20 Tips for Mastering the Random Orbit Sander – How to Sand Like a Pro

There are lots of work that you can learn fast when you use a perfect power tool. Whether you are working with wood, clean and smooth metal, and plastic, there are different kinds of the application you need to perform. You need to finish as fast as you can. That’s why we suggest you use an orbit sander.

The orbit sander is a handheld power tool that is using an orbit blade that has a random orbit action. More or less, everyone uses this powerful handheld tool with other power tools and own a sander. It doesn’t matter which work you want to do, but if you decided to work with wood, you must use this device.

Would you think that sanding is a funny and secure job? Without this device, you cannot get genuinely finished wood or other materials. Spend a lot of hours for smoothing the corner of the house, and paints, cleaning the untidy furniture. But if you have this user- friendly power tool, you can get a scratch-free and smooth finishing job.

This orbit sander has a speed control system so that this tool can do lots of things. You can keep the speed slow if you need fine finishing; on the other hand, you can crank it up during the more difficult job. All these positive features don’t mean that there is nothing to learn about the device.

Here I am giving you some tips which can help you to be mastering your sander work faster, get smooth finishing of the surface, and avoid scratches.

• How it works: There is a disk shape sanding pad of a random orbital sander that can move in two different ways. It can vibrate in the tiny loops, and at the same time, it can run in circles. This circle movement can overlap, intersect, and becoming partly invisible. You will be very careful when you are doing your sanding job if you are doing it in the wrong way, the device cannot work correctly. Sometimes there will be invisible scratches are on the raw board. A coat of stain and a rough surface can highlight them. So before starting your job, read the instruction properly, that gives with the device.
• Get it ready before you start: First, you will turn this efficient sander on, let the device spin. Don’t contact the materials until it is up to speed.
• Go slow while sanding: While you are in a hurry, don’t go for this sanding job at that time. The slower you go, the more random you can do your work accurately. It's not an easy job; you have to train yourself move and scrawl very slowly like a turtle. Approximately 1 inch per second, you need to move. You can take a stopwatch to do the practice.
• Apply careful pressure: You have to hold the sander firmly; no need to press downward. The strength of the sander itself, your arms, and hands pressure together a lot of weight—so no need to give extra weight for sanding task. If you provide extra pressure, you can remove the wood surface quickly, but it's not reproductive, and cant gives you well finishing. Additional weight can also slow down the pads' rotation.
• Overlap passes: On the big surface of the wood, you need to sand with overlapping passes. You can use a mark for the pattern, the surface overlapping equally. Keep sanding until the pencil marks are gone completely. To get the accurate result to overlap each pass by about ½ pass.
• Hold it softly: You have to hold the sander very firmly and softly. Just use it in a circular motion. Don’t push it hard. It has the power to remove unwanted materials quickly.
• Use quality disc for quality work: Depending on the job you want to do, you need to select the drive. The disc can pass arbitrary power. A super-fast grit disc cannot solve all the problems appropriately. You have to buy your sanding disks in 100, 150, and 220. Don’t need to buy through 80-100-120-150-180-220-320. High-quality grit disc will give you grit particles with uniform sizes. The cheap disk has few oversize particles which can sand the surface uniformly. You can save money when you use a better disc.
• Sand with the grain: The grain means the direction of the wood fibers. The main principle of the woodworker is to sand the wood with the grain direction. The orbital sander moves the sandpaper in a circular motion. If the instructions are against the grain direction, you will get uneven finishing.
• Ignoring the annoying marks and spots: With very little pressure, you can operate the orbit sander. If you run the sander in the wrong direction, you can prevent the work. When you use a pencil mark during your sanding job for getting even a result, after finishing this job, you can see some annoying marks and spots over the surface area. You may not also see the places before sanding. When you can see the spots, if you start sanding again, it can cause permanent damage, which cannot repair back. If there will be any scope to damage the surface for this kind of marks and spots, you must ignore those marks and spots.
• Hand finishing: Finally, you have to give hand finishing after the orbital sanding to get the best result. When you are doing the final hand-finishing, use the same last grit disc that you are using before with your sander.
• Dust collection: During sanding, lots of dust produce inside the orbital sander. Don’t let the dirt build up inside the device because it prevents the job. Keep the dost collector pipe or bag attached to the device. When you use the dust collection pipe, you can see the machine can work faster and last for a long time. It can also clean the air from dust particles. Remember that you should make the dust collector clean.
• Sand twice as fast: You need to practice more if you want to sand with your one hand. You can handle two sanders at a time if you are expert enough. Keep the two devices alongside and move slowly. If you sand in different directions, then you can sand more than others. The sander which has handle can work comfortably. You can hold the handle with one hand and can operate efficiently. Most of the right angle sander comes with a detachable handle that comes with the sander.
• Don’t forget the edge: This handheld power tool is easy to operate and perfect for working with the sides. You can swap the sander in any commands you need. The orbital sander does not use any special polish. When you want to change the sandpaper, you can change it according to your needs.
• Use anti vibration gloves: You have to wear heavy gloves when you are sanding. Any kind of heavy glove can help you, but if you ware an anti-vibration glove, which is used during the operation of orbit sander, which is appropriate for you.
• Don’t angle your sander: Don’t press the sander downward and always keep the sander moving slowly. Don’t work it within angle position; keep the sander in a level position.
• Put the string over your shoulder so that you can work quickly.

Safety Tips

• Wear hearing protection and a dust mask.
• Don’t forget to unplug the device before attache the sandpaper, changing the disc or dust bag
• You have to use our Product Recalls checker to find out if any of your electrical items have been recalled.
• Check the plug and socket regularly.
• Before using the device, make sure that the cord is long enough to move basically where you want to operate it.
• The item that you are sanding make it secure
• The sander keep on a flat surface
• When you are fining your sanding job, you must unplug the device.
• Must clean the sander after every use.

I think if you read the article properly and maintain all the tips given here, you can be sure about when not to use the sander. This orbital sander will be the best device of your toolbox. Just remember that you have to use the sander in the right way, you can feel proud.