An orbital sander is a common tool used for sanding surfaces and making them smooth. There is a sand disc attach in the front of this device, and it rotates and sands the surfaces when it comes into its contact. There are various types of orbital sanders in the market, and each one of them has different features. There are numerous people who don’t even know about how to use a random orbital sander properly. An orbital sander is quite user-friendly, but operating it without proper knowledge can be dangerous and can lead to an accident or a fatal injury.
If you want to operate is fast, and smoothly then you must learn some important tips about the usage and operation of a random orbital sander. It is a tough task to understand the working of the best sander properly, but if you keep a few things in your mind, then you can easily perfect your orbital sander skills. A single mistake while operating an orbital sander can cause harm to you, so you must be careful. There are few tips that can help you to master orbital sander and learn to use if perfectly, and some of them are mentioned in the following paragraph.
Don’t press the sander
It is one of the most common mistakes that people make as they put pressure on the sander and try to press it down. It is wrong, and one should avoid doing it as it puts unnecessary pressure in the sander and affects the results. The pressure of your hand and the sander itself is enough to sand a surface and make it smooth. So, if you want to leave no marks on the surface and keep it smooth, and even then, you should put be very light until you need to put extra pressure.
Go slow
You need to go slow when using a handheld best sander as it is a lot different than a belt sander as in it, you can move things while sanding as it runs on a constant speed. While using a random orbital sander, you must be slow and specific. You want to get a perfectly sanded and smooth surface; then, you must sand every linear foot for at least 10-12 seconds. It is quite a slow pace, so you need to be very patient and in control. It will help you to get an even and smooth surface
Use your hands for the finishing touch
Once you are done sanding with the orbital sander, you must use a hand sander and sand down the surface to ensure that there are no marks left behind. It is a great way to ensure that the surface is smooth and looks perfect. One of the most important things to keep in mind while doing it is that you must use the same type of grit that you used in the sander. It will keep the surface consistent and will give you a smooth and mark-free surface.
Avoiding tilting your sander
One of the most common mistakes that novice sander users make is that they tilt the sander to sand a specific spot. It is a big mistake and can increase your problems instead of removing them. So, you must be patient and never tilt your sander after getting irritated. If you cannot use an orbital sander on a certain area, then you can go for the hand sanding. It will only take a few minutes extra but will provide you smoother and better results.
Use different grits
The grits that you use in the process of sanding holds great importance as it affects the smoothness and finish of the surface. You must use different types of grits as a single grit cannot provide you the desired results. Changing grits helps you to remove the scratch marks left by the previous grit and makes the surface smoother. If you are doing stock removal, then you can use the medium grits as it will help to remove it quickly. If you are on the finishing stage and need precision, then you must use finer grits as they are more appropriate for it.
Replace the sanding discs at the right time
Sanding discs are quite affordable, and a single disc cannot work more than its ability. So, you must not push the discs more than their capability. Once the disc gets blunt and stops cutting, you must not use it any further and replace it with a new one as soon as possible. Using the same sanding disc for a long time will not offer you the right level of smoothness and uniformity. It is quite easy to identify whenever a sanding disc is fully used. You need not throw them out as used discs can be used for sanding curved and rounded surfaces. So, you must gather worn out sanding discs and keep them with you.
Place it on the surface before turning it on.
Whenever you are using a sander, you must place it on the spot before turning it on as if you place it down while it is running, it can damage the surface and leave some deep scratches. You need not turn it off while lifting it up from the surface, but it is highly important to turn it off before placing it on the surface. You can make a specific resting spot for the sander so that you need not wait for it to turn off every time you lift it up.
Attach a vacuum cleaner
It is better if your orbital sander has a dust collection feature; otherwise, you can attach a vacuum cleaner with the sander so that no dust gets stuck in the sander, and it remains clean while working. It will keep the working environment clean and will also remove the need to stop the sander and cleaning it again and again.
Use good quality sand discs.
When it comes to sanding discs, you should not try to save money as if you use poor quality discs; it will not give you a good quality finish. So, you must buy premium quality discs as they will last longer and will remove the need to get a new disc again and again.
