When a tradesman needs to improve the surface

Most sanders are capable of producing the desired results on various materials like wood, metal, or paint given the wide and varied range of abrasive types often available for each type of sander.

The range of sanders to choose from is fairly lengthy and includes belt sanders, random orbit sanders, half sheet sanders, palm sanders, and delta sanders.

Portable Belt Sanders are available up to four inches wide and are most suited to rapid stock removal on larger surface areas like small floors. Various types of coarse grit belts are available for the removal of wood, paint or other coatings while fine grade sanding belts are available where a smooth surface is required to finish the job.

In recent years Random Orbit Sanders have become the workhorse for general purpose use by tradesmen. Best suited for work on smaller surface areas like facings, furniture and worktops etc, they are extremely versatile and have a wide range of abrasive types available. The random orbit feature allows excellent finishing results to be achieved without too much difficulty. Festool have concentrated on combining their Rotex range of random orbit sanders with a range of specialist abrasives to produce the highest standard of finish on a number of modern materials like solid surface worktops.

Half Sheet Sanders and the smaller Palm Sanders are ideal where a reasonable finish is required rather than rapid stock removal. Perfect for general use sanding wood, they have become less popular in recent years as the more versatile Random Orbit Sander has gained in popularity.

For sanding awkward areas like window frames, Delta Sanders featuring a small pointed sanding plate allow tradesmen to get a fast result where previously larger tools simply could not function. The Fein Multimaster and Bosch Multicutter, both with Delta Sander functionality has added another option to the choice of sanders a tradesman should consider having in his kit. For small delicate sanding and finishing operations with abrasives suitable for different types of material, these tools are fast becoming a must have for every tradesman.

Health and Safety is always important whenever a sander is being used. While most sanders will work on a variety of materials sometimes special measures need to be taken particularly where hazardous dust is generated. Always wear a protective mask when using a sander and wherever possible use dust extraction.

So the answer to the question how many sanders does a tradesman need - probably two or three to guarantee they can always sand any material safely to the required standard of finish, whatever the size of the job.