iFixit - Answers With Device "Orbital Sander"

DeWalt D26451: Why won't my sanding pad stick?

Thu, 08 Jan 2026 19:34:44 -0700

The sander pad is not sticking during normal household use of the DeWalt D26451

⟐ Answered January 08, 2026 at 19:34 MST

Porter-Cable 382: Why is my sand paper not sticking to the pad?

Wed, 27 Apr 2016 10:45:35 -0700

I recently tried changing my sander paper on my sander pad however the sand paper is no longer sticking. I had left the sander in the garage and it may have gotten a little wet, what do I do to be able to fix this?

⟐ Answered April 27, 2016 at 10:45 MST

DeWalt D26451: Should I try to repair or replace?

Mon, 22 May 2023 10:26:19 -0700

My sander came apart as I was sanding - one of the holes that a bolt attaches the pad to the sander became stripped (bolt isn’t stripped). I think the center thing with three holes needs to be replaced. I’m guessing the thing that sits on the pad rests on also needs to be replaced from the failure.

Is this repairable or do I need to buy a new sander?

⟐ Answer edited May 22, 2023 at 10:26 MST

DeWalt D26451: Why is the dust collection feature not working?

Tue, 18 Oct 2022 17:48:50 -0700

The dust shroud acts as if it is clogged and the dust collector is not doing its job.

⟐ Answered October 18, 2022 at 17:48 MST

Porter-Cable 382: Why is my sander scaring the surface of the my object?

Wed, 27 Apr 2016 10:41:11 -0700

I recently tried sanding down the paint on my car however instead of sanding the surface it is leaving heavy scratching and scaring. Should I be worried or should I continue to sand?

⟐ Answered April 27, 2016 at 10:41 MST

Bosch 3727DEVS: When do I need to replace the sanding pad?

Mon, 22 Feb 2016 20:44:40 -0700

How can I tell that it is time to replace the sanding pad?

⟐ Answered February 22, 2016 at 20:44 MST

Ridgid R2611: Bypass the Varible unit

Sun, 16 Aug 2020 03:01:54 -0700

My unit died after a short time of use, I think it could be the varible power circuit board.

How do you bypass the board.

Yhis is a recond unit I bought a Direct Tools.

It is beyound the warrenty date and has very few hours on it.

This is just another example of Ridgid poor quality tools.

⟐ Answered August 16, 2020 at 3:01 MST

Porter-Cable 382: Why is my sander not sanding?

Mon, 11 Apr 2016 11:19:04 -0700

I recently purchased a Porter-Cable 382 at my local home depot. I had been using it for weeks and haven't had any issues sanding down some objects. However I went to use my sander today and it is no longer sanding the surface like it had done so well before. The head is spinning but not sanding, please help.

⟐ Answered April 11, 2016 at 11:19 MST

Bosch 3727DEVS: Sander is leaving un-sanded areas

Mon, 22 Feb 2016 20:53:26 -0700

The sander is leaving areas that appear to be un-sanded when used. What is causing this?

⟐ Answered February 22, 2016 at 20:53 MST

Ryobi RS290G Repair: Running like over a 100 miles an hour, It has sped up and I don't know

Sat, 22 Apr 2023 10:01:58 -0700

The sander is on overdrive it has sped up and will not quit it won't even hold a pad on it because it's going so fast.

⟐ Commented April 22, 2023 at 10:01 MST

Ryobi RS290G Repair: Why is my Ryobi making a weird noise?

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 00:28:41 -0700

My Ryobi sander started making a strange noise and is not sanding proper. I made sure there were no loose screws, cleaned it and then let it sit for a few hours to cool down as I had been sanding on and off for several hours. Unfortunately none of these seemed to help. What could be causing this and is it fixable ?

⟐ Commented March 12, 2026 at 0:28 MST

Makita BO5041: The sander pad only vibrating not spinning.

Tue, 21 Mar 2023 06:30:59 -0700

The sander pad only vibrating not spinning.

Replaced brake ring no change

The motor is spinning very fast, but the sanding pad is not spinning.

The sander pad can easily be spinned manually.

I dont know where is the connection between the motor and the sanding pad

Parts spinning: #30 inner bearing ring, #33 washer, #34 screw see attached drawings

Parts NOT spinning: , #29 outer Bearing Box , #32 Bearing Box Cover, #35 sander pad and #36 bolt,when assembled these are "sanding assembly" this assembly can be spinned manually but is not spinned by the motor see attached drawings

⟐ Commented March 21, 2023 at 6:30 MST

DeWalt D26451: Why is my sander spinning very slowly?

Wed, 03 Oct 2018 13:36:30 -0700

I’ve replaced the pad and cleaned out all the dust inside the sander but it doesn’t spin as fast as it use to? I have several sanders with this same problem.

⟐ Commented October 03, 2018 at 13:36 MST

Porter-Cable 382: Motor runs way too fast but has no power, stops when in contact with b

Sat, 20 May 2017 06:47:24 -0700

Motor winds up faster than normal but has no power. Stops as soon as it has any resistance. I can still hear the motor humming. Brushes seem to be free moving.

⟐ Answer accepted May 20, 2017 at 6:47 MST

Ridgid R2601: disk spins but does not orbit

Tue, 11 Apr 2023 09:24:35 -0700

disk spins but does not orbit. I've disassembled, cleaned, and cannot see any damaged parts.

Ryobi RS290G Repair: Sander won't rotate when plugged in after attempt at cleaning

Fri, 23 Oct 2020 10:16:06 -0700

Hello-

I’ve been using my Ryobi Sander (pictured here) on my daugher’s hardwood floor and it’s been going great, if slow. The problem came up when I needed to thoroughly clean it, after repeated overheating, since it became rather clogged. I removed the top velcro pad, the rubber bushing under it, unscrewed the pad, then removed the center bolt from the motor shaft, the bearing and it’s surrounding piece with the 4 screw holes in it, the jagged metal piece that resembles a fan, and got down to the empty compartment which was filthy, cleaned it up, cleaned all the pieces too, and used the repair diagram which is available on the Ryobi website to reassemble it. I followed all of the directions as shown in the diagram, then, attempted to plug it back in and test it, and although the motor does clearly come on and operate, the actual disk does not move at all, and the device won’t operate as it did before. Any idea as to what i did wrong? I have tried taking it apart and reassembling it, to no avail. Any thoughts at all would be greatly appreciated! (link to the reassembly diagram is here:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/13WAit8u... (you can email me at perhensam@google.com if this link won;t open)

ryobi-repair-diagram.pdf

Thanks much.

Rebecca Kohl

(Edit): Image including parts 14, 15 and 19 added in response to oldturkey03

⟐ Edited by author October 23, 2020 at 10:16 MST

Bosch 3727DEVS: removal of lower bearings on Bosch ROS 3725DEVS

Wed, 19 Aug 2020 17:43:53 -0700

trying to remove the lower bearings, cannot remove the drive piece that the pad screws into. any suggestions? Is it pressed into the armature end? thanks

Bosch 3727DEVS: Uncontrolled Lurching/Bucking during normal sanding.

Wed, 07 Nov 2018 06:33:59 -0700

Why is my sander lurching/bucking in a random direction? Sanding will randomly lurch out of control from its desired path then return to normal sanding which requires two hands to stabilize it for routine sanding.

Bosch 3727DEVS: Why does my dampening ring keep coming loose and jamming sander?

Thu, 26 Jul 2018 11:39:36 -0700

My dampening ring keeps coming loose, which jams the sanding pad and stops the rotation. I have replaced my backing pad and rubber dampening ring, hoping it was a worn out ring, but the same problem persists. It will sometimes last a couple weeks and other times only a few seconds before coming loose and jamming the sander.

Everything else is rock-solid on this sander so I'd like to repair instead of replace.

Bosch 3727DEVS: How can I tell if the dust canister is full?

Mon, 18 Apr 2016 06:57:57 -0700

Is there a simple way to tell if my dust canister is full and needs to be replaced or cleaned?