Specialty Sander/polisher

The Restorer is unlike any other sander you have, and it won’t replace any other sander, but it can add flexibility and creativity to many finishing prep tasks. Porter-cable calls the Restorer a “multi surface restoration tool”, while other competing brands call their tools burnishers or wheel sanders. My best description of the Restorer is a handheld spindle sander that fits different adbrasives for sanding, stripping, and polishing various materials. I tested the version that comes with six sanding sleeves, two polishing sleeves, one stripping wheel, and a fabric kit bag. I also added two accessory brushes, the 180-grit nylon bristle and the stainless steel wire brush for just under $50 each.

The tool fits proprietary 2 13/16" diameter by 4" wide sleeves and wheels, with basic accessories available frin Porter-cable and a wider selection of accessories available from the inventor’s web site (imarestorer.com).

The Restorer has a variable speed dial ranging from 1,000 to 3,200 rpm and a lock-on trigger so you can keep working without finger strain with a one- or two-handed grip. The vac port on the tool only fit one of my slender European vac hoses, so some sort of adapter (or some wraps of duct tape) may be needed. On a serious note: if you are abrading any paint that contains lead, be sure to use a Hepa-rated vac and follow the other procedures as detailed by the EPA'S RRP Rule.

I started out using the Restorer for evening up the tone of lightly weathered cedar shakes. For this task, the 180-grit abrasive nylon brush was just the thing. The fine bristles worked perfectly to transform the dusty gray surface of the shakes to a warm brown while leaving the irregularities of the split wood intact. I was even able to work the edge of the brush into most of the nooks and crannies I encountered. While the nylon brush excels at cleaning up this very soft wood while leaving its rustic character, it may burnish harder woods to an unwanted sheen, especially after the bristle tips to get worn smooth.

The key to using the Restorer for this type of delicate work is to maintain a light touch and to keep the tool moving — drawing the tool backward with a smooth motion and downward force(“painting” the work surface with the tool). For more aggressive applications you can dig in a bit harder, but the modest 3.5-amp motor will bog down (as it rpms dip under significant load).

Forward motion is more difficult to control, but you can manhandle the Restorer easily enough to make it work well with a back and forth scrubbing action. In fact, its mild-mannered performance makes this tool relatively easy to use one-handed. With the wire brush on the Restorer,

it’s almost like a freehand carving tool for custom surface finishes. You can use it to clean up wood that is too rustic, or to artifically rusticate wood surfaces that are too smooth. The wire brush provides a much sharper cutting action, good for removing wood to accentuate the earlywood/latewood texture of some wood species. It's also the choice tool for stripping the cambium and thin bark left after the bark is peeled from a winter-cut log.

The wire brush bristles are noticeably uneven in length. On curved log surfaces the Restorer handles pretty well, but on firm flat surfaces like sheet metal, the irregular profile of the brush makes the tool bounce up and down. Dressing it down on some rough concrete may alleviate the problem, but really, you shouldn't have to fix a $50 accessory. The wire brush’s spiral construction also makes the Restorer nearly impossibly to control on soft wood, especially with the full width of the brush engaged. The spiral-wound bristles pull sideways while tracking in the wood grain, making it very tricky to move the tool straight back along a board. You'll want to experiment with your own materials, but I found that cranking the rpm down to half-speed and applying a very light touch improved control.

I think the standout uses of this tool for woodworking are provided by the accessory wire and nylon abrasive brushes. The Restorer is a welcome addition to my specialty tool kit as a lighter and sportier complement to my old burnisher for select rustic wood and metal-finishing uses, but the Restorer won't be replacing it.

—Michael Springer