How-To
Dust-Free Sanders
For drywall sanding jobs where you really need to keep dust to a minimum, try using one of these vacuum-assisted tools.
A dust-free sander is a pole or hand sander with an attachment that fits onto a wet/dry vacuum. It is used in exactly the same way as a regular pole or hand sander. The only difference is that most of the dust ends up in the vacuum cleaner, not on the floor.
I have a variety of sanders that hook up to a vacuum. Some have rotating and vibrating heads and some work just like regular pole sanders, which require physical movement to sand. If I’m concerned about dust control, these are the sanders I choose. The model I often use is designed as a pole sander, but you can remove the handle, reattach the hose, and use it as a hand sander as well.
