Thread: DA Sander?

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DA or "Dual Action" is a predictable up-down and back-forth motion. Random action orbital is just as the name implies, a series of random movements in a circular pattern.

Electric is good. Most come with Velcro type pads in grits from 60 - 220. DeWalt, Ryobi, Makida on the less expensive end. Porter Cable and Milwaukee on the more expensive side.

For really super fine finish, Dynabrade or Hutchins (air driven) but they are expensive. Dynabrade 6" is $325+/-. Hutchins 6" will run $225. These are really good units but require a good flow of air (10CFM @ 90psi)

As its name implies, a DA sander or dual action can be used as a random orbital or a circular sander just by locking the pad with the locking device built into the shaft.

To answer your question about the advantages Steve, what it does is spread the sanding motion over a large area, unlike a disc sander that just spins and concentrates the grinding on a small area. DA's are great for final body work where you want to level out a large panel (like a hood). You simply start it and move it over the surface and it sands a little bit off without digging into any one spot. The "dual action" name comes from the fact that they 1) spin in a circle like a regular grinder and 2) travel in and orbital pattern to spread the sanding over a larger area.

We even have a couple of HF ones that aren't too bad, and for the average hobbyist they are fine.

Don

Thanks Guys. Don that discription makes the most sense to me. There are some hard to level spots on the cab and front fenders. After reading the new addition of Street Rodder, he is presenting a series of articles of how to go about painting your own car for reasonable amounts of cash. I figureI'll gieve it a try if I can get the body smooth enough to hide most of the dents that are currently driving me nuts! They are very subtle and usually only apparent after I shoot some primer over then. This info is for the spring when it's a little warmer out there. When I read the article in Street Rodder he says it's worth every penny to buy a DA sander( and like Don said) HF has them for 15-20 bucks so it may be worth it. My biggest worry is finding a space to paint, but in his article he says a garage is fine or even a driveway. I thought it might work to buy a temperary shelter(poles with plastic roof and sides) and spray in the driveway, to keep the garage from getting to messed up. Not sure how bad over spray is. So far the two part primer has made no mess!

I have an air and an electric da> the air DA is an air hog. I use my porter cable DA a bunch. It does a better job than my bluepoint air DA..