Saw a pro at a shop in Portland sand doors with a random orbit sander and it changed my whole approach

I was checking out a custom shop near the Pearl District last month and watched a guy knock out a set of shaker doors with just a 6-inch random orbit sander, no detail sanding at all. He was using 150 grit on the face and 180 on the edges with a light touch and zero swirl marks. Has anyone else dropped the square pad and gone full random orbit for panel doors?

3 comments

3 Comments

smith.parker11d ago

Man, that's exactly what I saw too. I was at a shop in Portland last year watching a guy knock out a set of cabinet doors with just a 6 inch random orbit sander, and it blew my mind. He was running 150 on the faces and 180 on the edges with barely any pressure, and there were zero swirl marks or sanding through the veneer. I switched to that method for all my panel doors now, it's way faster than chasing details with a square pad. What grit do you usually start with on the faces?

amy_west11d agoMost Upvoted

Used to think you needed a square pad for inside corners and panel details. Spent years fighting with them on raised panel doors. Saw a guy at a trade show last year do a whole shaker door with just a 6 inch RO sander. Started at 120 on the faces and 150 on the edges. Now I do the same. Way less time, way less frustration, and the finish looks better.

aaron_mitchell11d ago

Is it really that deep though, seems like people overthink sanding cabinet doors.