I'm looking for a pneumatic orbital sander small enough to be handy. With a soft pad. Does anyone know where to find a decent priced (not festool) orbital sander.
Paul
Pneumatic sanders are generaly used in the automative body shop business, so I would start there.
I would be cautious about using one on a wooden boat. If there is oil in the lines it may spit onto the wood. Also moisture that tends to accumulate in the compressor might be a problem unless you have a dryer installed inline.
Dan
I agree with Dan. Hand or electric is the safer bet.
Dynabrade is pretty much the industry standard pneumatic sander for woodworking. Never heard anyone having problems with oil. Not cheap, though. Also, air sanders require a huge volume of air to run, so you'd better have a big compressor. I could never go back to using a sander that's not attached to a vacuum for dust control. If you want that, it limits your choices a bit.
Cheers,
Pat