I really do want to buy a new, better sander but I'm buying a band saw which leaves little money left over for any other tools right now so a sander will have wait a little while.

: Marie, over-using sandpaper only means that you are sanding with dull grit
: and not doing much sanding. The grit on paper is quite sharp when new and
: dulls with use. Change paper frequently in order to maintain consistent
: quality of sanding. The grits that you are using are too coarse for
: finishing work. I use 80 and 150 grits for successive aggressive sanding,
: increasing the grit to get a finer and finer finish. Go to finer paper and
: spend some good money on a sander. I spent the big $$$ on a Dewalt ROS - I
: can't remember which one, not at home now but it was the best available at
: the time. Dewalt and Bosch are good choices. I am sure if you ask, the
: folks will offer up their best opinions on ROS sanders. I recall someone
: saying that a palm sander was good to use as well. Make sure they run with
: high RPM's, 12-14 000 as stated previously. If you plan on building more
: kayaks or refinishing furniture, you'll see the result of getting your
: moneys worth outta the thing.

: Robert N Pruden