DA Sander Sizing??

[John in OH]

As a follow-up to a previous posting about pneumatic DA sanders ....

Regarding 5" vs. 6", my intended use will be occasional prep on farm tractors and miscellaneous equipment, not large car panels. So, would the smaller 5" sander provide any significant advantage in "usability" or functionality, due to its smaller size, that would out-weigh the higher power and/or sanding speed of a 6"??

Most tractor panels are smaller and have more bends, attachments, folds, etc.

If you were to buy only one size, which would you choose for general miscellaneous work??

 

[gamescastspencer]

I use both 5 and 6 inch sanding pads on my da. It really depends more on what size abrasive I have available, but the six inch typically will move more material being that it's surface speed is higher. I'd say get a 6 inch and buy a 5 inch pad and give both a try since different pads are fairly inexpensive.

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[Bill Bowman]

6" seems to be the standard at the shops I've worked at, although there are some areas where a 5" would work well. Generally, I would say 6" and in a palm sander design. You have good control and balance, however, I'm not sure if a D-A is available in the palm sander. The ones I have are only orbital and do not have a lock-in feature that a true D-A would have. (hence the name, dual action). Very rare to need to lock the sander in, IMHO.

 

[rlitman]

...I'd say get a 6 inch and buy a 5 inch pad and give both a try since different pads are fairly inexpensive...

My Dynabrade instructions specifically say not to do just this. The machine is carefully balanced against a specific sized pad, and switching pad sizes will cause vibration that is damaging to both the machine and your hand.

For dry sanding, 5" offers better dust collection, as the skirt surrounds the pad. 6" has higher surface speed, so it is faster.

 

[Alaniho]

As a follow-up to a previous posting about pneumatic DA sanders ....

Regarding 5" vs. 6", my intended use will be occasional prep on farm tractors and miscellaneous equipment, not large car panels. So, would the smaller 5" sander provide any significant advantage in "usability" or functionality, due to its smaller size, that would out-weigh the higher power and/or sanding speed of a 6"??

Most tractor panels are smaller and have more bends, attachments, folds, etc.

If you were to buy only one size, which would you choose for general miscellaneous work??

6" is definitely more popular and the discs are therefore easier to get at bulk prices. A bug sander like below is often used for small parts or awkward small panels in bodyshops where the 6" DA is not quite suited. The 5" is a little smaller but not enough to make a big difference in your situation IMHO.

http://www.airvantagetools.com/OS-Advanced-3x4in.html

 

[gamescastspencer]

My Dynabrade instructions specifically say not to do just this. The machine is carefully balanced against a specific sized pad, and switching pad sizes will cause vibration that is damaging to both the machine and your hand.

For dry sanding, 5" offers better dust collection, as the skirt surrounds the pad. 6" has higher surface speed, so it is faster.

My 30+ year old Rockwell DA doesn't have any instructions so... [emoji846] If it did say to not switch pad sizes for balance reasons, I'll say that it still is unbalanced with either size. On a high end Dynabrade I'd understand but on an old cheapie that is more wore out than not, I think it's a moot point.

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[5ktq]

on ones you can get replacement parts for (eg. dynabrade) you can switch pads but you need to replace the motor shaft with balance weight on it too, afaik