It is now officially spring! This season is characterized not only by the awakening of nature but also by getting busy with garden- and house works. The increasingly warming temperature this time tempts many to finally start or finish their long-delayed home improvement tasks. One of these activities usually revolves around sanding – that is often coupled with a lot of noise. In this entry, we will briefly review what is to be known of electric sanding machines for working in the hand.
Vibrating or orbital sanding machines
According to their names, engines built in such types of sanding machines are driven in a vibrating, oscillating, circular movement. The less is the diameter of this circle is, the “finer” the sanding will be. Their sanding surface is usually of rectangular shape, which is covered by sized abrasive cloth well fitted by a spring mechanism or by Velcro. This is a sandpaper-like surface that we fit to size or we buy in specialized stores and in the appropriate sections of supermarkets in the desired size. Orbital sanding machines are suitable to fine sand surfaces larger than average, and in this case, we do not have to remove the whole layer of paint from the surface to be sanded.
A special type of orbital sanding machines is delta sander, which was named after its distinctive triangular shape. This is to be used mainly to sand spots that are difficult to reach with other types of sanding machine, because it is possible to treat more hidden surfaces by using longer and narrower abrasive paper. They can also be used to sand gaps and holes, but they can handle shutters and blinds as well.
We are still in the category of orbital sanding machines when we mention hand sanding machine. The working surface of this small-sized tool that can be easily held in the hand is special because – due to its circular shape – it even rotates around its axis in addition to vibrating. As a result of this, a particularly good result can be achieved with it, for example on curved surfaces.
Belt sanders
As opposed to orbital sanding machines, sanding in this case is conducted by a belt stretched around two rotating cylinders. Sanding in belt sanders are done by a plastic pulley driven with a high speed, and we usually use it for metalworking. Their unique feature is the ability to quickly remove materials, especially when the aim is to fully remove the layer of paint or varnish from large, long surfaces. Belt sanders have a sanding frame that allows to conduct accurate surface sanding.
There are so-called eccentric sanding machines that make it possible to sand really large surfaces extremely fine, and multifunctional machines are also available, although these are mostly devices that need be mounted on tables. Eccentric sanding machines are also special from the aspect that they are excellent also for curved surfaces and they can be used to polish straight or convex surfaces made from various materials – wood, metal or plastic.
Accessories of sanding machines
No sanding machine can be used in itself! As we have seen, we need abrasives, sanding sheets, but brushes, abrasive tools, discs, wheels or polishing and buffing pads can also be found in the range of related products.
