I need to replace the velcro backing pad on my random orbital sander (Bosch 3283 DVS). When I looked online for the part, I found that I can get a hard, soft, or extra soft backing pad. I don’t know what came with the sander, nor which I want.
I’m thinking that the hard pad might function like sandpaper on a block, while the soft pad might be more like sandpaper held in the hand. I use the sander mostly to smooth flat surfaces so I’m thinking that the hard pad would be better for me.
Does that seem right?
Thanks.
–Whit
If you have money, buy wood and tools. If you have money left over, buy food and clothing.
Replies
Whit,
The hard pad is better for flattening a surface exactly, but it is less forgiving of bad technique. Leaning the tool can burn through at the disk edge a lot faster with a hard pad.
Bill
Bill--Thanks for the information. Based on that, I suppose that it is the soft pad which came with the sander. That pad always worked fine for me. Now I'm thinking, tool junkie that I am, that I should have both a hard and a soft pad.--WhitIf you have money buy wood and tools. If you have money left over, buy food and clothing.
FSN,I kludged a hard pad out of sheet cork that I bought as interface for shop made sanding blocks. I doubled it up, so its roughly 1/8" thick.On one side, I contact cemented an old sanding disk loop side up/grit side down. It adheres just fine to the sander's original pad. Less elegantly, I just contact cement the good disk to the business end of the cork pad. I even drilled holes to match the sander's pattern to keep dust collection working.This solution is an inexpensive, bald faced lie to make a DeWalt ROS act like my buddy's high end Festool. It doesn't, of course, but the benefits are still apparent. Whether using Norton 3x or Abranet disks, the cork pad setup uses the whole surface of the sanding disk, so the job goes a bit faster and seems to leave a nicer finish.Incidentally, I bought the 1/2" thick Abranet interface pad, it's quite soft. Not really sold that it's any more effective on flats than the cork.Cheers
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