DA Sander Recomendation
- Thread starter WOOS1
- Start date
chad s
Well-known member
I would highly recommend going with either a Hutchins or a National Detroit. Both are USA made, and will last a LONG time. I have a National Detroit DAQ6, and I love it. I also have a Dynabrade (also a very good USA made brand) thats a little smoother and less aggressive for finish work. Hutchins will also be a smoother, less agressive DA.
What do you plan to do with it?
I'd pass on the Asian made IR's.
What do you plan to do with it?
I'd pass on the Asian made IR's.
ButterBread
New member
- Joined
- Jul 21, 2008
- Messages
- 2
chad s is on the ball, listen to the man.
I do auto body repair work and those are the three that came to my mind also.
JeepsAreBuilt
Well-known member
The Hutchins looks nice. I am not a professional auto-anything. I have been restoring several older tractors and do not have a sander (always borrowin one from my father -in-law). Do you think in my case that the Hutchins is worth the extra investment? Can you recomend a place to purchase from?
chad s
Well-known member
I dont own a Hutchins, but have used friends. They are not as aggressive as the National Detroit.
I use the ND DAQ6 for roughing up metal prior to applying filler, rouging out Duraglass, and finishing a weld seam.
I block by hand for filler skim coats and (definitely!) hand block for primer.
I use the Dynabrade with finer grits for preparing primers and epoxy's for more primer when they are out of their re-coat window.
I dell the ND DAQ6 is almost all I need, for what I do, I prefer to use the DA just for roughing work, so I like it a bit more aggressive.
The hutchins is a bit expensive, but its a very well built tool that will last a LONG time.
If your looking to do heavier sanding, like light paint stripping, I'd look into the National Detroit.
billymade
Well-known member
I have a couple ND DAQ's and thats all I used when I worked at a body shop (I was the lowest on the totem pole so guess who did all the sanding? I could tell you about the school bus they brought in one day for a paint job but I'll leave that story for another day.... LOL!); the weakness is the bearing that the "wobble" attachment is connected to. These tend to wear out, seize then the attachment to the pad falls off but they are easy to replace. My brother just bought a truck bed lining business and a Hutchins orbital sander came with the business; WOW am I impressed! A couple of observations; seems they are heavier in weight (could be beneficial to the sanding process), motors seem smoother, the body seems more durable (the plastics on the ND DAQ would crack all the time) and overall seems to be a superior tool. If your in the market for auto body tools check out this website for some of the best deals going.
http://www.autobodytoolmart.com/default.aspx
The history of the Hutchins tool company impressed me and gave me a idea why their products are so well made: http://www.hutchinsmfg.com/
click on the "AL HUTCHINS; Read The Hutchins Story" link
http://www.autobodytoolmart.com/default.aspx
The history of the Hutchins tool company impressed me and gave me a idea why their products are so well made: http://www.hutchinsmfg.com/
click on the "AL HUTCHINS; Read The Hutchins Story" link
Last edited:
JeepsAreBuilt
Well-known member
Tractors ? cool.. well, if you are not looking to spend much.. just buy a cheap palm orbit sander. Or, if you wanna spend some money but not too much... Dynabrade is pretty darn good.. and can be had for cheap.. check out thetoolwarehouse.net and sjdiscounttools.com for good prices on them.
BTW hutchins make quite a few DA's now. fine, aggressive, big, small, heavy, light.. etc..
For more detail on type of DA... for paint and body.. overall, I'd say a sander with 3/16" orbit is just right.
The vaccum question you had.. if a DA supports the vaccum thing, you dont have to use it. And, the IR ones would do you pretty good... however I'd say if your father in law had a hutchins.. you wouldnt want anything less.
BTW hutchins make quite a few DA's now. fine, aggressive, big, small, heavy, light.. etc..
For more detail on type of DA... for paint and body.. overall, I'd say a sander with 3/16" orbit is just right.
The vaccum question you had.. if a DA supports the vaccum thing, you dont have to use it. And, the IR ones would do you pretty good... however I'd say if your father in law had a hutchins.. you wouldnt want anything less.