A sander is a key tool that will get used in almost all DIY projects involving wood. Sanders can be used to remove large amounts of stock or surfaces finishes easily and quickly, in addition to being able to create a smooth surface on your finished projects. But there are several types of sanders out there, and most of them can only be used for certain applications. The key to deciding on a sander is to get the one that will meet your needs best. Here are the types of sanders to consider:

-- Belt Sanders --
Belt sanders are best used during the initial phases of sanding big sanding jobs as well as for the beginning phases of large refinishing projects. Belt sanders take away large amounts of material quickly, so care must be used to keep from over-sanding the material being sanded. Belt sanders can tend to be heavy. Think about getting one that has a variable speed control and a button that lets you lock the speed so that you can position your hands in the most comfortable position possible when using the sander; this will help reduce user fatigue when using your belt sander.

-- Detail Sanders --
Detail sanders are small sanders that are most often used to sand in tight areas, odd shapes, and around details such as notches, carvings, inlays, curves and grooves. Detail sanders are often used for craft projects and on mill work such as window and door casings. To get the best usage out of your detail sander, look for one that has a lot of attachments as this will make your sander more configurable and make it usable in more locations and shapes.

-- Disc Sanders --
Disc sanders come as both bench-mounted and hand-held varieties. The hand-held models are most intended for do-it-yourselfers whereas the bench-mounted disc sanders are usually used by those who need to perform sanding on a larger scale. But there are some smaller bench-mounted options that are still cheap enough to be useful to the occasional user. Disc sanders are excellent for finishing the end grain of wood and for sanding angled edges. If you are considering a bench-mounted disc sander, some additional features you will want to look for are: a sliding miter gauge, a tilting table, and a belt sander on the frame.

-- Random-Orbit Sanders --
Random-orbit sanders have circular pads that move/vibrate in a circle with a random pattern. The random motion lets the user move the sander in any direction on the material being sanded, even across the grain, without scratching the material surface. This is the easiest to use variety of sander and it is one of the best available multi-purposes sanders; this makes it an excellent choice for the novice user. Most random-orbit sanders necessitate the use of special sand paper specific to the brand and/or model of the sander being used.

-- Sheet Sanders --
Sheet sanders come in different sized models that use 1/4 or 1/3-sheets of standard sizes of sheet sandpaper. Some brands of sheet sanders make use of specific sand paper with adhesive or velcro to adhere the sand paper to the sander. Other sheet sanders can make use of use any type of sheet sand paper. Obviously, the latter type of sheet sander is more flexible for the everyday user. Sheet sanders are different from random-orbit sanders in that the sheet sander moves the sand paper in a single direction, therefore sheet sanders must be moved in the direction of the grain of the material being sanded to avoid scarring the surface. Sheet sanders are extremely versatile and, like the random-orbit sander, they can be used on a wide variety of projects.

-- Spindle Sanders --
Spindle sanders are great for edge sanding, particularly on curves. Spindle sanders are always bench-mounted tools with a cylindrical spindle located in the center of a large worktable. As such, spindle sanders tend to be used by more industrial users and wood-working enthusiasts. If you are looking for a spindle sander, your best option is to look for one with the oscillating feature; the oscillations increases the removal rate of stock and reduces the probability of gouging the stock being sanded.

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Frank has been working construction for more years than he would care to admit. You can read his sander ratings at eDistiller.