I typically buy Norton 3x, I get the 50 count box which lowers the price quite a lot.

Thanks for the input fellas

The discs I mentioned are available as Norton 3X 5 & 8 Hole Universal Vacuum
They fit either standard 5 or 8 hole sanders.
Festool discs have a proprietary pattern

Ken Rizza from Wood Turners Wonders has some fantastic stuff at great process.  It is not abranet but called wonderweave and works so much better and longer and cuts faster.


Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or




It looks like it is to long for the page but if you put it into the top it will come up
Also the very top one does work and will take you to the 5" ones if you scroll down. 

I like the Mirka brand I have used a bunch of different pads and they seem to last better. The Abernet  pads are the bomb....... I buy them in 50ct boxes as well and they have great lifespan.

robo_hippy wrote on Jul 20^th, 2018 at 9:51am:


I'm not sure about that 
I would say drum generates too much heat.
If the drum rotates too slowly it can also generate excessive heat in a given spot.

I would suggest faster feed rate, less stock removal per pass, equals less heat generated.
Most drum sanders these days have a single plug for drum and feed belt. You would have to splice in the VS unit onto the drum side only to achieve the effect you're after.

My only point was that a bit, a blade or a sanding device can burn the wood by rotating either too fast or too slow depending on the other factors involved.
Different woods have different reactions to heat  (some burn more easily than others)
In broad general terms, cutting wood efficiently by any method comes down to three very basic things.

The three variables
1. bit/blade (sanding disc/belt/drum) speed
2. feed rate
3. depth of cut

On my drum sander, drum speed is constant and I change the feed fate and/or the depth of cut to regulate the amount of material to remove, thus keeping things cool. This changes for different tasks.
On my planer I have two feed rates to choose from and again control the depth of cut. On some species, a light pass at a higher feed rate keeps things cool by not lingering in on place for too long.

This is no different for any of my tools, drill press, tablesaw, you name it. You need to strike a balance between the three variables to work efficiently.
Whether it's excess pressure, lack of blade/bit speed too high of a feed rate, the heat generated by cutting can usually be controlled be adjusting one or more of the variables Just adjust one at a time so you know which adjustment helped.

Wood is a natural product and no two pieces act exactly the same. When determining the three factors I mentioned above, you need to be the judge.