Why I HATE my random orbital sander (and how to fix it)

Solutions to three common problems (click to see more)
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[@frankbaum1593]

As a cabinet maker, move your sander counterclockwise and slow, this will remove lose grit faster then going clockwise helping the lose piece of grit stay under longer leaving marks and also going counterclockwise your moving away from the rotation, cutting faster and much less buildup on pine or other pitch type woods. Trick I learned years ago that leaves 90% of swirls out.

[@thankmelater1254]

Thank you frank baum !

[@crsed]

Glad I saw this before my next project. Going to try it out and hope I get better results.

[@thedevilinthecircuit1414]

A really common cause of pigtails *and* excessive dust loading is when the user applies too much pressure on the tool. Allow the tool to float over the surface of the wood like a floor buffer. Let the weight of the tool do the work; all you have to do is steer the thing. Your sanded surface will be far smoother and your sandpaper will last a lot longer because the dust extraction will function properly.

[@weschilton]

Exactly, and if that light pressure isnt doing anything, your paper grit is too fine!

[@WillXtinger]

thanks for the tip, first time using the damn thing, and my velcro was melting from the sides

[@bennygerow]

That was the first advice I was given both before and again after messing up the first thing I ever sanded. I decided to listen the second time.

[@ABentPaperclip]

i must have a crap sander, if I try to go lightly the thing wants to vibrate out of my hands and fly across the room

[@Chef_PC]

Man, you went into a lot more detail and information about that than 99% of other woodworking creators. That’s why I love your channel - you don’t hold out on the nerdy bits because it’s important to know the details to understand something.

[@bff1316]

Nice comment. The reason why is as important as "it works". The thought processes work and future solutions will be gained.

[@FranckSonata]

Well, I'm into wood-working only temporarily, superficially, just right now. Have a few jobs to do, wants to do them perfectly, so I do some research to reach perfection as far as I as an amateur are capable. Then I rather swiftly stumble upon this guy: Stumpy Nubs. No doubt. He is COMPETENT. Trust me, I can judge: by appearance, by content, by his wording. I got no competence in this field but I trust this guy based on a life-time of experience in other fields. He got 887k subs but deserve even more. Yeah, so do support him as I will do. Thank you for producing this high-quality content.

[@frankmakes]

What can also really wear down the velcro is sanding half your project without noticing the paper has some off. d'oh!

[@80211Denver]

Oh frank I'm sad you of all people commented without watching the video. That's literally the third of the 3 common problems and the one he spent the most time on

[@Cyan2002]

Sad to say I've forgotten to put the paper on before sanding and wondered why I wasn't getting faster results.

[@frenstcht]

I've done that!

[@lyndonwhitson2269]

3M spray adhesive.... it will keep the paper on👍

[@jack0cat]

frank howarth 🤣🤣 yep I’ve been there.

[@mikekernjr5121]

Started woodworking last year at 73. Stumbled onto your channel and enrolled in SNU (Stumpy Nubs University). Professor, you’ve really shortened my learning curve and at my age that’s important. Thank you!!!

[@StumpyNubs]

That's funny you said "Stumpy Nubs University" because we have been working on something with that same name for about a year now...

[@jamesnasmith984]

Concise, articulate, well informed. Possibly the best out there.

[@rogermccaslin6750]

I always start on and stop off meaning start the sander while it is flat on the surface and lift it straight off before turning off the sander. If you don't, the edge can dig in and leave a "smile" in the surface that can show in the finish. This was from training by a 3M rep. I've been doing it this way in the marine industry repairing boats and prepping them for paint for decades. Something else I've noticed is that new users don't change discs often enough. The grit gets dull or comes off the paper. You get to a point where it's no longer cutting efficiently and you are just moving back and forth, not really doing the job. If you pay attention, you can feel when the paper is not cutting.

[@vociferonheraldofthewinter2284]

This video was ridiculously helpful. Most worthwhile 7 minutes that I've spent in a long time.

[@danallen578]

From one teacher to another; your ability to communicate thoughts and knowledge is outstanding. Thank you!

[@aaronb483]

Thanks for making these videos Short. In other words, not dragging out the subject like so many other youtubers do.

[@slowmotiondaddy]

You have THE most informative woodworking channel on KZbin. Thank you.

[@fishties]

I second that emotion

[@danielszemborski]

I don't think this dude realizes how knowledgeable he really is. Thank you, James!!

[@rexjones3847]

Sshhh,,,,don't let him know. He might start charging us for all that knowledge! haha He has been one of my favorites for a long time for his common man approach. Great channel!

[@jhawkins4412]

Do you have any tips for keeping your router bits in one position? No matter how tired I tighten the router up around those bits they seem to move up or down which cause problems in my work. As well as waste material.

[@vallejokid1968]

Finally bit the bullet and bought the carbide kit. It’s 15% off right now and your coupon saved me another 10%. So I saved about $60. Didn’t want to miss that deal.

[@ThekiBoran]

Whether a diy'er or a journeyman finish carpenter like myself, the learning never stops. Storing your sander with a disc on it is a good idea and new to me. I thought I was being lazy leaving a disc on my sander but instead I was being smart. And sanding more slowly. I rarely have issue with swirls as I don't skip grits but I definitely will slow down especially at the lower grits. I did have grit marks in some bamboo once. It took forever and I got impatient. After I applied a clear coat I could just barely see some 60 or 80 swirls. Maybe it was a combination of not spending enough time at each of the lower grits and sanding too fast. Live and learn!

[@paulvandriel2344]

I love sanding! It heralds the nearing end of the project and you start to see the beauty of the wood better and better. Plus....it is very meditative if you approach it that way.

[@ashj_2088]

Ha yeah, I've got a table an stuff that ill never varnish or oil i just resand it every few years. ..magic. ... :)

[@jking5008]

I'm a 65 year old that has VERY limited experience in woodworking. I really appreciate your approach. While you remain very technical, you make it easily understood for us old newbies. THANK YOU!!

[@rickeverett3304]

Thanks James, recently tried to refinish a maple workbench that I had used Shellac on, the Shelac. melted making blobs sticking to the sandpaper after a few seconds, went through a lot of sandpaper discs quickly, they I remembered wet sanding, I sprayed window cleaning spray on the surface and cured my problems. Thanks for your dedication to all of our safety and sucess.

[@StumpyNubs]

Shellac dissolves in alcohol and will re-dissolve as well. I have never tried to remove it this way, but I suspect denatured alcohol will do the trick.

[@rickeverett3304]

@@StumpyNubs Hi James, alcohol is the reason I wanted to replace the Shellac, surface was a work desk and once in anwhile I’d try to clean a part with alcohol, spill one drop and the surface got gooey till it dried. Four coats of poly later it is now great. Spar Varnish is st ill my fav, though the Minwax Poly was fume free and quick drying. You knew all this, hope it helps your novice subscribers. Thanks for t he note.

[@tnekkc]

I feel like I know everything about woodworking, but Stumpy always surprises me with something new.

[@skyhawaii5446]

Hands down the most educating sanding video available to the public regarding paper and sanding up. Can you do another video on the difference between a 50 dollar sander and a 600 dollar sander. I have all of them. Toilet parts and electrical parts have a universal language and universal part logic. Why does every sander brand have to have holes in different areas. There is no such thing as dustless sanding if the holes don't match up. The main reason the hook and loop burns is that the holes don't match up. When they don' t, the exposed part of the pad where the holes don't match melts from friction/heat. How much does a festool sanding pad cost, a mirka pad cost,?????? I know, but I think the buying public should be informed. I sand a lot. It is of my professional opinion that tool manufactures and sand paper manufactures should agree to work on the same page. Every male and female I know of has there holes in the exact same place on there body. Sanders should be no different.

[@M.Happie]

I plan on doing my first sanding job next week and I just purchased my first orbital sander. I've been reading up and watching everything I can about it so I don't mess anything up. You have helped me SO much! I didn't know ANY of this and now I know what may be wrong with my sander BEFORE I've even used it. Also, thank you for the storing tip. I love my tools and I clean them and store them so they last a long time and I would've DEFINITELY taken the sandpaper off and stored my sander without it. Now I'll make my sander last longer and know I'm doing right by it. Thank you! 💖

[@StumpyNubs]

I also recommend this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/p3W8gXqdn7agfJY

[@M.Happie]

@@StumpyNubs I actually watched that video RIGHT after watching this one. That video was the one I subscribed on. 😁 Thanks.

[@rudyesq007]

Just watched your presentation on common problems with Random Orbital Sanders... now I feel ready to go buy my first ever sander. Thanks!!

[@jaybanks7718]

Got this one figured out from another video. Order a DuraDISC 5" Carbide Sanding Disc (DB-DS5). They last for years and come with a couple of heavy duty hook & loop sets. I ordered a second sander pad off of Amazon. If the new hook & loop set sucks, I'm going to glue the carbide disk directly to the new pad. I'll just change back to the original pad if I need to use a finer grit than the carbide disc I ordered. I'm absolutely not going to waste money on a pack of discs that fly off every five minutes (And no, I do not work for Duragrit).

[@mikemike7235]

Just bought my first random orbital sander last night. Thanks for this! Glad I saw it before I started to use it this weekend! Great stuff as always!

[@mikecurtin9831]

I've been looking to buy my first one in the very near future. Thanks very much, James. I crushed a troll.

[@TheBsavage]

Whoever invented the Random Orbital Sander should win a Nobel prize. It is a tool so good, common man doesn't deserve it. I'm mostly into metal working. I inherited one of these sanders. I cannot believe how easy it is to get a good, smooth finish. I don't deserve it. I hardly do anything, & yet there it is. I don't know if my sander is super good, but it has little lights on it that light red if I'm putting too much pressure on the tool. It also said to not turn it on & set it down, nor pick it up while power is on. I would never dare to get in this tool's territorial prerogative by removing it's hooks & gluing some foreign pad in their place. I don't know how it would revolt, but it is so good now, I can't imagine it wouldn't revolt violently.

[@ibidesign]

Within seven minutes, I learned that I know virtually nothing about random orbital sanders. Thanks for all the great info!

[@DetailEnthusiast]

I was blessed through my transition of sanding by having learned to detail cars and work on paint and clear coat. That's tough because you can easily ruin a whole panel with one tiny mistake.

[@ElTurbinado]

Diablo makes a sanding disc called Sandnet. It solved all my pigtail problems (never tried it without suction though). It's awesome.

[@mattschoon6940]

thanks, didn't know such sandpaper existed. you've probably just saved me alot of $

[@nvz357]

You are truly the professor of woodworking. I feel as though I'm in a college class when I watch your videos...thank you 🤓

[@maxwellchatman4800]

The Velcro on my Dewalt orbital has in my opinion the perfect ratio of grip with ease of paper removal

[@StumpyNubs]

I have just tested Dewalts. All bit one of the new models had bad velcro.

[@billjudt1753]

My experience with these sanders and sand papers matches your descriptions exactly. I was able to correct the ‘pigtails’ problem by following your advice. Was also able to purchase a replacement hook-disk from my local Makita dealer. Thanks for an informative video.

[@maymei6742]

I am new at using power tools.... just received my electrical sander... Find your video very helpful but most of all your presentation/explanation make it fun and not intimidating for a rookies... Thank you ..Wish me luck... tomorrow will be my first time using a sander/random obital sander 😅😅😅

[@blainerueckwald]

I’m on my second Bosch ros because I liked the first one so much. I finally wore out the mechanism that makes it random on the 1st one but that was after a lot of sanding over about 3 years.. you can get new Velcro pads for about $20, great way to extend the life of the sander.

[@maxfedor1]

If Bosch is anything like porter cable sander, has a small rubber ring which gives it its orbital action. Mine came off unknowingly, and turned into a rotary sander. Part cost me less then 10$

[@georgegrosshandler3365]

Mr. Nubs😏 does the best, easiest to understand, clearest descriptions I’ve seen on any of the KZbin videos!! Thanks for your insights😁

[@RobinLewisMakes]

Hooking my sander up to a dust vac made such an improvement!

[@lizwynaco2222]

Great tip on not skipping grits. I commonly went from 100 to 220. Thanks for the advice!

[@williambranham6249]

I go straight to 220. Reduced my inventory.

[@michedmck]

As I understand it, the system is so designed that you should not go more than double the number of the previous grit. So from 100# to 180# is ok. So is 220# to 400#. But 180# to 400# is a no-no...

[@StumpyNubs]

A CLARIFICATION: I find the carbide sanding discs to be little more aggressive than their grit numbers would indicate. More aggressive grits will leave more visible swirl marks (especially in soft woods). But I follow up with finer grits of paper (150/180 for stained surfaces, 220/320 for fine clear finishes) to remove any swirl marks left behind, and to produce my finish-ready surface. If you want to try one, I suggest the 150 as your fist grit for day to day sanding, and move into paper from there. Also, their 60 grit is quite aggressive and handy for leveling seams on glued up panels, etc. Check them out here: Dura Grit Carbide Sanding Products (Use Coupon Code: STUMPYNUBS): duragrit.com/home.php

[@dougveganparadisebuilder5808]

Why is their hole pattern different than the common hole pattern? And will it work just as well? I am a bit puzzled.

[@StumpyNubs]

The carbide discs have more holes so they will align with whatever hole pattern is on your sander.

[@bm0095]

I really wish they made 6" disks. It's about all I use, but really want to try these out...put in a good word for me!

[@richardsorge-]

Bosch Gex rotosander, Mirka abranet ( doesn't clog ), and good air suction. Never a problem. Now I'll try these duragrit...

[@QqJcrsStbt]

I use abrasives. Last time I used sandpaper/ glass paper you might not have been born. I can accept that sanding has fixed itself into our vocabulary. No one that I have met in decades has ever used sandpaper, abrasive sheets and discs rule!

[@jlh5995]

Hey James, thank you for taking the time and effort to produce this video and recommendations regarding the use of an orbital sander and tips for disc slippage problems.

[@Lance4105]

If you're tired of your sandpaper getting clogged I recommend Mirka Abranet. Great video 👍

[@platnimpunk643]

Ok, amazing tips for those who can afford carbide and those of us who can't. My Black and Decker 5 gal shop vac, (old and pretty weak) cleared out the hooks that I never thought to clean. Now it doesn't matter what brand of sand paper I use. It hooks like new. Thank you brotha'.

[@frameriteairdrie578]

Another thing I learned the hard way to protect the velcro pad, is NEVER take off the sand paper unless you're replacing it with another one. Constantly sitting it down with no paper damages the velcro hooks and also there is a risk you can start it up and use it, forgetting that the paper has been removed. I did that once with a Clarke flooring edger sander and totally ruined the velcro! So even if the paper's worn out, I leave it on until I'm actually changing it with a new one.

[@connorscoarsefishingjourne7680]

In my work making whiskey boxes and stuff for pubs and restaurants and hotels we sand on bed sanders, soft sanders, edge/box sanders, speed sanders, Rules we go by depends what wood were sanding we go 120/150 front to back roller on speed sander. Into final sanding department before spraying is 150 air sand then 180 air sand. Certain jobs depends on finish we will air sand down to 180, then the spray room will de nib after first coat down 220,320,400

[@jmoe6402]

I’m a cabinet maker as well, good quality brand name sand paper makes a difference. Mirka or 3M are what I have used.

[@bobby-c7731]

Just a couple of weeks ago I had to replace the pad on my Milwaukee ROS. I think a few of the tips here, had I been doing them the last few years, would have saved me that $20. As always, thank you, James!

[@assessor6951]

And I thought it was only me when the discs fell off. Thanks for the confidence boost.

[@wimvandenbosch6657]

Just bought a random orbital sander. Glad I watched this informative video before I used it. Thank you for the good advice👍👍

[@christopherbiomass7155]

I have always stored my ROS with sandpaper on it. It's not because I'm lazy or anything... Actually it was to not wear out the fuzz. Now I hear that its more important purpose is to protect the plastic hooks. I've learned my lesson, and I won't change my ways.

[@johnd9541]

The bearing on that Ridgid is prone to failure as the factory one is a non-sealed one. This leads to a "runaway" speed when sanding. I picked up a sealed version from a local shop to replace it. Works like a charm now.

[@conrat2000]

I think your last statement, leaving a sanding disc on the sander, was the best advice of the whole video. As always, great work, great video, and thanks!

[@davidperry4013]

The quality of the sander itself and the sandpaper really do go hand in hand whenever you’re prepping and finishing a workpiece. You can use a festool ets 150 and cheap sander paper and still get poor to fair results but you can get fair to good results with a cheap black and decker sander and 3M cubitron sandpaper. You can get excellent results with a festool sander and cubitron sandpaper. Also some of the high end sanders have an ECM motor in them instead of a universal motor for an even quieter operation as well as maintain a more constant motor speed.

[@Liz-pc3dc]

Such a great collection of hand tools in the background!!🤩

[@ThaBeatHunter1987]

Another perfectly executed video, sending my thanks from the UK.

[@stephen3073]

I sand a lot of resinous hardwoods used in guitar making, like Cocobolo, Brazilian, Indonesian, and Indian Rosewood, and they tend to gum up a random orbital sanding pad pretty quick, even if the wood is dry and very well seasoned. I've found that if vigorously I wipe these woods down with acetone first (wear gloves!!!), and let it gas off, most of the surface resins will be removed, and you can make great progress with the RO sander. You may have to repeat the acetone process a couple times if you're going from coarse to fine. Also, you can loosen up dust clogs without destroying the sandpaper with an old toothbrush or a dish washing scour brush with plastic bristles. Then use a good shop vac to remove the loosened particles--as James said. I swear, you could write a two inch thick textbook just about sanding techniques, and it would be a good primer for learning how to sand woods and finishes! The Master's degree course would require another thick volume. It's another one of those rabbit holes every woodworker knows about!

[@robertdennis1439]

havent read all the comments, sorry if i'm repeating but i think a shoutout to the tuchus reference is in order here!! love your channel, i learn so much from it everytime

[@cronuspinkerton5528]

You probably have the most informative woodworking videos on KZbin. Thank you so much for the info.

[@johno6861]

I have used and wore out every make of sander, the best one I found is the Festool, gets rid of the dust best to save a lot of time sanding and don’t even need to wear a dust mask.

[@lynnh7694]

I only use 220 grit with the DA sander and very light pressure on woods then hand sand my finish. Especially when staining. Love the show.

[@hudsonriverlee]

Good info,, I have a very Very old sander , 1980’s vintage, lol. It has the Bail type latch system.. pain in the butt to change paper... Soon to upgrade, during my Kitchen makeover,, I did Not know about the pigtails,, most of my projects have been small... now however I will be building cabinets for the wall... this will be handy to know...thanks for posting this...

[@michaelbray6010]

I am going to add you to my very short list of solid dependable resources to refer my students to. Great work!

[@larryvergon6740]

Your video thumbnail says: RAS Problems Solved. I clicked on the email thumbnail and got ready for your words of wisdom about the problems (and controversy) of the Radial Arm Saw. Boy, was I surprised!

[@NegativeBodhiImage]

I hated my orbital sander too... not because of what you said, but because it worked too slow for my taste. So I take the restricting elastic band off the disassembled base (Porter Cable/Delta)... Now my sanders work twice as fast but only last 1/2 as long though.

[@K31swiss]

I just bought a new pad for my Porter Cable. Considered getting a new on but this one was made in USA so I gave it a new lease on life.

[@charleshines2142]

I have had sanding discs come off a sander like that and they just fly across a room with ease! You must watch for that if you are in a room with newly painted walls because you might damage the paint and feel a little depressed as a result.

[@Rampage4635]

I remodeled my whole house over the last two years including all the drywall. The hook and loop material is good for about 1100 square feet of house in my experience. On a related note, I cannot say I would recommend using an orbital sander on drywall, but if its all you got, make it do, or do without.

[@treeorwh2]

Hey! You gave the same advice as my dentist! Brush slowly, take your time!

[@diamond6256]

4:23 My sanding pads don't stick and I learned alot by this video. I had to order a new pad for my hook and loop.

[@JoelWetzel]

I have a four inch high stack of those adhesive-backed Velcro disks that was given to me by a moving neighbor who worked at Norton. They let me turn a sanding block into a better sanding block.

[@MrPod15]

Thanks James for your help once again.

[@bradleyroon7639]

I used to have a Porter Cable model 33 ROS and it's by far the best i've ever used. It could be at full spin, or i could be sanding an edge and it wouldn't want to rock or gouge at all.

[@johncannon3251]

I use mine a lot to sand MDF. Lots of dust and makes the pads not stick. I use my shop vac to clean the bottom of the sander between changes and works well.

[@imortaldeadead]

Thanks for the tips, I learned something new about my sander thanks to you ♥️

[@jerryrichards8172]

I worked once with a gentleman that thought he found a great deal on sand paper. Its from HB we had to go back and resand all his work where the sand grit came off the paper and stuck into the primer coat. It was a real crap show.

[@carterscustomrods]

Many of the issues you mentioned were an inevitability... even with the high end B*sch I used to work with. Then I switched to a mid-priced ($120) pneumatic oscillating sander, and it was never an issue again. I'll never go back to electric sanders.

[@danivasquez4210]

This is wonderful information. I'm a novice and researching tools to determine what will work best for me. Learning about the problems before I have them may help me choose a more efficient tool. Also, he said tuchis which isn't only adorable but it actually made this channel more attractive to me. I've been reading and watching videos for more hours than I care to count at this time so it's refreshing to come across a channel doesn't come off as biased or single viewed. Great work!

[@rolandgdean]

Great video as usual. Another issue I wish you had covered is when an ROS brake goes out and they spin like a disk sander. I used to think this meant replacing the sander BUT, you can buy brakes for sanders (pretty cheap) and they're not too difficult to replace.

[@alfredomarquez9777]

Please correct your post: it should say "BRAKES!, not "BREAKS"!

[@rolandgdean]

@@alfredomarquez9777 corrections made sir. I hope you haven't been waiting this whole year for me to notice that myself.

[@alfredomarquez9777]

@@rolandgdean Pardon me, as a self taugh english student myself, I'm surprised with the frequent miswriting of that word! On other great video of Stumpy Nubs, he suggested to mark the sanding disc with a pen marker, so to make visible the proper rotation when the pressure applied to the sander is correct. My old Bosch PE12AE disc brake lasted relatively little, now I have a more powerful makita BO6050 that has a better brake.

[@toria-j]

Once used a multitool to sand a mahogany door, & then spent ten times longer again sanding the deeper scratches out by hand. Never again. This is after i gave up with a Bosch ROS when it melted the pad...

[@YanBousquet]

A tip that I saw in Wood magazine is a small stand that holds the sander by the head so you do not have to wait for it to stop. It’s great vid, kerp’em comming!

[@StumpyNubs]

Wouldn't solve the problem. Disc would fly off when you lift sander to place it on the stand.

[@juleswebb1885]

My wife is called Ros (seriously..short for Rosalind)..R-andom O-rbital S-ander. Thankfully, she isn't very abrasive, but can be quite random : )

[@aname5938]

You have a finely honed sense of humor. Possibly gritty at times, with some bite?

[@maca5645]

Ballsy, sucidal too but very ballsy. Respect :)

[@nickw9376]

AHHAH! I have written "ROS's" on my ROS Storage box and my wife asked "ROS' what? and glared at me

[@williamriker836]

Spence P y

[@allenjohnson7824]

_ David _ you must be a young’un. Jules is a mans name.

[@Bluuplanet]

My random orbital has 8 vacuum holes like the one in the video. I often encounter sanding disks that have 5 holes. I used a Dremel tool to elongate four of the eight holes in the foam pad so the holes line up with any sandpaper I put on it now. I just put a 5-hole sanding disk on with one of the holes lined up and used the Dremel to tunnel through the foam under the other four holes to the nearest hole in the sander.

[@wangofree]

I have learned so much from your videos James. I feel like I've been a fraud woodworker for the last 50 years. 😊

[@frrapp2366]

Project Farm did a good comparison on different brands of paper and which ones lasted longest but did the most sanding he has many good comparisons on different products , glues drill bits , sharpeners ,ect . love his reviews all non biased

[@kevinmello9149]

I noticed you didn't mention mesh discs. I've been using Mirka mesh discs, and Festool makes them as well. They are a bit more expensive, but they last much longer than the standard paper discs I used to use, making up for that. And, they allow for much more dust removal than flat discs, no doubt increasing the life of the disc, and insuring a smoother finish. Always remember, tho, use the spacer pad they sell to go between the disc and sander pad. It reduces heat and increases dust collection, which helps e tend the life of both the disc and your sanders pad.

[@simon-d-m]

I don't own a ROS, but I have belt and old-style orbital sanders, and use the detail sanding pad of my multi-tool a lot: I find that using the lightest pressure possible, with good dust extraction makes a huge difference to both speed and abrasive life. The abrasive cuts and doesn't rub, and the dust doesn't sit in the "valleys", causing scratchy clogs and making the pad skate over the surface. I often find I am half-lifting-off my big heavy Makita orbital, as even its own weight causes swirls. Most ROS designs, like the one you used for this video, seem intended to be pushed into the workpiece, which is the exact opposite of what gets me good results. So I haven't bought one... yet :-)

[@Mike-bh7sh]

I'm not sure I have ever seen trapped dust scratch wood. Maybe if you are sanding very resinous wood and generating a lot of heat - it would cause the resin to bead. Getting corns on the sandpaper while sanding finishes will definitely leave scratches in the finish (corning are the hard pellets of finish that form on the sandpaper). You will not stop pigtails/swirls no matter what you do with the sander. Those marks are simply the scratches left by the pattern of the sander. As he said, you can go slow so they are harder to see - but they are there. The only way you will get rid of them is to hand sand with the grain when you are done mechanically sanding. In my opinion - staining or finishing after random orbital sanding (without hand sanding to remove the swirls) leaves the wood looking "muddy".

[@deftones2]

I had issues with my sandpaper not adhering. Thanks for the info and history on why this happens and most importantly the solutions to remedy this problem.

[@tomr3422]

I found a really good fix for these problems, sand off the hooks, use contact adhesive to apply a 5inch diameter piece of laminate and start using the adhesive backed paper that I use on my pneumatic sander

[@mrupholsteryman]

And here I thought you would have some helpful tips for those with back pain due to slipped discs ... Haha! Couldn't resist. I'll see myself out. 😇😎😀

[@MadHatter764]

$43 for one steel carbide grit sanding disc - I got an assortment of 100 5" Mirka sanding discs for $20. For a hobby woodworker, buying the 2-3 most commonly used grits in the Duramax would be over a $120 investment - probably last a lifetime though. Actually, just double checked and the Diramax discs are only up to 120 grit - you still need the 220 and higher paper discs.

[@onjofilms]

Best tips on RAS yet.

[@rcytb]

Besides the education you provide, I love the Red Wings swag!

[@RobMacKendrick]

Watching this, I realised that 40 years working on wooden boats, most of it in the days of coal-fired old-school disc sanders, has taught me to KEEP MOVING. I'm Johnny Lightning with a sander - always moving, always moving. Because those old tools would dig a hole right through the hull if you gave them half a chance. (Autobiographical.) So I'm still doing that with my new ROS. I also massage the hull well. You want to straight-arm that mofo, bearing down with your whole upper body. And as I've recently understood, that kills these new sanders. (They literally pout and stop sanding at all.) Time to relearn some unconscious habits, eh?

[@TheEnergyball]

Thank you for sharing. My first cheap Black & Decker had a champ grip but died. When I replaced it with a Makita, there was so much I loved about the experience but found it was not gripping the paper properly. I considered it a defect so I returned it to find that Dewalt had a similar backing that poorly adhered to my sandpaper. Ironically, both sanders held well to cheap Chinese sand discs I got in bulk off amazon while it war the more expensive Freud discs that just wouldn't stay sticky. There was still plenty of grit on the paper, it was just unusable because it wouldn't stay stuck to the sander. Thank you for explaining Stumpy Nubs @ the extra pad & carbide disc. I'm tempted to give it a go.

[@mjjayful]

Hi James, thanks for a great no nonsense video with lots of brilliant tips, especially for a newbie DIYer like myself!

[@jack0cat]

Another tip to prevent slipping a disc. Always lift properly. 😁🤣. Just a little pun Love your channel I’m going to get those carbide discs what a game changer. 👍

[@kicknsystm]

I bought a used sander from eBay & just learning. Thanks for the head start.

[@ericaugustus9435]

Just ordered a Duragrit disc. Can’t wait to try it out!

[@jerryheater5870]

Condition = pigtails. Pigtails do 'not' come from the circular motion of the sander. Pigtails are approximately the size of the ROM (2mm, 3mm, etc) of the sander. Conclusion - Circular motion does not leave 'perceptible' marks of 'circular' action. RO motion does (may) leave 'perceptible' marks of ROM action. Corrective Action = eliminate the 'particular' action causing visually perceptible marks = ROM. It would seem eliminating the ROM action would also considerably reduce the pill creating tendency of the ROM action also. --- I'll wager you could make mighty fine comparison video - Circular Motion 'and' ROM sanding vs Circular Motion Only sanding. By the way this is just one old retired A&P mechanic's ponderings.