A sander is an essential tool that will get used in almost any DIY projects involving wood. Sanders can remove large amounts of wood or paint quickly and easily, in addition to being able to put a smooth surface on your projects. But there are many types of sanders out there, and many can only be used for certain applications. One key to deciding on a sander is to get the one that will satisfy your needs best. Here are the types of sanders you will want to consider:



-- Belt Sanders --

Belt sanders are most useful in the initial phases of sanding big sanding jobs and for the starting phases of big refinishing tasks. Belt sanders remove lots of material quickly, so you need to be careful to avoid scarring the material being sanded. Belt sanders can tend to be heavy. Think about getting one with a variable speed control and a button which lets you lock the speed so that you can place your hands in the most comfortable position possible when using the sander; this also helps minimize user fatigue when using a belt sander.

-- Detail Sanders --

Detail sanders are littler sanders that are most often used to sand around odd shapes and in small nooks and crannies such as notches, carvings, inlays, curves and grooves. Detail sanders are frequently used for craft projects and on mill work such as door and window casings. To get the best use out of your detail sander, buy one that has a lot of attachments since this will increase the flexibility of your sander and make it usable in more shapes and locations.

-- Disc Sanders --

Disc sanders come in both hand-held and bench-mounted versions. The hand-held varieties are most useful to DIYs whereas the bench-mounted models are most often used by those who need to perform sanding on a more industrial scale. But there are some smaller bench-mounted models that are still cheap enough for consideration by the occasional user. Disc sanders make quick work of finishing the end grain of wood and for sanding angled edges. If you are considering a bench-mounted disc sander, additional features you will want to look for are: a tilting table, a sliding miter gauge, and a belt sander someplace on the frame.

-- Random-Orbit Sanders --

Random-orbit sanders have circular pads that move/vibrate in a circle with a random pattern. The random motion makes it so that the user can move the sander in any direction on the material being sanded, even across the grain, without scratching the surface of the material being sanded. This is the "safest" type of sander and it is an excellent choice for a multi-purposes sanders; this makes it a great choice for the novice user. Most random-orbit sanders necessitate the use of special sand paper specific to the brand and/or model of the sander being used.

-- Sheet Sanders --

Sheet sanders come in different sized models that use 1/4 or 1/3-sheets from standard sandpaper. Some sheet sanders make use of specialized sand paper with adhesive or velcro used to fix the sand paper on the sander. Other models can make use of use any type of sheet sand paper. Obviously, the latter type of sheet sander is more flexible for the everyday user. Sheet sanders are different from random-orbit sanders in that the sheet sander moves the sand paper along the axis of the tool, so sheet sanders have to be moved in the direction of the grain of the material being sanded to avoid marring the surface. Sheet sanders are very versatile and, like the random-orbit sander, they can be used on a wide variety of projects.

-- Spindle Sanders --

Spindle sanders are excellent for edge sanding, especially on curves. Spindle sanders are always bench-mounted tools with a cylindrical spindle located in the center of a large worktable. There are no hand-held spindle sanders. As such, these tend to be used by more industrial users and wood-working enthusiasts. If looking for a spindle sander, look for one with the oscillating feature; the oscillations increases the removal rate of stock and reduces the probability of gouging the material being sanded.