I need a grinder to remove wood quickly to help shape the seat bottom and other parts. Is the RAS 115 the tool I need? If so, there is two types of sandpaper listed as optional items. I need to start off with the 24 grit. Which type paper is more appropriate?
Building a Maloof Rocker
- Thread starter joec
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I have made Maloof inspired furniture including the Rocker. The RAS wasn't an option when I built the first. I use a hand held grinder with a King Aurthur tungston carbide bit. This approach works well but makes for a terrible mess. I've have used the RAS and the dust collection should certainly be a consideration. I don't use the grinder for anything but the seats and it goes very fast. The vast majority of time is spent in finer shaping and in sanding. Having said that the RAS is much easier to control and I might be tempted to use it on the arms and backs as well. I'd think the 24 grit would work great as you are getting material off fast.
The RO90 is a fantastic stander for both fast removal (not for the seat however) and finer shaping. It isn't a replacement for the RAS but worth considering. I'd buy the RO90 before the RAS. However, I wish the RAS had been an option when I started. I might have to replace the grinder yet some day.
The RO90 is a fantastic stander for both fast removal (not for the seat however) and finer shaping. It isn't a replacement for the RAS but worth considering. I'd buy the RO90 before the RAS. However, I wish the RAS had been an option when I started. I might have to replace the grinder yet some day.
MrToolJunkie
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The RAS is a perfect choice for this application. Charles Brock uses it for his Maloof inspired chairs and rockers. It will get rid of the fines in the air and you only need to clean up the coarser material, whereas a grinder with no dust collection creates a real mess. 24 Grit Saphir is the paper to go with for rough shaping and it will make quick work out of it. Consider getting a couple of extra pads too and be careful to take small bites out of the material and let the pad cool for a few seconds every few touches -- otherwise you risk heating the pad up too much and destroying it in the process. This is a great tool and it is nice that it is on sale too!
Scot
Scot
MrToolJunkie
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joec said:
I actually think you need both a hard and a soft pad. Charles uses both -- one when shaping the hard lines on the chair and the other for shaping the softer lines. You will need to follow with a lot of scraping and sanding through the grits after using the RAS. I am actually getting ready to build a set of Maloof inspired Low-Back dining chairs and a Maloof inspired pedestal table myself this winter and I got the RAS specifically for the shaping work for this project. I used the RAS shaping some coves on another piece that I just finished and it worked very well using the hard pad -- I actually posted a link to a video of it under the how to section on FOG a couple of months ago -- 4-5 minutes of me sanding, LOL. Once you practice with the tool you will see how easy it is to control and I really only needed wrist movement to final shape the coves...they all came out uniform and I just needed to follow with sanding through the grits. I feel pretty confident that I can do an adequate job rough shaping the chairs after this exercise.
Scot
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