using this today and I am impressed.

It's smooth, it's quiet and covers a lot of material quickly. 1/2 the noise it makes is from the sandpaper on the wood. I sanded several cabinet doors, about 12' of base cabinet face and 2 medium size uppers in no time at all.

Seems like all the major brands used to make these sanders but now all I could find was Makita and Bosch. Why have they fallen out of favor?

I was a little bulky doing the smaller door it's sitting on, but not really any worse than a 1/4 sheet. Great for doing the bigger doors, the faces and sides of the cabinets. Almost looking forward to making my baseboard now.

 

[MrNatural]

No idea. But I am really interested in what the experienced woodworkers are going to say, as I have been thinking of getting one for large flat surfaces myself.

The random orbit circular sanders seem to get all the love nowadays...

 

[SK-Mike]

Just purchased the same identical model a couple of weeks ago. Haven’t got to use it yet , but it seems built well.

 

[Rusty Musket]

It's not that they have really fallen out of favor it's just that they really only excel at one task. They are "finishing" sanders with a fairly small orbit. They are great for final prep on bare wood or a fine sanding between coats of finish. Their significant mass means no additional force is needed when sanding horizontal surfaces and the dust collection option is a much welcomed feature. The square base is also great for sanding up next to adjacent surfaces and getting into corners.

On a jobsite however, a lot of sanding is on vertical or even overhead surfaces. These are 2-handed machines and they are just too cumbersome for spot sanding most of the time. Random orbital sanders can be much more aggressive (quicker) at their assigned task and the convenient changing of hook-n-loop grits takes only seconds. Most are multi-speed, one-handed machines and can be used for hours at a time when necessary. Each tool has its benefits which is of course why we all need more of them

 

[Bert_]

Now it's been 4 or 5 years since I've had my hands on a random orbit but this seemed noticably faster. Maybe I need to get my hands on one again? I can definitely agree with the weight comment, vertical surfaces aren't bad but anything overhead does get tiring. Flat surfaces and anything below chest level and it's great.

 

[Bigblockyeti]

I'm actually in the market for a newer one myself. I have grandpa's old Craftsman 1/2 sheet orbital sander but it has no dust collection and despite not being too loud, any decent newer one will be quieter. It also has a belt that could let go at any moment and is no longer made and to the best of my research, no equivalent is available either.

Long live the sheet sanders!!!!