How To Use A Random Orbital Sander

If you have questions about your home improvement projects, stop by the forum on our website, where Shannon will answer your questions in detail for free.

[taylerlekhtin]

I guess those 16 people that gave it a thumbs down, have never fully appreciated a orbital sander better yet a CANADIAN with an orbital sander. This guy is my dream come true.

[kari]

Instantly heard the Canadian in this man

[robinfoley]

Thanks! I just bought my first DeWalt sander and your lesson was helpful!

[southernguy]

Glad I watched. Didn't know you should put it on the wood before starting it. Be mindful that an 80 grit will take a lot of material off really quickly. Looks like he never lets it sit in one spot and keeps it moving. I did read if you're not careful, you can get the swirly pigtails you won't really notice until staining.

[melissaybarra]

I know this video is older but I found it to be very helpful. Thank you for sharing. :)

[Le_Comte_de_Monte_Felin]

NASA (and the police) said I couldn't do "any more orbital" since the painters got me to try some kind of drink they made from acetone & laquer thinner... What? Different kinda orbital? Thank God... no bail money...

Always enjoy your videos and no matter if you're new to these tools or a seasoned pro doing things right & safely is a good thing! (Old timers: a 'refresher' video is a good thing since if you pick up just one small tip then that's one tip you're ahead of the game... never stop learning. Ever.)

[krystalriley]

Thanks man. Sanding my desk and i didnt know how to use it ahaha

[granworks]

Regarding the sandpaper just flying off -- actually, if you have the RO sander long enough, it probably WILL start flying off of the pad very regularly. Even cleaning off the loops on the pad won't work. The fix for that is to simply buy a new pad. The pad is considered a degradable part and so replacing them is easy and inexpensive. And after doing so, the sandpaper will stick like new, again.

[heuwel]

Question....for what sanding action would one use the variable speed? I mean would one use different speeds for hard and soft woods??

[brendandooney]

Hi, is pressure a big deal, should I be pressing on or letting the sander do its thing whilst just guiding it?

[metsfaninct]

Video came right in time. Was just going to start my project to today. Keep up the great videos. How a video about framing in a.c. ducts that are right next to the foundation 😁. I just stare at it and have no clue how to start that situation.

[patmat.]

I think you can stick a foam pad on it for paste polishing too.

[abdullahalamoudi]

Thanks for this helpful content,
I borrowed this random orbital sander it works well while i grap it touching wood surface, but once I leave it on wood, it stops rotating.
Furthermore, I can't apply any pressure while sanding.
Is this normal or something wrong with this sander.

[kellestraw]

Nice video, thank you. Unfortunately, I can't find the box I got the sander in and it has the on/iff but it also has a switch that you can put in a position from 1-5. Can you provide some knowledge about this? Thank you for advice.

[borthewolf]

Nice vid, thx. Unfortunately most of the issues yopu addressed I already knew and one burning question remains unanswered:

Most sanders I know have a variable speed, but when do you select high speed and when low speed?

[brigs]

where can I get one of those dust masks?

[ksingleton]

I've seen a lot of circular scratches due to the orbital sanders, is there anyway to stop those? Even moving it with the grain of the wood didn't help.

[Guardducks]

Shannon did you forget that some sanders now have slow start to prevent swirl marks ? A person should know this when purchasing a sander.

[LunaModerna]

Great video!! Can you make a video taking about the different sand paper grits and what they are used for. Thanks!

[libsrcrazy]

Thoughts on using this for sanding drywall mud. Settings and speed? Grit of sandpaper? Thank you