Tried that new flat box sander and learned a hard lesson

I grabbed one of those automatic flat box sanders from Home Depot in Phoenix last Saturday, thinking it would cut my sanding time in half on a 2,000 sq ft job. The thing vibrated so hard my hand went numb after 20 minutes and I ended up gouging three walls before I shut it off. Anybody else have a tool that sounded good but just made more work?

3 comments

3 Comments

diana_west2723m ago

Paid off when I backed off the speed and eased up my grip, exactly like @the_max said. First time I tried it though I nearly launched the thing through the drywall.

the_max2d ago

Nah, I gotta push back a little. Those flat sanders are actually great once you get the feel for them. The trick is letting the tool do the work, not muscling it into the wall like a regular sander. Sounds like you were holding it way too tight and probably had the speed cranked up.

emery_black3d ago

Did you check the pad spec before you bought it? I wonder if the grit speed setting was off for drywall or whatever you were sanding, because those things can really grab if the rotation is too aggressive for the surface. Were you using it with the dust collection hooked up too, or did you try running it without?