Readers might recall a recent thread in which dustless sanding system was discussed. Below, you will find an objective review of the product.
Product Test and Review
The “Pad-o-vac Dustless Power Sanding System”
Firstly, I should outline my own qualifications to write this review. I do not have any connection with the onwers or manufacturers of this system, beyond that of being asked to review it, and this I am doing voluntarily and without bias. I am a professional woodturner and member of the Register of Professional Turners. I have been trained by the British Safety Council and subsequently qualified in workplace hazard and risk assessment.
The Product…Padovac is marketed as a “Dustless Power Sanding System” and comprises a single main component, that being a hand-held unit resembling a small power drill. The body of the unit has a shaft running through it, a hexagonal arbor projecting from its rear end and a hook-and-loop-faced sanding pad at its front end. Its side-ways projecting handle is hollow and has a connection port to accept a 30mm suction hose. For power sanding at the lathe, its hexagonal arbor is set into the chuck of any power drill, whilst a standard 30mm suction hose connects it to a workshop vacuum cleaner or dust extraction system. When the suction is switched on, a hollow, conical collar which surrounds the back of its sanding pad, directs the suction around the entire edge of the pad and backwards into the unit’s body, where it is then drawn down into the suction hose and away to the suction source. Thus, a hand-held power drill (preferably battery powered) and a suction source are needed. As for the connection to the suction source; the unit’s standard 30mm diameter port, as found on a wide range of powered hand tools, such as routers, sanders, planers and saws, also fits many standard sized vacuum cleaner hoses. A dust extraction system with a 100mm hose will benefit from a user-supplied reducer and a short length of 30mm hose fitted.
Preparation form the test…To ensure that there wasn’t any airborne dust already present in the workshop, the workpiece (air dried yew at 15% moisture content) was pre-turned to its external shape and then the workshop was thoroughly cleaned the night before the test and left unused until the test began the next morning. Throughout the test, all doors and windows were kept closed to avoid any disturbance of air-flow and all other forms of dust extraction and air filtration were isolated and remained unused.
Conducting the test…Two tests were carried out under as near-identical conditions as could be achieved.
Test (a) involved power sanding the outside of the workpiece with a battery powered hand drill and a 50mm, 120-grit sanding disk, as supplied by the maker. Sanding continued for one minute. Throughout the test, four pieces of plywood had been positioned at strategic points to collect any outfall of dust. These “register” pieces were 70mm square, painted matt black with a strip of 25mm masking tape fixed approximately along the centre-line of each.
1. Piece 1 was positioned on the headrest, tilted by a few degrees towards the workpiece
2. Piece 2 was positioned on the lathe bed, directly beneath the workpiece
3. Piece 3 was positioned on the lathe bed, approximately 60cm away from the workpiece
4. Piece 4 had double sided tape on its rear and was fastened to my shoulder
Following test (a), the register pieces had the strips of masking tape removed and were photographed, then the dust cleaned away. The lathe was cleaned down and the workshop left unused for an hour to allow any dust to settle before a second wipe-down of the lathe and the repositioning of the register pieces under identical conditions as reported for test (a).
Test (b) involved a repeat of test (a), but with the Pad-o-vac employed as described above. A fresh sanding pad was used, of the same type and for the same duration as in test (a). At the end of the test the register pieces were again collated and photographed.
Advantages and Disadvantages in us…The photographs of the four register pieces speak for themselves. The amount of air borne dust was dramatically reduced to the point that I can report that it was almost non-existent. Indeed, the reader of this report will need to study the test (b) photographs very closely to see any trace of dust. Thus, the unit achieves its primary function admirably and is therefore advantageous to any woodturner.
At first, I found the experience of holding what amounts to two drills in-line, a little strange and was concerned that it might be cumbersome. However, this did not prove to be the case. The near-doubling of length of the hand-held system effectively gave more control, just as the longer handle of a large bowl gouge gives greater control than would be experienced with a short-handled tool.
I was expecting to have to tape the end of the suction-hose onto the port of the unit, but this proved unnecessary as the vacuum caused when my vacuum cleaner was switched on, held the hose in place securely. When switched off, the unit and the hose separated themselves, which some people might consider to be a slight nuisance, especially if further sanding needs to take place, but this can easily be overcome.
Further use…following the success of the two tests on the exterior of the bowl, I then hollowed the bowl and tried the Pad-o-vac unit on its inside. This bowl was approximately 18cm diameter x 8cm deep, with a live-edge. As before, the handle was swung through the same arc, but the increased length of the combined unit and hand-drill took a few moments to familiarise myself with, otherwise, there were no great differences in use. Arguably, the smaller diameter of the body of the unit, compared to the body of my hand-drill, afforded a little extra close-working when sanding up to the rim, which I was able to achieve comfortably, to the point where the live-edge commenced.
Conclusion…That the Pad-o-vac achieved its claim of being a “Dustless” system cannot reasonably be argued against, as the amount of dust on the four register pieces was effectively nil. I concede that the system feels a little strange when first used, but no more-so than the use of a traditional unpowered sanding system was when I first used one, nor of a powered system when I first swapped to that. Given that the unit swings through little more than 90degrees when used either inside or outside a bowl, my 30mm extraction hose did not prove cumbersome at all, but I am sure that those turners using a 100mm hose will need to fit a reducer and short length of hose, as previously mentioned.
Les Symonds BA RPT
