Dual action, random orbital sander recommendation

Although I have cut down my proud seams from what they were I still need to bring them down to the same level as the teak decking. I also want to hit the high spots on the harder teak grain that has not worn away. Per Teakdecking Systems a dual action, random orbital sander is what is recommended. I am interested in what brand you specifically would recommend along with vacuum. I will do this job at the dock this spring. Don't want to buy the best, most professional since I probably will only use this for the boat, and not too often.
Any other deck sanding tips also appreciated.

I like Ridgid. They have a lifetime service contract/warranty. If you go online and register the device within 90 days of purchase. I have pretty much gone to Ridgid because of that. I have several DA 120 volt sanders and one 18 volt DA sander for when power isn’t readily available. I had one of the 120 volt DAs reworked last month since the motor wouldn’t hold a steady RPM. They come with a 3 year warranty and they just give you a new one if you have a problem. After 3 years they will try to repair it and if they can’t they will give you a new one. If the package includes batteries they are also included in the service contract/warranty. No affiliation. They have a dual voltage fan that is awesome. It will run on low for over 48 hours on a 4 amp hour battery or you can plug it in with an extension cord. We keep 2 of them on the boat and move them around to wherever we are sitting. Also the fan on low is dead quiet and moves enough air for my wife to sleep, she want a fan on at night.

D.A. Sanders are are not very complicated. I have never worn out any Makita or Dewalt D.A. I’m sure cheaper ones last just as long. There are however two things you need to be careful about with a D.A. First is the pad. It needs to be flat. Any defects in the pad will show up in your work. Inspect the pad carefully before purchase. The next thing to check is the pattern. Is it 3/16 or 3/32. Anything else is non standard and I would avoid. 3/16 is going to cut good but won’t give you the smoothest finish. 3/32 will give you a super smooth finish but will take a long time to cut.

6-inch Porter Cable has been my go-to for 30 years. I have replaced a few times as recently as 5-years ago. I know PC isn't a hi-end brand (it used to be) , so its the only Porter Cable tool I own. Sanding discs can be a bit hard to come by in bulk. I try to purchase in packs of 100.

Peter

I like my porter cable 6", sanding disks are less readily available at hardware stores compared to the 5" but buying ahead of time and in bulk helps. If you are only going to use it occasionally, 5" may make more sense.

Edit: buy one that you can get a dust free kit and you will be able to use it in more boatyards.

Pretty much any thing you buy at the local home center (but not Harbor Freight) will do what you need it to do. Ryobi has battery powered sanders if that interests you.

On a boat I prefer a 5” since it will fit in tighter spaces. I buy the discs at Amazon in boxes of 100.

I used a Dewalt for this very job. It has a lot of miles under its keel, but as has been noted above, others are OK too.

Forgot to mention it is a 120V model, not battery-run.

I have burned up Dewalts, Rigids, and Ryobis.

Fiberglass sanding is what tears up the bearings.

I went to a Rigid 18V because I have most of the other tools that take those or relatively inexpensive aftermarket batteries. With 2 big aftermarket batteries I can go all day as the one charges faster than I wear the other down.

The Rigid replacement hook pads are either expensive or hard to find...the good news is the Ryobis were inexpensive and fit.

I you buy Rigid from anyplace except Home Depot be careful as the warranty stuff could be void. If you buy from Amazon...I know it is...I believe it say so right in the ad.

mvweebles said:

6-inch Porter Cable has been my go-to for 30 years. I have replaced a few times as recently as 5-years ago. I know PC isn't a hi-end brand (it used to be) , so its the only Porter Cable tool I own. Sanding discs can be a bit hard to come by in bulk. I try to purchase in packs of 100.

Peter

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I bought a Porter Cable 7345, 5" random orbit sander in 1990 for my floor finishing business. The same machine is still in regular use . It has been in for servicing several times over the years usually just brushes which I have also done myself.

As mentioned above a good, flat pad is important. Unlike Peter I think I have every sander Porter Cable made (including a drum floor sander) but I use them a lot. I will say the quality of the machines now does not seem to be the same. They used to be professional level tools, now seem to cater to the consumer. I have no proof of this just looking at them in the hardware store.

For what you want to do I think the Ridgid suggested by Dave will be fine.

Rob

I have the same project as Pat T coming up, and I’m curious about approaches for the first step, which is trimming down the seams where they stand proud. What’s the best way (or tool) to do that?

Personally I think a sander is a great tool to have even if you only have a few power tools, but if you really think this is a one time thing, Home Depot will rent them to you.

I have bosch and makita power tools, pricey but quality worth it. Between the two I prefer Makita for the build quality.
For a sander I would say that the difference will more be what abrasive you use, cheap disks are ok for small jobs but more expensive ones last longer and have a better grain.

L

Moersea said:

I have the same project as Pat T coming up, and I’m curious about approaches for the first step, which is trimming down the seams where they stand proud. What’s the best way (or tool) to do that?

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I read about this on a forum and purchased it along with spare blades. It worked great. Highly recommend. There are alternatives that are power tools and more expensive but it got me to where I now am able to start the sanding process.
https://www.amazon.com/Mozart-Trimming-Knife-Floor-Welding/dp/B00E9WF1CM

Thanks to all for the great information - as usual. I have a bit to research/shop for now but I'll be ready to tackle this job soon.

+1 for deWalt. As stuff get replaced converting to dewalt.

My son who was a big Dewalt fan gave me about 15 Dewalt tools and some batteries.

He and the company he works for....2nd largest paving company in NJ (I think) switched to Milwaukee tools as the quality of the Dewalts has fallen over the decade.

These guys really use the tools to the max....and my son usually never goes for 2nd best so I would bet my life his opinion. They may not be the best out there...but for the tradesman...they may be the best bang for the buck.

I found there is no need to use a tool to knock down the seams. Two ways to do the job. If you tape the teak you will be smoothing the seams as you force the caulking into the groove with a plastic putty knife. Otherwise no tape, and let the excess spread over the deck boards. Either way (I use no tape) just sand the deck with a random orbit and 80 grit. You can smooth out the deck at the same time if you wish. It will all weather back to gray in a month or so. If you use Teak Decking Systems caulk it sands very nicely.

I might have missed it in above post .I recently purchased a electric orbital sander. after using Air powered for many years the one thing I wish I new and would not have purchased the model I did .I would have gotten one with verablspeed.i use the one I bought but tried one with verablspeed big difference.after the fact I noticed most brand names offer verablspeed just cost little more.thats my 10 cents

In building furniture the universal advice is to sand "with the grain". This allows leaving the scratches made by the sandpaper to align with the grain. Using a Random Orbital sander doesn't allow sanding with the grain, so to get a fine finish, with scratches from the paper going, by definition "at random, but generally orbitally", a much finer paper should be used and a less glossy finish, if one is required, applied.

On a teak deck, all of that is irrelevant, but does go to an assessment of what the desired outcome is. Just taking the ridges off can be done easily and quickly with a fairly coarse paper, and not caring what direction the paper is moved relative to grain direction. A flat sanding pad, whether on a sander or used by hand, is always better than one that conforms to the ridges being sanded.

On my teak rails, I use a Makita 1/4 sheet that is as old as my boat and lives there. Paper as fine as 400 grit does a great job in that application. I also have a Porter Cable 5" RO that I am very happy with.

On my teak decks, I have sanded ridges a couple of times, but generally shy away from anything that will shorten the life of the boards, so I tend to leave the ridges until I can't stand it any longer. At present I have a couple of boards that may get sanded flat within the next couple of years. Curiously, they seem to have deteriorated much more quickly than their immediate neighbours, and are located in mirror image ranks on the back deck, just outside the margins of the lazarette hatches, indicating the progress of the installation followed a mirror image, starting in the centre and encountered these boards at the same place in the ordered pile of available material.

Pat,

For taking down high spots I think it is hard to beat a 1" scraper. The blades, Red Devil, are about $4.00 for two. The Red Devil scrapers are some kind of composite that relaxes its grip on the blade when it heats up from use. This https://www.floorsupplies.net/produ...MIh4CQgJC89QIVErjICh0NhAEeEAQYFSABEgJiufD_BwE is the type I use. A file is needed to resharpen.

Rob

i dig scrapers too. the carbide scrapers i use are awesome and can shave a few thou at a time with really good control.
for a sander, have a look at this one from airvantage. typically i use air sanders, but sometimes air isn't available. this has a lot of good things in an electric format.
i got used to palm trigger sanders doing body and paint work so i'm partial to the style.
https://www.amazon.com/AirVANTAGE-P...ocphy=9033542&hvtargid=pla-612004059066&psc=1

Recently finished wet sanding my entire boat and switched across to Ryobi 18v. I hate cords and the battery lasts longer than my arms can hold it without resting. I have three batteries so one is always fully charged.

While many have discussed different brands and corded, cordless and hybrid. Nobody mentioned sanding mesh. This is fairly new tech and has been a real game-changer in sanding.
https://www.amazon.com/Abrasive-Anti-Blocking-Long-Lasting-Sandpaper-Furniture/dp/B08J7N26T1?th=1
From American Wood Workers Association - "In a nushell, Abranet does not load up ( if you give the dust somewhere to go ), seems to last longer, cuts faster, has softer edges.
It is more expensive, and is not always available in the same middle grits as some other papers."
More info for comparison here: https://www.reddit.com/r/woodworking/comments/3x3r0u/abranet_vs_regular_sandpaper/
I have a LOT of sanding and scraping to do this season on my old trawler. I bought the best carbide scrapers.
The pros say : "Carbide scraper edges endure 20 to 50 times longer than HSS scraper edges. Furthermore, obtaining the necessary equipment to sharpen and polish carbide scraper blades is not a costly process. However, if you just use a scraper once in a while, steel blades are the ideal option since they are more flexible and rust-resistant." - https://www.oldhouseonline.com › review › best-paint-scraper
I bought a complete set of these Bahco Scrapers with advice from Peter Knowles. If you haven't watched this maestro in action, you are missing some great content.
Here is a link to hundreds (if not thousands) of hours of inspiring work.
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=Peter+Knowles+boat+restoration+victoria+&iax=videos&ia=videos

YouTube Teak Deck Refinishing Video

For those that are considering or about to embark on refinishing your teak decks, you may be interested in this gentleman’s video…https://youtu.be/hDLy00rCmDk

Pat T said:

I read about this on a forum and purchased it along with spare blades. It worked great. Highly recommend. There are alternatives that are power tools and more expensive but it got me to where I now am able to start the sanding process.
https://www.amazon.com/Mozart-Trimming-Knife-Floor-Welding/dp/B00E9WF1CM

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I just purchased one of these for the same use...but $90? Really?

There is a YT channel called Concorde Carpenter that did an excellent comparison test on most of the sander with extraction brands, including the most expensive.
Best all round was a Makita!

Big Air Compressor - need high CFM - 17+


3M Random Orbital Sander - Elite Series 28561, Air-Powered, Central Vacuum, 5 Inch, 3/8" Orbit


Good old Dyson - small capacity means frequent emptys - but wow does it ever suck compared to any other vacuum I've owned....
Good sucking means good dust control.


Small size of sander works in smaller spaces if needed, and 5" disks are much cheaper than the 6" ones.

The above system is what I use to sand the bottom of my boat.

Festool festool and only festool for a DA there is simply nothing comes close to them for sanding anything and believe me after 40 years as a boatbuilder nothing comes close to Festool for sanders I have literally probably spent years of my life using various types and all the brands end up in the trash except Festool, expensive but fantastic ??

If you are going battery operated, you should commit to 1 maker. I've used Makita for the last 7 years. Never a problem.