Bosch Half Sheet Orbital Finishing Sander OS50VC Review
The folks at Bosch recently sent us their Bosch Half Sheet Orbital Finishing Sander to review and evaluate.
This tool is a bit niche but the perfect sander for woodworkers, furniture makers, mill-shops and carpenter folks like me who build wainscoting or custom cabinetry, bookcases and mantles.
This tool has a rectangular flat sheet, pad design and a removable auxiliary handle giving users the ability to sand in corners and tight spaces.
Because it has a specific application it sat in our shop for a bit until we had a flat panel wainscoting project to test it on.
First Impression
The OS50VC sander weighs 6-pounds and is very well balanced. The pad is 4-1/2 x 9-inches and the perfect size to secure a half sheet of sandpaper to. Attaching sandpaper to this sander is a breeze.
The handle has a comfortable, thick rubber over mold and are well spaced. I immediately noticed the dust collection canister as well as the 13 foot cord. Nice touch!
Using The Bosch Orbital Finishing Sander
There are basically four important things you should know about this sander, they are:
- Vibration Control
- Sandpaper Attachment
- Dust Collection
- Power and Control
Vibration Control:
Bosch’s approach to vibration control is designed around a foam block suspension system. Eight foam heavy-duty blocks are mounted around and isolate the grip area of the tool separating it from the motor and gear section. This separation keeps vibration to a minimum which is always appreciated on long sanding applications.
I’ve experienced this vibrations suspension system when reviewing the Bosch ROS65VC sander. It’s hard to believe that foam blocks could be strong enough and effective at reducing vibration but it really works well.
The best way I can explain this is to relate the vibration control to noise control principles. When thinking about reducing noise inside a home you need to consider reverberation reduction.
Reverberation is the echo that sound creates as it bounces off of surfaces in a room rather than being absorbed. In a similar fashion the sander’s foam blocks separate these vibrations before they are absorbed through the users hand, elbow and shoulders.
It’s a very impressive system and one that I found to work well!
Sandpaper Attachment:
Bosch uses what they call their SheetLoc clamping system. This system works off of two spring loaded levers that automatically tension the sanding paper as it is being clamped to ensure that it is held flat and taut.
The sander pad is a micro-cellular material that conforms to different contours. The pad accepts regular pad sanding paper, sand paper cut in half as well as adhesive backed paper. For sand paper that is not already punched Bosch provides an hold punching jig that the sander indexes into and automatically aligns and punches the dist collections holes.
Dust Collection:
The Bosch 1/2 Sheet Orbital Finishing Sander has two methods of collecting dust. The best and my preferred method of dust extraction is an attachment that connects to a dust collector vacuum.
A translucent canister with a paper micro-filter and cap also comes with the sander. I was impressed at how effective this canister worked as well as how quickly and easily empty the canister was.
Power and Control:
The sanders 3.4 amp motor is powerful enough to provide a fast removal rate while sanding. A variable speed dial and trigger lock on button give the user additional flexibility and control. I always lock on my sanders and search for a comfortable grip, usually away from the trigger, on large sanding projects.
Overall Impression:
We can’t say enough about this sander and its little brother the ROS65VC random orbital version. They do exactly what they advertise!
How Much and Where To Buy?
The Bosch 1/2 Sheet Orbital Finishing Sander can be purchased online here Bosch-OS50VC-120-Volt-Finishing-Vibration for approximately $ 379.00