The History of Palm Sanders
Palm sanders are handheld power tools designed to abrade wood or metal surfaces with an orbital or vibrating action. Festool, a German manufacturer that originally developed a portable chain saw in 1929 when it was named Festo, introduced portable orbital sanders in 1951. Does this Spark an idea?
Other People Are Reading
-
Initial Distribution
-
Festo was a local manufacturer in Esslingen, a suburb of the Stuttgart industrial center. Craftsmen visited the company's shop in person to pay a deposit for a place on the waiting list and could return four to six weeks later to purchase a sander. Word-of-mouth expansion brought Festo products to Switzerland and Austria during the 1950s.
Early U.S. Portable Orbitals
-
Several portable orbitals became available in the United States in the 1950s. In 1955, Dyno-Mite's No. 580 operated in any direction without tracking, scoring or burning. In 1957, Stanley's H36 Heavy Duty sander boasted a ball bearing motor powering a pad one-third the size of a standard sandpaper sheet without overheating.
-
Palm Orbitals
-
As technical innovations made smaller high-powered motors possible, comfort and size became the criteria for portable sanders. In 1960, the "super-power" WEN Model 202 advertised a streamlined grip that fit into the palm of the hand. By 1965, the Rockwell Speed-Bloc featured a palm-grip design for easy one-hand sanding.
-
References
- Festool: Festool's First Tools
- "Popular Science"; There's Something Wonderful Here for Every Man on Your List; Dec. 1955
- "Popular Science"; Stanley Heavy Duty Sanders, They Do More and Cost Less; April 1957
- "Popular Science"; Powered with the New Super-Power Motor; April 1960
- "Popular Science"; Square Sander Smooths Hard-to-Reach Spots; June 1965
Resources
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
