I love wood. Maybe it’s the way the surface glows when sunlight suffuses the grain, lighting up any room with golden radiance. Or maybe it’s the tactile pleasure of rubbing my hand over a smooth, sanded finish. Whatever the reason, I enjoy bringing out the inner beauty of wood with sanding and staining. Over the years—and multiple refinishing projects—I’ve learned that you don’t always have to do things the hard way, rubbing your fingers raw with sandpaper to get into cracks and crevices. That’s where my second love—the detail sander—comes into play.

So we set out to find the best among the benchtop group, testing 14 spindle sanders, including three machines that combine spindle- and belt-sanding functions into one unit. The good news: You can’t go wrong with any of the machines we tested, although some perform a little better than others. Five key aspects of a good spindle sander Power. Sanders works smoothly and delicately without taking too much wood at once, unlike belt sanders that can damage small intricate areas. Buyer’s Guide Of Electric Detail Sander Detail sanders are one of the important tools for woodwork and choosing an appropriate model is paramount.

Sanders Slaton

Related: 10 Tools for Your Apartment You Never Thought You’d Need

The detail sander and I made our acquaintance several years ago, when I decided to refinish the front door to our house. The front door had been a sore point with me for many years. Although I loved the fact that it was constructed of solid wood and had decorative appeal, I loathed the paint job, which was stark white with blue trim. When the paint started to look a bit shabby, I decided the time had come to tackle the job.

Sandra Lotstein

Front door before refinishing

I had put off doing anything about the door for a long time; I confess I was intimated by the decorative patterning, which consists of carved concentric circles centered in sculpted squares. I dreaded the thought of long hours of painstaking work trying to remove the paint from those crevices. But then I discovered the detail sander, which is designed to make short work of sanding corners, edges and other tight spaces.

Detail sanders feature a small vibrating triangular “head” to which you attach sandpaper. Some detail sanders, mine included, also feature hardened rubber “bits” in different shapes and sizes; you wrap these bits with adhesive sandpaper to get into curved spaces or slots. Armed with this inventive tool, I was able to reach into all of the nooks and crannies of the pattern, removing the offending paint and prepping the door for its eventual mahogany stain.

Front door refinished

There are a few key factors to keep in mind when using a detail sander:

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• Remember that it is a sander and, like with any sander, you have to keep it moving or you’ll wind up with an unsightly groove or a notch.

• Be sure to use a light, controlled touch, rather than bearing down hard; it is better to go over the same spot several times than to try sanding it all in one pass.

• Don’t be afraid to experiment with different angles, bits, and grades of sandpaper to achieve the exact results you want. The heart and soul of the grain is in there—you just need to spend a little time to bring the true loveliness of the wood to light.

For more on painting and refinishing, consider the following Bob Vila articles:

Paints and Finishes
How to Paint Like a Pro
Paint Makeovers: An Expert Tells All

A product of a new company, T and T Design, formed by two Australians named Terry, the Spider Sander takes its name from its eight slots for attaching abrasives.

Sander Slots Pvda

Once the abrasives – it uses standard-size sheets available at any woodworking supplier – are in place, the Spider Sander itself can be attached to a benchtop drill press or to a portable drill for a variety of uses. Depending on the abrasives you’ve put in, for example, it can be a paint remover or a fine sander. If it’s attached to a stationary or benchtop tool, you can hold the item you’re sanding by hand to achieve a finer level of sanding – including on curved surfaces.

It can be used for shaping, polishing, burnishing and, with the insertion of scouring pads instead of abrasives, for cleaning sheet metal and other applications.

The Spider Sander comes with eight 120-grit abrasive sleeves, one sheet of 80-grit abrasive and eight scouring strips, and sells for $20 U.S. For more information, visit www.tandtdesign.com.au.