Oscillating Spindle Sander – A Very Versatile Finishing Sander
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When it comes to home improvement projects nothing can be more frustrating than trying to clean up saw marks in tight areas and on round items such as the posts on the banister for your stairs or the legs on a chair. The old fashioned way to sand these items smooth enough to finish them was by hand with a piece of sandpaper. Today the power spindle sander and oscillating spindle sander make this task much easier.
It could take you many hours to sand each spindle in your banister by hand and the more decorative each spindle is the longer it is going to take. You are going to end up sanding each spindle several times as you change sandpaper grits to achieve the smooth finish you are going to need if you plan to stain or varnish the wood. Most of us do not have this kind of time or ambition anymore and that led to the creation of the oscillating spindle sander.
The main difference between a spindle sander and an oscillating spindle sander is it their sanding motions. Both tools use a cylinder shaped sandpaper tube, the standard spindle sander only rotates whereas the oscillating one also moves up and down. This motion helps to speed up the process and makes it much easier to get into smaller areas without damaging or gouging the wood. The oscillating motion also helps to reduce the amount of heat buildup caused by the rotation of the sandpaper.
The oscillating spindle sander is the ideal tool for finish sanding many of your projects after you have used your belt sander to cut down the worst sections and gotten close to your finished product. These sanders are available in both table top and hand held model for your convenience. If you are going to buy a freestanding model you need to pay close attention to storage for the various spindles you are going to accumulate and a carefully machined table top that is perfectly flat.
If you are going to buy a handheld model you need to buy one that uses a single knob to adjust belt tension and has precisely milled steel plates. You should also look for one that has easy to reach and use controls and the belt is easy to change. While there are many different power sanders you could add to your tool collection, you will find that an oscillating spindle sander will turn out to be one of the most used sanders in your collection.