From auto body repair to painting, air sander tools lend a finished appearance to wood, metal, stone and masonry. The pneumatic force that powers these tools reduces the time and effort required to deburr, grind, buff and polish tough surfaces. There’s a tool for every surface, so whether you’re building a hot rod or running a machine shop, become familiar with the types of air sander tools and choose the right tool for your project.
Air Disc Sander
The rapidly spinning disc of the air disc sander abrades flat surfaces and edges. Like an angle grinder, the air disc sander’s disc spins on a plane parallel with the tool’s body. The tool’s operator grips the body with one hand and a protruding handle with the other. The disc’s position allows the operator to sand across flat surfaces and around corners.
Air Inline Sander
Abrasive paper attaches to the flat, bottom plate of the inline sander. The tool’s plate reciprocates in a back and forth motion, imitating the rubbing action of sanding by hand. Like a carpenter’s box plane, the inline sander features two, top-mounted handles. The tool’s operator grips the handles and runs the tool across a flat surface as the reciprocating sandpaper lightly abrades and removes material.
Air Orbital Sander
The air orbital sander employs an abrasive disc to sand surfaces. Rather than spinning its disc, like the disc sander, this tools rotates the disc around a center point along a fixed path or “orbit”. The disc’s constant orbiting motion reduces the occurrence of divots and low spots, leading to an evenly sanded, flat surface.
Air Belt Sander
The air belt sander continuously runs an abrasive belt along a stationary, flat-bottomed bar. The belt’s constant rotation causes its abrasive grit to wear evenly, which in turn reduces surface inconsistencies due to rough and soft spots. The air belt sander performs well on flat or gently curved surfaces. Equipped with a heavy-grit sanding belt, this powerful tool strips paint, and tears through tough, metal surfaces.
Air Palm Sander
Like the disc sander, the palm sander spins an abrasive disc. The defining characteristic of the palm sander is its size — this tool fits comfortably in the palm of one hand. Its light weight and single-handed operation lend it well to delicate sanding, touch-up and polishing work.
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