orbital sander

wengang1 · 07-18-2011, 05:28 PM

I just bought an orbital sander, my first, and it is held by the palm from right behind the motor rahter than by a handle.
If I bear down on it even a little, it appears to stop spinning. I can't tell if that's actually the case or an illusion, since the vibration still makes it blurry, but I can see at the least that it speeds up when I all but remove all pressure.

The user manual says it has a mechanism to slow it down when it is NOT in contact with a sanding surface, but this seems to be the opposite behavior.

Normal? The brand is DeWalt.

Thanks.

Bud Cline · 07-18-2011, 06:15 PM

All electric motors slow under a load.

mickey cassiba · 07-18-2011, 06:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wengang1

I just bought an orbital sander, my first, and it is held by the palm from right behind the motor rahter than by a handle.
If I bear down on it even a little, it appears to stop spinning. I can't tell if that's actually the case or an illusion, since the vibration still makes it blurry, but I can see at the least that it speeds up when I all but remove all pressure.

The user manual says it has a mechanism to slow it down when it is NOT in contact with a sanding surface, but this seems to be the opposite behavior.

Normal? The brand is DeWalt.

Thanks.

The sander you describe(a model number would be useful)should not spin when it is not in contact with the work. If it is new, I would take it to a DeWalt service center. If it is not under warranty remove the sanding pad(three screws) and look at the clear rubber belt that goes around the fan/counterweight and the small fixed pulley. If it is loose or shows signs of wear, replace it.
HTH