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I have a bosh variable speed orbital sander. It's big and heavy. I have been thinking about getting a lighter orbital sander that would be easier to manage with one hand. Then I started thinking about those v-shaped sanders. Does anyone use one of these (see attachment)? If you have used one are own one what do you think about them

Any recommendations are appreciated

Thanks

I have one but never found a use for it on a guitar.

The multitool has many uses for guitar making, detail sanding being only one of them. As a sander they can come in handy for sanding sides and leveling finishes where a R.O. sander would be too aggressive. Rather than suggesting a particular model I would say try to find one that fits your hand and pocket book. Variable speed is a good feature and one I would not want to be without.

I have a Fein multi-tool. I used it for a while as part of my heel shaping process, but I don’t use it often anymore. Only the tips of the triangular pad do much sanding. I keep going back to the cheap, Black and Decker Mouse detail sander. It’s light, easy to control and not too aggressive. I use it for final neck cleanup after carving, for sanding bindings, and for next to final sanding with fine paper (before the final hand sanding with really fine paper) before finishing. It’s a lot easier to control on a non-flat surface than a 5 or 6” disk Random orbital sander.

That’s a multi-tool. Not a dedicated sander. Not sure I’d ever use one on a guitar. Is this a good idea?

Black and Decker Mouse detail sander, I think, is the sander that got me thinking about this. It's cheap enough to get without breaking the bank and seeing if you like it. My guess is you'd find uses for it

Thanks

With a light touch I could see the use getting into tight areas. Be careful though


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I hardly touch my mouse sander any more. Extremely loud, dusty, and expensive supplies. And the vibration makes my hands ache! I find that I can make great progress with better results if I just start with 80 grit and work up to whatever level of finish I need.

_________________
Tony Thatcher
Bozeman, Montana

When it came time to cut a dowelled neck off the body, the multi-tool worked for me.

I use my Milwaukee multitool for cutting tasks quite often but I don't bother sanding with it.

_________________
Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

The multitool has a lot of uses, but if you are looking for something primarily to replace the Bosch, I would suggest you look for a light weight, ergonomic, low cost 5 inch random orbit palm sander. There are several out there that will meet those requirements in the +/- $50 range.

That's what I did. I picked up Bosch's small 5-inch random orbital sander witch lets you change the speed. It works great

Hand sanding is almost always the safest. Too many stories of sand through, excess binding thinning to recount. Yet, if you are aware of the issues, one can use most any sander in combination with hand sanding. Multi tools are too aggressive IMHO (for general sanding). The newest palm sanders are quite easy on the hands. Powered sanders have little application in finish work for me. I do use them, but sparingly. Just to get things started. My favorite sanding process is to use one of those sanding blocks (lowes, HD) wrapped in paper of choice (finish work).

I love my Dynabrade pneumatic orbital palm sanders because they are very light and easily variable in speed.

Mike Franks
www.mjfranksguitars.com

Mike
I was thinking about one of these but no one mentions it so I thought maybe it was hard to control the speed.

Are you recommending the Dynabrade specifically or pneumatic orbital palm sanders generally

Thank you

If you have a large compressor (which air sanders require) then the only other down side is air sanders tend to shake the bones in your hand loose and damage nerves and blood vessels. Often a warning is inscribed on the sander to that effect. But with a whip line they can provide a light weight ergonomic alternative to an electric unit. We picks our poison and takes our chances.

Some of them do have a way to reduce the air and slow the speed.