What is "sander"

Zander \Zan"der\, n. [Cf. D. zand sand.] (Zo["o]l.) A European pike perch ( Stizostedion lucioperca) allied to the wall-eye; -- called also sandari, sander, sannat, schill, and zant.

n. 1 A person employed to sand wood. 2 A machine to mechanize the process of sanding. 3 (context railway English) A device which spreads sand on the rails in wet, snowy or icy conditions to improve traction. 4 (context archaic English) Previously a small device resembling a saltshaker but containing sand that was shaken over a document to remove excess ink.

n. a power tool used for sanding wood; a loop of sandpaper is moved at high speed by an electric motor [syn: drum sander, electric sander, smoother]

A sander is a power tool used to smooth surfaces by abrasion with sandpaper. Sanders have a means to attach the sandpaper and a mechanism to move it rapidly contained within a housing with means to hand-hold it or fix it to a workbench. Woodworking sanders are usually powered electrically, and those used in auto-body repair work by compressed air. There are many different types of sanders for different purposes. Multi-purpose power tools and electric drills may have sander attachments.

Woodworking sanders include:

• Flap sander or sanding flap wheel: A sanding attachment shaped like a Rolodex and used on a hand-held drill or mounted on a bench grinder for finishing curved surfaces.
• Belt sander (hand-held or stationary)
• Disc sander: A disc sander is most commonly implemented as a stationary machine that consists of a replaceable circular shaped sandpaper attached to a wheel turned by an electric motor or compressed air. The usually wooden work piece, (although other materials can be shaped and worked on such as plastics, metals and other soft materials), is sat on a front bench that can be adjusted to various angles. It can be used for rough or fine sanding depending on the sanding grit used.

• Oscillating spindle sander: A sander mounted on a spindle that both rotates and oscillates in and out or up and down along the axis of the spindle. Good for sanding curves and contours that would be difficult with hand or orbital sanding.
• Random orbital sander
• Orbital sander: A hand-held sander that vibrates in small circles, or "orbits." The sanding disk spinning while moving simultaneously in small ellipses causes the orbital action that it is known for. Mostly used for fine sanding or where little material needs to be removed.
• Straight-line sander: A sander that vibrates in a straight line, instead of in circles. Good for places where hand sanding is tedious or "blocking" is required. Most are air-powered, a few electric. The first pneumatic straight line sander was patented by Otto Hendrickson in 1969.
• Detail Sander: A hand-held sander that uses a small vibrating head with a triangular piece of sandpaper attached. Used for sanding corners and very tight spaces. Also known as "Mouse" or "corner" sanders.
• Stroke sander: A large production sander that uses a hand-operated platen on a standard sanding belt to apply pressure. For large surfaces such as tabletops, doors, and cabinets.
• Table Top Drum sander: A bench top sander that uses a rotating drum. Much like a jointer, the operator adjust the height of the grit, by changing the grit of sandpaper, to adjust the depth of cut. Wood is hand fed against the drum to achieve a flat, smooth surface. Can be used for surface sanding, edge sanding, stripping paint, cabinet doors, etc.
• Drum sander: A large sander that uses a rotating sanding drum. As with a planer, the operator adjusts feed rollers to feed the wood into the machine. The sander smooths it and sends it out the other side. Good for finishing large surfaces.
• Wide-belt sander: A large sander similar in concept to a planer, but much larger. Uses a large sanding belt head instead of a planer's shaping head, and requires air from a separate source to tension the belt. For rough sanding large surfaces or finishing. Used mainly for manufacturing furniture and cabinets.
• Profile Shaper/Sander: An industrial machine consisting of a powered transport with a series of workstations for performing shaping, sanding, or other finish operations on one or more edges of components in cabinetry, furniture, shelving, and other products. These machines create and finish decorative edges in an automated process using rotating 'shaping heads', 'sanding wheels', 'foil applicators' and other specialized equipment.

Sander (formerly known as Stizostedion) is a genus of fish in the Percidae (perch) family. They are also known as "pike-perch" because of their resemblance to fish in the unrelated Esocidae (pike) family.

Local names for the fish have been the basis for many geographical names, like River Suda in Russia or Saunags village on the Baltic coast.

The masculine given name Sander is a variant of Alexander mostly used in the Dutch-speaking areas of Europe (chiefly the Netherlands and northern Belgium) though also to a lesser extent in Scandinavia and Estonia. The feminine version is Sandra.

Sander is a crater on Mercury, within Caloris Basin. It has dark walls and bright patches on its floor. Unlike the rays of Basho crater, the bright areas are not believed to be immature but are inherently bright. It is named after the German photographer August Sander (1876–1964).

Sander is a power tool used for smoothing wood.

Sander may also refer to:

In people:

• Sander (name)

In places:

• Sander, Norway, a small village in the municipality of Sør-Odal, Norway
• Sander (crater), a crater on Mercury

In other uses:

• Sander (genus), a genus of fish that includes the walleye and zander
• sander, a computer program in the AMBER#Programs molecular dynamics simulation package.
• Sanding equipment on a steam locomotive to provide improved traction.
• A sander to spread sand on icy roads in winter.