longer lasting sand paper & abrasive

my favorite power hand sander

Sanding is a big part of almost any furniture or home improvement project. In fact, it's one of the few steps everybody has to take, whether you're painting your bedroom, or crafting an 18th-century reproduction sideboard. If you're a weekend warrior doing your own home improvements, then you know how tedious and time consuming sanding can be, and how a new package of sand paper can disappear faster than you can say "my arm is cramping up." You've also probably noticed that in spite of all your work sanding, once the finish (or paint) dries, you can see dozens - or hundreds - of tiny scratches that were invisible before.

If all this sounds familiar, be sure to read this post before you sand again!

Festool Rotex Sander Review

I have been using my Festool Rotex sander for about a year now, and I love it.  The Rotex is special because of its two sanding modes: gear-driven circular mode, and a traditional orbital mode.  I use the gear mode to hog off material, as in smoothing or shaping the work.  Since buying the Rotex, my belt sander hasn't seen the fluorescent light of my shop.  If I'm sanding a big panel, I'll start in gear mode with 80 grit, then proceed up to 180 in gear mode.  Then I switch to orbital mode and go over the piece again at 180, then to 220.  I finish off with 220 and 320 by hand, using my handy sanding block with a Velcro sole.  I recommend the Rotex for anybody in the market for an orbital sander, and especially somebody in the market for a single sander that can do as much as possible.  You might never buy a hand-held belt sander once you have a Rotex.