Fig. 9
Sanding Tips
Aluminum oxide, silicon carbide, or other
synthetic abrasives are recommended for
power sanding. Natural abrasives, such as flint
or garnet sheets, are too soft for economical
use in power sanding; the uniform spacing
between grains minimizes filling or loading.
High quality aluminum oxide sheets with heavy
backing sand faster and last longer.
Some applications, such as plastics, glass, or
stone require silicon-carbide discs, which have
very sharp cutting edges.
For best results, use sanding accessories
that are of superior quality and are carefully
selected to produce professional quality results
with your sander.
The following are recommended abrasive sheets and applications:
1. Coarse Grit: For rough wood sanding.
2. Medium Grit: For general wood sanding.
3. Fine Grit: For smoothing wood or plaster patches.
4. Extra Fine Grit: For final sanding bare wood and smoothing old paint.
With the workpiece firmly secured, turn the tool on as described above. Contact the work with
the tool only after the sander has reached its full, selected speed. Remove it from the work
before switching the tool off. Operating your sander in this manner will prolong the switch and
motor life and greatly increase the quality of your work.
Move the sander in long, steady strokes, parallel to the grain, and use a slight lateral motion
to overlap the strokes by as much as 75%. DO NOT apply excessive pressure — let the tool
do the work. Excessive pressure will result in poor handling, vibration, and unwanted sanding
marks (Fig. 9).
If the surface is rough, begin with coarser grits and then complete the surfacing with medium
and fine abrasives. Because the random orbit action is so effective, it is often possible to
begin sanding with a medium grit disc and go directly to fine finishing. To avoid uneven
results, do not skip more than one grit size when going from coarser to finer grits, and do not
sand in one area for too long. When the job is completed, release switch, and gently lift the
tool from the work surface at the same time.
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