1/2 sheet sander for a timber slab?

[Gordo78]

Can anyone offer advice as to whether a 1/2 sheet sander is the way to go to finish of a tallowood slab for a dining table? I've got a 1/3 sheet but i think it will take forever.

[Dengue]

I would recommend a random orbit sander, preferably 6 in diameter, if you are going to be doing heavy timber removal on a slab with a sander

[fubar]

rotex 150 by festool gives amazing performance best sander i have owned by far

[Dengue]

I like my 150mm Makita, esp when a vacuum is attached. I have used the Bosch GEX150 with success too on large sheets of old ply - came up great with just touch pressure on the top of the ROS, letting the abrasive paper do the work.

I got all my papers from The Sandpaper Man, one of this forums sponsors - great service

[Gordo78]

I like my 150mm Makita, esp when a vacuum is attached. I have used the Bosch GEX150 with success too on large sheets of old ply - came up great with just touch pressure on the top of the ROS, letting the abrasive paper do the work.

I got all my papers from The Sandpaper Man, one of this forums sponsors - great service

Is the makita a random orbital? for some reason i thought it was just an orbital? I don't have "large"qty to sand off, just to get it from a planed surface to a nice smooth finish

[Dengue]

You can get Makita orbital sanders, usually in 1/3 and 1/2 sheets, and you can get Makita Random Orbit Sanders with circular sheets to match the diameter of the pad. The ROS does not leave scratch marks like the normal orbital sanders, giving a much better quality of finish esp for jobs like yours, but are a lot more expensive

[Gordo78]

You can get Makita orbital sanders, usually in 1/3 and 1/2 sheets, and you can get Makita Random Orbit Sanders with circular sheets to match the diameter of the pad. The ROS does not leave scratch marks like the normal orbital sanders, giving a much better quality of finish esp for jobs like yours, but are a lot more expensive

Sounds the go. I figure a finishing sander is the one thing i should splurge on. I'd like the countless hours spent sanding to be a little more enjoyable.

so, a 150mm ROS wold be the go?

[Dengue]

I think so, if you are going to be doing a lot of sanding, and also smoothing a fair bit of rough finish into a decent finish, without any major physical effort.

[Gordo78]

This is the one i have in mind.

Makita BO6030 -150mm Random Orbital Sander

[Dengue]

That is the one I have, and it goes well. Only needs to be guided by a finger and thumb.

I had to make up a connector from some PVC connectors from Bunnings to connect it to a standard vacuum cleaner hose, but I think you can buy a Makita adaptor.

I get my sandpapers from The Sandpaper Man, a sponsor of this forum. Very helpful and quick service