3×4″ electric orbital sanders have become quite popular for various flat sanding applications, from sanding cabinet doors to drawer boxes, or other parts with 90-degree corners, to objects with tight spaces, such as louvered doors or shutters. While these sanders are great little machines, especially paired with foam abrasives, like Ekasilk Plus, for finishing applications, using them with traditional coated abrasives prior to finishing can leave operators wanting for more. This is because, the sheet sanders do not have a random orbit pattern – they simply oscillate back and forth. This causes a much higher likelihood for the sander to ‘skip’ and ‘catch’ across the surface of your work piece, as well as for the vibrations to cause undesirable sanding marks. Thankfully, with the help of certain accessories, this tool can be utilized with ease and these frustrating issues can be resolved, while also adding additional functionality, for ease of sanding profiles, curved surfaces and tight spaces with standard coated abrasives sheets. Let’s look at 4 helpful accessories to have on hand.
Pad Saver
The pad saver is a thin piece of fabric with hook and loop attachment mechanisms on each side. This accessory goes between the standard backup pad and the sheet of sandpaper. Not only does it help to preserve the hooks on your backup pad, making it last longer, it also works to absorb some of the vibrations from the sander – allowing the tool to move more fluidly across the surface you are sanding. Because of this, using a pad saver can help to prevent swirls when sanding flat surfaces with the 3×4” sander. This is particularly helpful when you are sanding with standard coated abrasives to level and shape, remove knife marks, or perform other sanding tasks prior to finishing. Pad savers come with and without holes for vacuum sanders. It’s always recommended to utilize a sander with built in dust extraction, in order to get the best results from your sanding, as well as to keep your work area clean.
Soft Density Interface Pad
A soft-density interface pad is a product made of light-weight, open-cell foam, with hook and loop attachments, that provides a very soft cushion for your abrasives. This piece is used between the sanding sheet and the backup pad. To prevent slippage, the interface should be used on j-hook style backup pads. It can be used when sanding curves and other profiles in similar applications to the pad saver, prior to finishing. The give of the foam allows the abrasive to conform to the shape of your work piece, whether that is a curved crown molding, newel post, chair leg or seat, or other item. Note that there is a risk for flat-spotting on sharp edges when using conventional abrasives on profiles, and this is the case, even when using the interface pad. These interface pads come both with and without the 4-hole pattern for dust extraction.
Hard Density Interface Pad
The hard density interface pad, similar to the soft-density pad, is a foam-based product that is utilized between the abrasive and the backup pad. To prevent slippage, the interface should be used on j-hook style backup pads. This version is made of a closed-cell foam that provides a sturdy backing, with slight flexibility. This product allows the operator to offset the sandpaper sheet from the main backup pad. This technique allows the user to reach tight spaces, such as those between louvers on a shutter or even in spaces like a windowsill or door where it might otherwise be difficult to fit a sander. The slight flexibility allows for conformity to some curvature as well. This product is also available with or without holes.
Spare Backup Pad
Our 3×4 Ekasand Electric sanders all come standard with one backup pad included. However, backup pads, the part where you attach the sandpaper sheet to the sander, are consumable items and will eventually need to be replaced – whether to edge wear or damage and wearing out of the j-hooks that hold the sandpaper or other accessories. We recommend keeping a spare backup pad on hand for when this occurs, so you can simply change the pad when the time comes, rather than lose production time ordering a new one.
Conclusion
Now more popular than ever, the 3×4 electric sander is helpful in many different sanding applications. However, when used with traditional abrasives, it can be limiting or cause issues due to vibration and a non-random orbit pattern. These issues can be mitigated and applications can be expanded by using various accessories – such as the pad saver and the hard density and soft density interface pads – available from Uneeda.
To learn more about these products or order them for your sander, visit shop.uneeda.com.
For bulk orders or custom materials and quotes, contact sales@uneeda.com.
