Replies

1. 
   Gretchen | Feb 09, 2003 03:01pm | #1

   For one thing you'll get a tennis elbow from the vibration!!

   Gretchen
2. 
   dirtstirrer | Feb 09, 2003 07:59pm | #2

    Sam,

        I just got into a dispute with my ROS.  For the life of me, I can't get the durn thing to stop making those cute little pigtail scraches in oak!  Infuriating!  I've gotten to the point were I don't even buy any sandpaper coarser then 240.  400 works OK.  What am I doing wrong?  Its a Makita and Makita paper.  It's driven me to the good old fashioned scraper.  This is a new tool for me, maybe you've got some pointers on losing the scraches.      thanks

                        Steve

1. 
   forestgirl | Feb 09, 2003 08:04pm | #3

   Steve, how 'bout posting your question as a separate thread?  I've got a couple of ideas but don't want to "hi-jack" this thread before it's even gotten going.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl   ;-)

3. 
   forestgirl | Feb 09, 2003 08:09pm | #4

   I didn't even know you were supposed to stop it between pieces!  I wonder if this is an old "rule" from the days when ROSs weren't as smart as they are now.  My DeWalt ROS varies its own speed depending on whether it's on stock, or even how much stock it's on (e.g., if I've wandered to an edge).  BTW, there's no tennis elbow with the DeWalt either.

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl   ;-)

1. 
   Gretchen | Feb 10, 2003 02:36pm | #8

    I wonder if this is an old "rule" from the days when ROSs weren't as smart as they are now.  My DeWalt ROS varies its own speed depending on whether it's on stock, or even how much stock it's on (e.g., if I've wandered to an edge).  BTW, there's no tennis elbow with the DeWalt either.

   You may have a finishing ROS--not a big one.  The one I used at my daughter's was just about beyond me holding it. And tennis elbow was a real possibility--as well as gouging the wood if it was not in contact when it started.Gretchen

4. 
   Glendo | Feb 09, 2003 10:56pm | #5

   Starting your R.O. on the work prevents long, easy to see swirls, mostly. Also you need to go through the grits without skipping. 80-100-120-150-180-220, Etc. In a perfect universe that will prevent swirls. I always inspect the work before finishing and hand sand imperfections. Also start the sander on the work, remove sander from work then turn off sander.

   Glendo.

   
   

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   Edited 2/9/2003 3:05:59 PM ET by Glendo

1. 
   SJONES53 | Feb 10, 2003 09:30am | #6

   Thanks everyone--

   I just got the Porter-cable sander, without the variable speed, and haven't had swirl problems--I do go through the grits without skipping any (learned that rule long ago while hand-sanding my fingerprints off)--I think the other important habit is to move slowly across the surface, as someone mentioned.  And not to get too into the minutia, but I had considered the swirl risk as the source of the "start it up on the wood" rule, but the practice of moving slowly would seem to take care of that, as the freshly-swirled spot that you hit initially with the spinning beast would immediately be resanded because you move on so slowly...does that make sense??

   I have enjoyed my sander immensely (I start with 80 and go up to 220 or so) --what a step up from the little square palm-sander things!  I just wanted to make sure that I was not causing some unseen problem like unbalancing the gyroscope inside or something.

1. 
   Glendo | Feb 10, 2003 11:42am | #7

   R.O.'s are great, and with the Porter Cable swirls aren't much of a problem.I use pnumatics, ( Dynabrade) and DeWalt electrics, which have minimal dampening, but are  agressive and fast. They also seem to last alot longer.

   Cheerz, Glendo.

5. 
   Elcoholic | Feb 11, 2003 12:27am | #9

   Older ROS's didn't have a brake.  Most of the newer ones have a brake that helps to prevent swirl marks.  My newest ROS is a Mak palm type and it even has arrows on the base indicating the direction to move it on and off the workpiece.  No need to start and stop on the work.

   John O'Connell - JKO Handcrafted Woodworking

   Life is tough.  It's tougher if you're stupid - John Wayne