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How to use an air orbital sander

Updated: 21 October 2026

The first panel looks swirled, or the pad refuses to turn while air hisses out of the exhaust. Both are ordinary first sessions with a pneumatic palm, and neither is fixed by pressing harder. This is how to use an air orbital sander once you already own one from the [air orbital sander comparison](/hub/sanders/air-orbital-sander): a clean regulated airline, oil only if the motor is not lube-free, and a pad that stays flat and moving. Which model to buy stays on that comparison and on the [best air orbital sander](/hub/sanders/air-orbital-sander/sub/air-orbital-sander-best) page. The Products Compared editorial team checked the amazon.co.uk listings on 19 October 2026. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

The first panel looks swirled, or the pad refuses to turn while air hisses out of the exhaust. Both are ordinary first sessions with a pneumatic palm, and neither is fixed by pressing harder.

Our top picks

Draper Draper Storm Force 150 mm air sander

Best overall

Draper Draper Storm Force 150 mm air sander
9.0/10about £51.35
View offer
Anesty Anesty 150 mm air orbital sander

Best value

Anesty Anesty 150 mm air orbital sander
8.8/10about £27.90
View offer
Ingersoll-Rand Ingersoll Rand 4152-HL

Rank 3

Ingersoll-Rand Ingersoll Rand 4152-HL
8.4/10about £158.17
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Airline before the first trigger
  2. 2.Disc, pressure and the stroke
  3. 3.When the pad will not turn
  4. 4.Dust and noise while you sand

Airline before the first trigger

Fit a water separator and a regulator before the tool, and set the regulator with the sander running on the work, not from a static gauge at the tank. Draper’s page for the 65084 uses about 90 psi. Blow the hose clear. Do not force an NPT plug into a BSP body. Ingersoll Rand’s table specifies 1/4 inch NPT. Draper’s 65084 page specifies 1/4 inch BSP. The 4152-HL title says lube-free, so do not oil that motor. UK reviews of the SPTA polisher set describe a shaft that sticks when the motor is dry. Uneeda suggests about two drops per eight hours for motors that take oil, not a dose for every ASIN.

Disc, pressure and the stroke

Put the hook-and-loop disc on a clean pad and line the holes up with the pad holes. HSE’s WD7 sheet is explicit about that alignment, because a blocked hole is how extraction fails while the tool still feels as if it is sanding. Keep the pad flat and use light pressure. 3M’s guide says place the pad on the surface, then pull the trigger, and lift off only after you have released the trigger. If the scratch pattern turns into pigs’ tails, look at speed before you blame the grit. A pad that has slowed because the compressor cannot keep up will leave that mark. That limit is the compressor for an air sander page.
Draper Draper Storm Force 150 mm air sander

Testsieger

Draper Draper Storm Force 150 mm air sander
9.0/10about £51.35
View offer

When the pad will not turn

Air at the exhaust and a still pad is a split fault. On the SPTA polisher set, UK buyers describe a shaft that sticks so the tool only blows air, and they say oil is needed and that it can still jam. Disconnect the hose before you look. On the Draper 65084, a UK review says air passes through and the pad does not spin unless the tool is struck. Another reports a seal leak so the tool runs on without the lever. Striking the housing is not a setup step. A RUNQIN reviewer says the AT-980 fades after about a minute and a half, and a Draper reviewer on a compressor they rate at 5 cfm at 90 psi gets only short runs. If the tool slows as tank pressure falls, technique is no longer the variable.

Dust and noise while you sand

A cloth bag, or the hose and bag an Anesty highlight claims, catches some of the dust the exhaust can pull. It is not a Class M or Class H extractor. For wood indoors, HSE’s sanding guidance wants extraction and respiratory protection of at least APF 20 for most powered sanding. Vacuum-ready and a bag are separated on the buying guide. The Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 put the lower action value at 80 dB(A) and the upper at 85 dB(A). Ingersoll Rand prints 81.6 dBA for this family, which is not a measurement of the budget palms.

Common questions

Where do I put oil, and which tool should not get it?
Oil goes into the air inlet of a vane motor the maker expects you to lubricate, a drop or two on their schedule, not poured through the pad. The Ingersoll Rand 4152-HL title says lube-free, so that tool should not get airline oil. Uneeda’s two drops per eight hours is a rule of thumb for motors that take oil, not a dose for every listing here.
How do I avoid swirl marks?
Keep the pad flat, use light pressure, and start the tool only when it is on the surface. Stop it before you lift off. Change a dull disc instead of leaning harder, and do not jump from a coarse grit to a fine one in one step. If the pad slows as the tank drops, the swirl is an air problem.
What grit step is a sensible jump?
Move about one grade at a time, for example 80, then 120, then 180, and look for the previous scratch before you go finer. The Proster listing includes 80, 120, 240 and 320, which skips a step if you use them in that order without anything between 120 and 240. A skipped grade polishes the surface around scratches it has not removed.
Why does air come out but the pad stays still?
Either the motor is stuck or the valve is passing air without driving the pad. UK reviews describe both: an SPTA shaft that sticks until it is oiled, and a Draper valve that needs a knock before the pad turns. Disconnect the hose before you investigate. A pad that only runs when you hit the housing is a fault, not a starting ritual.
How should the disc holes line up?
Match the disc holes to the holes in the hook-and-loop pad so dust can leave through the tool or into a vacuum. HSE’s WD7 guidance is that alignment. A solid disc on a holed pad blocks the path. The sander will still cut, and the dust will stay on the work and in the air.
Do I need ear defenders and a mask for a short indoor job?
Yes, treat both as normal for powered sanding indoors. Noise action values start at 80 dB(A), and Ingersoll Rand’s published 81.6 dBA is only for that family. For wood, HSE expects extraction and RPE of at least APF 20 for most powered sanding. A bag on the tool does not replace a mask.

Related pages

Air sander vs electric sander

Air orbital sander

Best air orbital sander: Draper pick, Anesty value

Air orbital sander: buying guide for pad and orbit

Air sander compressor: free air delivery at 90 psi

Sources

Sources taken from the research digest. Prices, stars and review counts are the stored amazon.co.uk listing figures.

  1. HSE — vibration regulations (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  2. HSE — vibration tool table (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  3. Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005, regulation 4 (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  4. HSE — cutting and sanding wood (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  5. HSE WD7 — wood dust extraction (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  6. Ingersoll Rand UK — 4151-HL and 4152-HL (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  7. Draper — composite dual-action air sander 65084 (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  8. Thorite — air compressor selection guide (retrieved 21.10.2026)