RO vs Sheet sander? Why sheet...

[tarbellb]

Never been a sheet sander guy, I've done way to much sanding w my RO.

Never understood the advantages of sheet sanders other then getting into a corner.
That's what my Multi tool and triangle adapter is for.

So what's up with sheet sanders, advantages?

 

[manwithtools]

You can sand along inside edges and into corners better with a sheet sander.

 

[Old tool guy]

I have a porter cable #505 half sheet sander that does a great job with fine grit, covering a large area. This is one tool where “don’t push, let the weight of the tool do the work” is the right answer and easy to follow.

 

[kyrbz]

I use a RO sander 99% of the time, but I still have and occasionally use a Makita 1/4 sheet palm sander I bought in the early 80’s when I was in high school. I would say one thing I like about sheet sanders is the paper wraps around two edges which is safer for sanding edges or radius. Because the paper is rolled around an edge, there’s much less chance of the paper catching or getting under the grain and blowing out an edge.

 

[y'sguy]

a square or rectangle of Sandpaper is more cost-effective than a disc.
Does that keep me from buying? No, not so much. I buy some of both. The consumables are usually the most costly of any job. Hard to win at that game.

 

[RTM]

a square or rectangle of Sandpaper is more cost-effective than a disc.
Does that keep me from buying? No, not so much. I buy some of both. The consumables are usually the most costly of any job. Hard to win at that game.

Also, every sheet of sandpaper in the store fits your sander. Not so true with most ROS.

Mine gets mostly used for inside edges, but helps on open edges, less likely to round them off.

 

[strutaeng]

Yep, just the corners benefit. Trying to sand against an inside corner with a round sander often results in damaging the sandpaper especially if not centered correctly. Unless you have a high end sander like Festool with the edge protector feature.

Sheet sanders are usually not as aggressive either, so not the best for heavy stock removal or stripping coatings.

On the automotive DA sanders, you can get them in 3/32 and 3/16 throw.

 

[manwithtools]

On the automotive DA sanders, you can get them in 3/32 and 3/16 throw.

Festool woodworking RO Sanders are available in 3mm or 5mm stroke as well.

 

[KnurledNut]

The holes in RO sanding discs can be a nuisance and even cause damage to the pad or material as they can get hung up on edges or when sanding objects smaller than the disc diameter. I had to sand the paint off some 1" aluminum channel and I brought my Bosch RO that has a microfiltration pleated filter. But the 8 holes caused more issue than benefit and was trashing my expensive premium Bosch discs prematurely. The backing pad was also too soft and rounding off the edges. I really wish I had my sheet sander for that job.

I find the pads on RO to be especially soft when using just the tapered edge and this can be a negative as it tends to be prone to removing too much material. Also if the disc isn't on straight its hard to control doing edges and it can even cut into intersecting surfaces. The firm edges of a sheet sander can offer more control without cutting an arc. I've also folded the edge of the paper 90° up the side of a sheet sander to work corners. I've refinished wood stairways and the sheet sander gets into corners and cut down on how much time is followed up by a triangle detail sander.

RO discs are easily found in common grits like 60-220. Some places carry extra coarse and fine like 40, 320, 400, but less common. 500 and finer grits can be difficult to find in store and this is where sheet sanders shine. Basic scotchbrite pads (for surface conditioning) are easy to put on a clamp style sheet sander versus having to buy special discs for RO.

I prefer the less aggressive action of a sheet sander when knocking down and smoothing out bondo on flat surfaces.

Good to have both.

 

[dnschmidt]

A sheet sander has a far different meaning in the autobody world than it does in woodworking. A Hutchins Hustler is a very aggressive sheet sander as are other straight line sanders by CP and IR. These are used for leveling Bondo. I follow that up with a Hutchins 800 orbital sheet sander to finish the Bondo. In the distant olden days we use pneumatic jitterbug sanders for finish sanders prior to National Detroit introducing the DA.

 

[Wamsutta]

The Porter-Cable 505 1/2 sheet sander and the Porter-Cable 330 1/4 sheet sander.

The two best finish sanders the world has ever known.