| Review by dustynewt | posted 81 days ago | 216 views | 0 times favorited | 8 comments |  |
- Ridgid 6" Variable Speed Orbital Sander
- Brand: Ridgid | Category: Sanders
 |
 |
|
 |
This sander was purchased because I needed one for the workshop but I also needed something to sand the floors we are refinishing in our 76 year old home. This guy proved to be a champ.
The floor I started on is about 400 sq.ft. This is pretty much how the entire floor was when we ripped up the carpet;
These are the results;
This sander, $130.00 plus tax, paired with my Fein Turbo III vacuum busted through carpet adhesive, gouges and scratches in the old yellow pine floor that has cured so that you can’t even drive a nail straight. I went over the floor three times. 40, 80 and 120 grits (about $50.00 total). The sander never complained and is raring for the next floor.
I experimented a little, without reading the directions of course. The coarser grits seem to work better at slower speeds and the finer grits at faster speeds.
It might be a little overkill in the shop on the small boxes and such that I make, but when I have to hog down some rough stuff, it’ll be ready to go.
Your Online Shop - Your Support Is Greatly Appreciated - Your Woodworking Showcase - 3 Ways To Help, Financially - Your Woodworking Community
8 comments so far
dennis mitchell
home | projects | blog
2913 posts in 757 days
posted 81 days ago
Yep this is one nice sander! I’m happy with mine.
-- http://www.woodsongsfurniture.com
GaryK
home | projects | blog
8401 posts in 430 days
posted 81 days ago
Man, that’s a lot of sanding!
Thanks for the review.
-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.
Russel
home | projects | blog
1214 posts in 381 days
posted 81 days ago
First, my back and knees hurt just thinking about sanding a floor with that. Second, that’s pretty impressive work for a sander.
-- When you give someone a chance it may well be their last.
gizmodyne
home | projects | blog
1476 posts in 532 days
posted 81 days ago
I can’t believe you did that with a small sander. Impressive!
-- -John "Do I have to keep typing a smiley? Just assume it's a joke." www.flickr.com/photos/gizmodyne
teenagewoodworker
home | projects | blog
1932 posts in 210 days
posted 81 days ago
that is a lot of sanding! how long did it take?
its good to see that it can stand up to something as extreme as this. that says a lot and i think that it would be great for any shop usage, thanks for the review.
dustynewt
home | projects | blog
323 posts in 304 days
posted 81 days ago
Teenagewoodworker - The sanding was done a couple hours here and there on my days off for about a month. I would estimate probably 30-35 hours. Sanding is a meditative thing for me. It is pretty brainless work and allows my mind to work on other things, so occasionally I welcome such a mundane task.
-- http://dustynewt.webs.com/
grovemadman
home | projects | blog
541 posts in 214 days
posted 81 days ago
Very impressive! I was looking at one of these a while back. I can’t believe you sanded the whole floor with it – I would have attached it some how to a pole and pulled up a lawn chair and a book. LOL BTW Nice floor, for sure worth the work!
-- --Chuck
Scott Bryan
home | projects | blog
8485 posts in 264 days
posted 78 days ago
This is a nice review. I agree with Russel however that my back and knees ache from doing a floor like this. I am impressed that this sander could handle the floor, which looks good by the way. Nice job on both the review and the floor.
-- With God's help all things are possible- even woodworking. Woodworking is not just a hobby, it is an (expletive deleted) expensive hobby.