What is Orbital Sander?

Whenever working with wood, sanding is important. It gives a true finishing. A product isn’t perfect without sanding. Sanding is not an easy task. Without the right tool, it can be even tougher. The right tool results in a faster job. Orbital sander is the best commonly used tool for vacuum sanding the deck. But what is orbital sander? Let’s look at it in detail.

What is an Orbital Sander?

Orbital sander is a tool used for sanding. It has sandpaper fixed to a metallic pad. By an electric motor, the sandpaper moves at high speed sanding the object. It helps you smoothen rough, uneven surfaces. An Orbital sander has a square shape. It is convenient to use and easy to manoeuvre.  The square shape helps it get into tight corners. It also helps in working on flat edges. The vibration happens in small circles. Thus, the name Orbital. This enables easy movement of the tool. They also ease the use of planer.

A unique property of orbital sander is that it uses normal sandpaper. You don’t have to buy any special sandpaper. You can also choose any grit that you have.  Mostly, a quarter of a sandpaper sheet is used. Thus, it is often called a Quarter sheet sander. You can also use large sheets.  An orbital sander is older and simple to use. It is also less expensive.

Qualities to Look

• Design and build quality: a good orbital sander should have a tough body. Tools accidentally fall during work. A good orbital sander should not break. An easy design makes it user-friendly.
• Extraction of dust- Lots of dust is produced during sanding. The dust is harmful to our lungs. A well-built dust extraction system is a must.
• Power consumption- Sanders runs on an electric motor. Powerful motor results in faster sanding. But this means more electricity consumption.

Uses

An orbital sander is useful in many situations.  The square shape makes it a great choice for tight corners and edges. Be it prepping paint and varnish or redoing the stairs and floors, it is equally useful. They are not very much powerful.  It is not suitable for a tough job. But this helps in checking the overdoing that we sometimes do while working. Overdoing ruins the work. With a lightweight and compact design, it is a better choice for tight spaces. Being less aggressive, it is used for prepping before staining.

Now we will look at the pros and cons.

Best product in the market

Makita BO5030K 5″ Random Orbit Sander

It is a great sander with lots of features. It is lightweight, weighing 2kgs. It is equipped with an efficient dust extraction system. You can adjust the speed. The circle or swirl marks are very less. The soft grip fives comfort. It has a compact design. Which means that you can easily carry it for use. It comes at an affordable price.

Comparison with a Random Orbital Sander

• Random Orbital has a circular design. Orbital sanders have a square design.
• It can each edge and corner. Random orbital sanders, due to circular design, can’t reach every place.
• They are more powerful. They can remove more material. They are suitable for heavy jobs. Orbital sanders are fit for softer jobs.
• Random orbital sanders need special sandpaper. Orbital sanders can work on any given sandpaper.
• Orbital sander has a more compact design. But the grip and holding of Random orbital sander is better.

Final Thought

Orbital sanders are useful tools not usually known to everyone. It helps you smoothen the surface on wood. It is also useful for giving a fine finish. Now we hope you know enough about it and it’s uses.