My Orbital Sander pad finally gave up the ghost. So, here’s how to repair an orbital sander pad for most any sander (some differ). Maintenance is the bane of my existence! It seems like all I do is fix things. But care and maintenance of tools is critical to the 30 Minute Woodshop. It ensures that the tool I need is ready at the moment I need it. And, this is a super easy 3-5 minute project
And follow this link to my Video to see how it is done. VIDEO LINK
Tools & Materials
You will need a Phillips No 2 Screw Driver and the replacement part. I’m changing out the pad on my Porter Cable PC333 Orbital Sander so I have a link at the bottom for that part.
How to fix it
Flip the sander bottom side up. You will find three screws. Unscrew them and set them aside in a safe place. You don’t want one to roll off you bench into the sawdust where you may never find it until you hear rattling around as it being sucked up by your shop vac. Once the screws are out the pad will pop off. Pull it and discard it.
Now you need to do a quick cleaning. Blow out any sawdust with some compressed air.
Next, push the screws into the holes. The pad should retain them. Position the pad over the screw holes in the casting and gently start the screws. If you are meeting with resistance them back the screw off and try to restart it. You are screwing into aluminum and you can easily cross thread it. IF you do, it will be a painful experience to re tape a new thread. And just snug them down.
Once all the screws are snugged up go back and give each screw a solid torque to tighten them down.
Congratulations
Wahoo – you are done!! You sander has recovered and will give you another 5-10 years of service.
Thanks for reading and checkout my video and blog links below. And until next time Good Making!
Bill
Sander Pad Repair Video https://youtu.be/lKBNdWiSg94
How to Sharpen a Card Scraper Video https://youtu.be/V91fP_h6U4w
How to Sharpen a Card Scraper Blog https://30minutewoodshop.com/?p=93
Tools you may need
And a link to the PC333 Orbital Sander replacement pad https://amzn.to/3Pqu4Cp
