You may have guessed a detail sander is exactly what the name implies, it is a sander designed for detailed sanding.  Such as in furniture, cabinetry and more.  There are a lot of manufacturers who make detailed sanders, but this review is focusing on the Craftsman Detailed Sander.  This was sent to us from a frequent visitor to our site and someone we have came to know over the years.  Before we get started, if you would like to learn more about sanders, you can visit our sander page.

The Craftsman sander, model number 9-11647 comes obviously with the sander, but you also get 24 assorted sandpaper attachments for detail and finishing sanding as well as scrubbing and rust removal.  You also get a small bag to store the sander and sand paper in.  The handle has a nice rubberized grip to help keep control of the sander.  One nice item is the dust sealed on/off switch to help protect the switch.  In the past some companies were not using, and surprisingly some are still not using this dust sealed system.  If you find a sander that doesn’t uses this type of switch, we would suggest staying away as we have seen more and more problems occurring where the switch can be be turned on or off.  The sander orbits at 11,000 OBP, which isn’t too bad for a home sander.  Another nice feature included in the kit is a finger attachment.  The finger attachment has a nice point to get into those hard to reach areas that normally you would have to do by hand.

When we first picked up the sander, we noticed how well it fits in your hand.  This is very important as it allows the user more control over their sanding.  Now the sander is a little noisier than we would expect, but not too loud to where it drives you crazy.  The vibrations are not too bad either.  This is something you could use for an hour or two before you have to give your hand a rest.  The finger tool is very nice and truly does get into tight spots.  For the video we just showed a quick demonstration, but when we used it on a cabinet door, the finger was a nice add on.  To add the finger to the sander, just unscrew the Phillip screw and you can attach the finger head.

May sound goofy, but one thing we really liked was the sandpaper that came with the sander or even the sandpaper Sears sells as a replacement.  Normally some sanders are like ink jet printers.  You can buy a cheap one, but where they clean house is the ink or in this case the sandpaper because you have to keep buying more and more.  With detailed sanders you tend to wear out the tip of the sandpaper because that’s what is getting into smaller spaces and does most of the work.  To attach the sandpaper, this sander uses a hook and loop fastening system, so basically the user just presses the paper on the bottom of the sander and they are ready to go.  Sears uses  perforated sand paper, so one sheet of sandpaper gives you three full tips or six ends.  When you have the sandpaper on the sander and the tip becomes worn out, you can take the paper off and remove the head where it is perforated.  You can then flip the paper around and you have a brand new or close to new head to finish your sanding job. You might want to watch the video and see what mean as it is a little hard to describe.

Overall, if you are looking for a do-it-yourself sander at a very reasonable price, the Craftsman sander is not too bad.  The kit comes with everything you need to get started on your next project.  The balance is good and the vibrations are not too bad for a detailed sander.

We reviewed the Dewalt orbital sander model number DW423K.

Specifications – Dewalt Random Orbital Sander Model – DW423K

Amps – 2
OPM – 12,000
Volts – 120
Size – 5″
Cord Length – 10 Ft.
Weight – 3.8 Lbs.
Other Features
Electronic Variable Speed
Dual Plane Counter Balance Fan
Dust Sealed Switch
Carrying Case
Control Finishing System

As a woodworker, you need to produce a nice surface for a variety of reasons.  Knowing this, we decided to test an orbital sander for this power tool review.  We found a Dewalt Random Orbital Sander at tylertool.com as a factory reconditioned tool, so we thought we would give this a test.

Our first impression was good.  If you have been following our other reviews you know we love carrying cases, and the Dewalt random orbital sander has its own case.  There is even room to pack some sand discs, along with other misc. items.

We wanted to run this sander through a bunch of tests, but one must remember with these tests, the sand paper will play a big part in the results.  So we tested the normal items we usually do with each power tool, but we added three additional test. One was vibration affects and arm fatigue. Another was weight applied to the sander before it bogs down. Third was how it finished work on softwood and hardwood.

Our first test was how vibration affected arm fatigue.  Dewalt uses a dual plane counter balance fan.  After using the sander for a while our hands did get tired.  The vibrations are a lot less than other orbital sanders we have used, but grabbing the sander from the top did cause some arm fatigue.  We found if you grab the sander on the side, you had more control and fatigue did not show up as soon.  We are not sure if it has to do with the tool design or the counter balance, but either way the side hold is far better.

Our second test was weight factor. Here we wanted to see how much weight could be applied before the sander would stop. For this test all we did was put a 1 inch piece of plywood down on a scale and started the sander up.  Well for a 2amp motor, we were impressed. At full speed we  were able to push down to 50lbs and the sander still didn’t bog.  Our scale only went to 50lbs.  On the slow speed or number 1 position at 40lbs we could hear the sander start to strain, but it was still going at 50lbs.  Not sure why you would every want to apply this much pressure with an orbital sander, but if need be it can handle this.

Our last test was the finish on softwood and hardwood.  A lot of this has to do with the sandpaper, the pressure you apply and your variable speed setting.  We still wanted to look and monitor the Dewalt Sander.  We used a variety a different grits with different speeds on both softwood and hardwood.  If you sand and use the correct speed for every type of wood, the final finish came out looking great.  We even applied stain to help bring out any blemishes, but for the most part, this was not a finicky power tool. Therefore, you do not have to be dead on to produce perfect finishes.

Over all, our power tool review of the Dewalt random orbital sander is great. We were extremely impressed with this power tool.  We like the dust covered power switch, the dust collector and the variable speed.  If you are a woodworker, you will need an orbital sander. We would recommend getting a new model, as we bought this during their closeout special.

Pro’s – Variable speed, low vibration, case, nice work output

Con’s – Grabbing from the top did produce a little fatigue, this is an older sander.

Professional Power Tool Guide Rating
Performance

The performance of the Dewalt sander was great. The main items, like vibrations, were very low. Most of the power seems to be transferred to your work, not your arm.

Ease of Use

The sander is very easy to use when looking for that sweet spot for speed and pressure, depending upon what type of material you are sanding

Features

The Dewalt random orbital sander is very nice because it has the random setting to get the correct speed.

Feel

This sander has low vibrations, but holding this sander on the top did cause some fatigue in our arm, while holding the sander on the side let us work for longer periods of time.

Overall

Over all the Dewalt random orbital sander is a very nice sander. We like the power and low vibrations. We are giving it a 4 blade rating instead of 5 because it is an older model and our arm did get a little fatigued. We would suggest acquiring a current model, as this is a nice little power tool.