Replies

1. 
   Guest_ | Feb 11, 2000 06:32am | #1

   *
   ....a little cryptic there Allen..

   ..but without a little more info....it might be that you're using too heavy a grit... or changing from a heavy grit to one that is too fine for the next step.... can you describe what you did and what happened ?

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   Guest_ | Feb 11, 2000 10:46am | #2

   *Mike is right, I wouldnt skip more than one grit, none if possible. The idea is to keep making shallower scratches with each grit until you get an acceptable surface for a given finish.The swirls are always gonna be there but the finer the grit the harder they are to see. Another thing I've learned is move the sander slowly, if you go to fast it tends to act more like a grinder. I typically sand up thru 150 to 180 for stain and finish but with a dark stain if you look really closely you can still see some slight swirls. Chuck

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   Guest_ | Feb 11, 2000 02:28pm | #3

   *There was quite a discussion about this over in Knots....dust buildup was part of the problem I seem to recall.

1. 
   Guest_ | Feb 11, 2000 05:41pm | #4

   * Allen,

   If you've followed the advice of Chuck and Mark, the other thing is you are probably moving the sander to quickly across your work piece. Try slowing down and allowing the sander to remove the marks. Good luck

   Joseph Fusco View Image "The price of apathy towards public affairs is to be ruled by evil men." -- Plato

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   Guest_ | Mar 04, 2000 04:53am | #5

   *Allen,I just used a Porter-Cable DA on alot of clear maple hand rails which were then cleared with Polycrylic. What I discovered is that when the DA spins up on its own (no contact with wood), it is spinning and not orbiting. Touching it down hard will then create round swirls before it begins its true orbit motion. I counter this by keeping a scrap next to the good piece and getting the true orbital action going on the scrap and then moving quickly to the work piece. Made a big difference. Hope this helps. Aaron Harvey

2. 
   Guest_ | Mar 04, 2000 06:37am | #6

   *The one thing about orbital sanders vs. 1/4 sheet sanders is that they are much more aggressive. Try using a 1/4 sheet sander to finish that job, or sand down to 220 grit. 180 works fine for 1/4 sheet sanders. also....lose the bosch and buy a Porter Cable or DeWalt. they have CFS (controlled finishing system) disks in them.

3. 
   Guest_ | Mar 04, 2000 02:59pm | #7

   *What I have found is that I will get swirl marks if I use too much downward pressure on the sander. Try to let the machine do all the work and you will get much better results.

4. 
   Guest_ | Mar 04, 2000 09:24pm | #8

   *Yeah, Thom's right. If you use a light touch, the sand gets a chance to cut better too. Easy does it.

5. 
   Guest_ | Mar 05, 2000 03:33pm | #10

   *thanks for the tips guys

2. 
   allen_e_schell | Mar 05, 2000 03:33pm | #9

   *
   my bosch random orbital sander leaves plenty of swirls, what's up?