Pneumatic Sander for bodywork?

I am looking to buy a Hutchins air powered sander for roughing out bodywork, before I hand block. Am I better off starting with an in line sander, or an orbital DA?

I am looking at these two:

http://www.thetoolwarehouse.net/shop/HUT-3800.html

and:

http://www.thetoolwarehouse.net/shop/HUT-4500.html

 

Hey,

Wile I've never been a big fan of Hutchins air files, on account of
their "monkey motion" they do seem to hold up well. I like the
better balance of the ATCOA in line air file, especially for knock
down roughing of filler.
On the other hand, many guys like the orbital "mud slingers" for
roughing and finish work. The size of the DA works well for small
areas. It gets down to what you've used over the years
Both of these machines are a top choice!

Swankey Devils C.C.

 

You're limited with the in-line sander (Great for flat surface, doors, roof, side panels, etc.). But an Orbital is your best bet for all around sander. It's easier to control as you work each part the car. Sanding is a Bitch, but it'll pay off in the end. Good Luck!

Ken

 

Might just be my tools but my D/A takes a lot more air than my air file. Gotta have a good sized compressor to run a DA for long periods of time.

 

2 different tools. I like to have both, but I can't say I use them to rough in as much as to get closer to using the old hands...

 

The in-line is superior for getting those long flat surfaces to stay flat... I wouldn't say either is better all around...

 

what ya need is the 8 inch DA they call the bondo buster with 36 grit . that will make some bondo Bugger`s

 

I would go with the inline orbital, I haven't used my inline Atcoa since I got the Hutchins 15 years ago. But the other one has it's uses too. Save up and buy 'em both!

 

im my opinion air boards are for guys who repair limos, buy a nice set of blocks and a da the hutchins is great i use one everyday, and go spend a buck at homo depot and buy a 10 in half round (it looks like a cheese grater) to cut your filler. unless you do bodywork for a living an airboard isnt worth it and in my shop youll get laughed out into the street if you pull one of those out of your box.good luck
that huchins da is not for filler work,its more for refinishing the 4560 is a good all around sander thats what i use

 

Well, air supply shouldnt be an issue. My 80 Gallon Eaton keeps up with my pressure pot media blaster with no issues, and hasnt failed to run an air tool continuousely yet.

The 6" pad on the Hutchins does seem a bit small. Can an 8" pad be fitted to the 4500 or 4560?

Would I be better off with this ? :
http://www.thetoolwarehouse.net/shop/VIK-V201.html

I think the DA would be a better first choice, concidering I dont have one yet, and my mail long board blocking will be done with my sanding blocks.


EDIT: According to the Hutchins sire, an 8" pad is available for the 4560, I think this may be my best option to start with.

 

you need both the 8 inch for the roughing and the girly one for finishing.

 

For air rough out I use a hutchins inline 2000. A outstanding flat stroker. The 3800 I have only seen painters use for blocking large flat panels for paint and that is a rarity at best. The 8 inch viking is a good choice to for rough out. I have a national detroit 8 inch. How big of a spot are you working? The 2000 i use everyday at a Lexus dealership and it fits really all the panels well. Your DA you picked is a finish sander for painters. Very smooth with a small orbit. I use a national detroit 6 inch DAQ6. It is a all around DA. It handles plastic work well and finishes for paint very well too. Put some 40 on it it and it roughs out very well to. Hope this helps. If you need more advice you can PM me.

 

Ok, So Im down to deciding between these two:

http://www.thetoolwarehouse.net/shop/HUT-4560.html (and buy an 8" pad as well)

and:

http://www.thetoolwarehouse.net/shop/ND-900.html

I like that with the hutchins, I can use either the 6" or 8" pad, but I get the impression that the 8" National Detroit might remove material faster (which may not necessarily be a good thing).

I think having both would be great, but only one is in the budget for now.

Im still not sure which one to get.

 

In this case i'd go with the National Detroit 8". You can control the
r.p.m. with the air valve, and thus the material removal. You can
feather edge paint with this tool, but it does take some pratice.
If you're going to work high crowned panels in small areas, most
of the time, ya may want the smaller machine.

Swankey Devils C.C.

 

Well, my current project, and main reason for buying this tool now is on a 47 ford. there are plenty of hich crowned surfaces. I guess the real answer is to have both a 6" DA, and the 8" gear driven sander, but I'll have to put one off untill later. I think the Hutchins with 6 and 8 inch pads may be my best bet for versatility right now.

 

Well first, are you in a full time shop that you'll be using these tools alot? I use mine alot and they are both Ingersoll Rand. They both work great and you'd save enough to be able to buy a 6" DA and an air file. Don't get me wrong, Hutchins makes a great product, but if you're just starting into this, you don't need to start at the top.

 

I am not in a pro shop, but I do have an obsession with buying the best tool I can afford. Im 23, and I can buy one of these sanders now, and have it for the rest of my life. Not that the IR sanders shouldnt last a long time, but I also try to buy USA made tools, and I dont think any of the IR sanders are USA made.

 

My vote is for the inline. I bought a Hutchins Hustler as my first air tool, probably 30 years ago. Still have it, and it works great. Advantages over an orbital: Cutting in "body lines", doing concave areas, finishing off "peaks" and doing edges, like door jams. Used an orbital once, but didn't like it, and it used too much air.
just my opinion, though!

 

Very good point, the IR sanders have held up for me for quite some time. (Especially because my Snap-On guy fixes em for cheap) Just wanted to extend a different idea to meet your issue in the middle.

 

I wound up going with the National Detroit DAQ6 DA sander, and the Viking 8" "Mudslinger". After using them for a few days now, I am thrilled with both choices (Thanks publicenemy). I may add the air file at a later date, but for now I am far better off than I was before with just hand blocking from the start.

Now I just want to get some of those sanding blocks with the removeable rods to replace my Durablocks...

 

if you find kustom hotrod flatz paint on the internet, they sale the blocks you are talking about. complete sets for reasonable price. but i still use my durablocks.

 

Those have a similar shape to the block, but dont have the 3 rods for adjustment.

These are what Im refering to:
http://www.adjustflexsand.com/products.html