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No system is completely dustless, as some residual dust will escape. However, any good shop vac connected to a random orbit sander set up to accept a hose nozzle will work wonders.
The best shop vac on the market, IMO, is the WAP. It’s quiet, and very powerful. Mufflers can be added to noisy machines.
Cost of paper – we’re talking velcro with the holes – is between $.20 and $.50 per sheet, depending on quantity purchased. Klingspor is a very good brand, as is the kind with the yellow box with the bulldog on it (can’t remember the brand name).
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No system is completely dustless, as some residual dust will escape. However, any good shop vac connected to a random orbit sander set up to accept a hose nozzle will work wonders.
The best shop vac on the market, IMO, is the WAP. It's quiet, and very powerful. Mufflers can be added to noisy machines.
Cost of paper - we're talking velcro with the holes - is between $.20 and $.50 per sheet, depending on quantity purchased. Klingspor is a very good brand, as is the kind with the yellow box with the bulldog on it (can't remember the brand name).
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A little off topic but....
In purchasing one of the random orbit sanders that George speaks of, how important/usefull is the variable speed option?
Thanks
*Matt, in use... not too useful. I usually run the unit somewhere between 4 and 6 on the scale. 6 is the max.. Softer wood, slower speed, on the maple I'm currently working on... I'm looking for a "Turbo" button.As to Dann's post, "Dustless" is a phrase and not an absolute. He's right though, the WAP, Porter-Cable, Fein and Festo are all great machines... pick the unit you like best, and can get local support/accessories for.
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Dave Magliacane Painter I use two Porter Cable ROS one varible speed one set. The variable gives you more options with the material that you are sanding, some coatings will gum and bubble up at the higher speeds. I have used the smaller sander to sand spackeled walls, attached to a hose and a shop vac. This has proven to put the least amount of dust into the air and onto the homeowners furniture.
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David - what kind of paper or screen do you use on the 6" PC r.o. for drywall/plaster?
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Rick L
I have used the P.C. sander with both the P.C.
dedicated vacuum and a shop vac. I found over several hours of use that they both work well . I do like the automatic switch on the P.C.. The 250.00 price for the P.C. can be a little steep for some. Hope this helps
*I use 180 grit paper, if the new sheet is to sharp, I'll dull it a little on a hard surface.
*A PC RO sanding without holes but with the shrouded pickup will also work well; the holed paper of course works better. The PC vac is a very good tool and the 15 second suck down period is a sensible touch. Quieter but not quiet. Dustless, pretty near. If you are budgeted for or have a standard shop vac the Gore-tex filter does well enought to claim I believe a 5 micron standard. I cobbled together a corded remote that was in order; a plug, 3' of cord, a duplex handibox, 25' of cord, and terminated with another handibox and a single pole switch. The switch controled one half of the duplex which the vac was plugged into. The unswitched half is just nice to have around. So if say I'm tearing out a window and the vac is changed to 16' of hose and the switch is close to me I don' have and the vac and hose clutter crowding me. I use this with the PC too. PC bags tear with nails, wood shards -- the kinda of stuff you usually just suck up. When I install a new bag in the PC I put duct tape opposite the intake to reinforece that area. If the work is more than dust run it with just the pleated filter. Bags are $3 per. For debris work change the PC hose to 2 1/4" hose, the supplied hose clogs.
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I am interested in dustless sanding.
In FHB, there is a dustless sanding system advertised with-----
· Special sandpaper containing holes, so the dust and abrasive are immediately sucked away from the work.
· Automatic vacuum which comes on when the sander is activated.
To anyone who as one---
DO they work?--- Are they really Completely/Pretty good/Fairly dustless??
Does the special sandpaper cost a bundle, all things considered.
Can you NOT buy the special vacuum and instead use a shop vac. (I figure an X-10 device can tell the shop vacuum to turn on just as good!)
How do you like them???
Thanks very much.
Rick
*Rick, after a bad reaction to a tropical wood; yes, I was using a mask, I went to dustless. Fein Vac coupled to the Porter-Cable 6" R/O Sander. Took two minutes to get used to. Now I have a 5 gal. dustbag! Std. filtration is 5 microns, with a one micron optional system available. The by-products are delivered to a collector away from my immediate area. You will find a dedicated dust vac much quieter than the ol' shop vac. Important if sanding is much of your day.
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Yellow box with buldog- Mirka? In the automotive painting world, Mirka and others do not perform as well as Norton and 3M, but the price sure is better. The best performance to price product was a swedish brand - SIA, which is no longer being imported due to some lawsuit over who had importer rights.
Frank