Is a cordless orbital sander supposed to do this?

[remagenman]

So I bought a Ridgid brushless orbital sander, it has pretty decent reviews but when I use it it kinda skips all over the place instead of being in one spot.

If i'm trying to sand a small board in one small spot it just moves all over the place erratically making it a pita to just sand a small area.

My corded orbital sander is a beast and just rotates where I need it, I was hoping the cordless one would do the same thing but it does not.

I don't know if this is how all orbital sanders act or just a Ridgid thing. Thanks.

 

[darkzero]

Sounds like the Ridgid you got is a random orbital sander & your corded one is just an orbital sander.

 

[GeoBruin]

Could that just be the "Random" in "Random Orbital Sander"?

They are supposed to skip around like that but once you're used to it becomes normal. That said, it is not the best tool for sanding a small concentrated spot. In fact it was designed not to focus on a small spot.

My favorite is an oscillating multi-tool with a sanding head. Lots of good material removal right where you need it. Unfortunately I end up melting the sanding pad and occasionally the velcro backer into goo when pushing too hard on one corner.

 

[SRSemenza]

A random orbital shouldn't skip all over either.

Make sure the pad is not installed out of plane, seated properly.

Don't press down on the sander.

Got a model # ?

Seth

 

[James-W]

I have a Bosch random orbital sander and it works just fine in a small area. I have other Ridgid tools, but not a Ridgid random orbital sander so I am not familiar with how well they perform. But it would seem to me that if the sander wanders uncontrollably all over the wood, there may be something wrong with it.

 

[remagenman]

A random orbital shouldn't skip all over either.

Make sure the pad is not installed out of plane, seated properly.

Don't press down on the sander.

Got a model # ?

Seth

It's the R8606B , currently $79. Pad is centered.

 

[remagenman]

Could that just be the "Random" in "Random Orbital Sander"?

They are supposed to skip around like that but once you're used to it becomes normal. That said, it is not the best tool for sanding a small concentrated spot. In fact it was designed not to focus on a small spot.

My favorite is an oscillating multi-tool with a sanding head. Lots of good material removal right where you need it. Unfortunately I end up melting the sanding pad and occasionally the velcro backer into goo when pushing too hard on one corner.

Damn, is there a good cordless orbital sander without the random part?

 

[remagenman]

This is from a review from the Home Depot site and explains exactly how I feel about it.

"Hard to control
This is by far the hardest to control orbit sander that I have ever used. It jumps back and forth all over the work surface when sanding flat. I have tried different methods of holding and varying levels of pressure. Nothing seem to completely remove the jumping and jerking. Only thing that works it holding the sander at an angle. I would pass on this and buy a corded version."

Otherwise all the other Ridgid tools I have are top notch.