Never ran a floor sander before

[CrealBilly]

Got any Tips Trick ... There is just something about running a big machine chewing up wood is'nt there?

Thanks

 

[LeftyTom]

Just a belt sander on steroids. Looks like a vacuum, if ya get a bagger.

As for running it, I wouldn't worry. That belt will do a burn out, giving you a 10-step head start. :gar-Bi

 

[NCPete]

keep it moving. or your 1 inch floor will become 1/2 real soon.

 

[Jim Murphy]

I wimped out and rented an oscillating sander for my shop floor. That's a waste of time. It will work, and won't burn, but plan on two hours per hundred square feet PER grit. I went 40 then 60 then 100 and was completely whupped. If ever again I do this, I'll be brave enough to use a real belt sander. And since I haven't used one of them, I'll leave it at that.

 

[JackLeg]

Git a dang good hold and don't point it at anything you want to keep!! LOL!

:rotflm:

 

[nelsone]

I would highly recommend an orbital sander over a drum. A drum WILL chew up your floors. I didn't experience any significant change in time over the drum sander. I will say that the orbital is MUCH easire to work with! When I first tried it I actually went back to the rental place and asked why they hadn't recommended the orbital over the drum to begin with.

By the way, I have refinished the floors in about 3 houses for pay and the clients were all happy with the results!

 

[Glennbear]

As I recall you are working on a bathroom. Unless the bathroom is the size of a ballroom I would recommend the smaller machine. I did a small dining room and found that a full size floor machine was overkill because of lack of maneuverability. :wsmile:

 

[Charles Lent]

I've put down and refinished many hardwood floors in my lifetime, using the drum, belt, and orbital sanders that are available for this. If you don't have prior training, get the orbital sander. The others will destroy your floor before you learn to use them without someone there to show you how, and the orbital is the only one that can be used easily in smaller rooms (less than 8 X 8). You will also need an edge sander and some corner scrapers. The edge sander is a disk sander on steroids and takes some getting used to, but it won't take much to learn it (keep it moving or it will burn the floor). You can probably make do with your own ROS sanders for edging if you have some 40, 80, and 100 grit paper for them. Wood floor installation and surfacing is hard work. You will sleep good the night after you do one.

Charley

 

[CrealBilly]

I'm sanding a 12 x 20 room heart wood pine and want to leave "the character" marks I've already edge sanded and sealed using my ROS, belt sander and some corner scrapers. I don't want to take to much off - would 80 grit on the rented orbital sander be good to start with? That's what I used on the edges and it seemed to work fine.

Thanks

 

[nelsone]

Are these bare wood or are you removing a finish? If they are bare and you are just wanting to level them off a little, 80 will be fine, if you are taking finish off then start with 20 or 40. If you decide to start with 80, go ahead and get some 40 and 60. You may find the 80 isn't agressive enough. Most rental places will take back the discs you don't use.

 

[Tarhead]

Another thing to deal with on a ROS is the old finish may collect in "Corns" on the abrasive and make the paper worthless unless you scrape them off. I used a big ROS on a living room refinish job at the MIL's and kept my wife busy with a razor blade and paint thinner as the corns built up on the paper. I chickened out on the big boy belt sander.

 

[Tom Dunn]

I've used both drum and orbital.

On a soft wood like pine, and being inexperienced, I'd go orbital, no doubt about it.

 

[FredP]

you gonna run it or RIDE IT?:rotflm: sounds fun..... either way!:gar-La;

 

[russellellis]

if youve never used one before it wont hurt to try it out on a piece of plywood, you can see that way how it will burn into the wood if you leave it sitting for too long. and get the feeling of how to move it across the wood.
pulling back towards you will make the sander dig in more aggressively.
be sure to never stop first. always pull the sander up away from the floor before stopping.
steadiness is the key to the whole deal.

im standing out from everyone else and saying to **** with the orbital. biggest waste of my time ever. i ended up at times sitting a concrete block on the top for the weight, as it just skipped across the floor most of the time. after a full day, i returned it and have never rented an orbital again.

i find it best to shopvac the room after each grit change. keeps the paper fresh longer.

 

[TracyP]

After being bounced off of every wall in site from a floor buffer, I have never attempted a floor sander:nah::nah:

 

[Rod]

if youve never used one before it wont hurt to try it out on a piece of plywood, you can see that way how it will burn into the wood if you leave it sitting for too long. and get the feeling of how to move it across the wood.
pulling back towards you will make the sander dig in more aggressively.
be sure to never stop first. always pull the sander up away from the floor before stopping.
steadiness is the key to the whole deal.

im standing out from everyone else and saying to **** with the orbital. biggest waste of my time ever. i ended up at times sitting a concrete block on the top for the weight, as it just skipped across the floor most of the time. after a full day, i returned it and have never rented an orbital again.

i find it best to shopvac the room after each grit change. keeps the paper fresh longer.

I agree with Russell...especially with the plywood idea. I rented one and immediately burned the wood becaue I wasn't paying attention and, therefore, wasn't keeping the machine moving. Thank goodness I was able to come back and fix the mess I had made.

Good Luck!
Rod

 

[mkepke]

I have seen several DIY'ers recommend the U-Sand machine (4-pad ROS):

http://www.cherryhillmfg.com/u-sand/index.htm

..but never used it myself.

If you find/use one, let me know how it goes. My current floors are an example of what can go wrong with a drum sander and need to be refinished.

-Mark

 

[CrealBilly]

Couple of WIP pictures of edge sanding and sealing before I go get the floor sander. Did I ever mention just how much I HATE stain. I mean look, if you want a different color on a piece of wood, for crying out loud use a different wood. Underneath the old varnish finish and stain is some nice old heart wood pine - which totally obscured by a nice muddy coat of freaking stain. Whoever stains a peice of wood should be taken out back and be beaten - what a freaking mess.

Trim design is my own - made out of SYP in the shop on the TS and Router table.

Thanks

 

[nelsone]

Couple of WIP pictures of edge sanding and sealing before I go get the floor sander. Did I ever mention just how much I HATE stain. I mean look, if you want a different color on a piece of wood, for crying out loud use a different wood. Underneath the old varnish finish and stain is some nice old heart wood pine - which totally obscured by a nice muddy coat of freaking stain. Whoever stains a peice of wood should be taken out back and be beaten - what a freaking mess.

Tell us how you really feel!:gar-La;

 

[CrealBilly]

Tell us how you really feel!:gar-La;

I think I did - did'nt I?