The 7.8-amp, 4 3⁄4 inch Makita 9741 wheel sander ramps up to 3,500 RPM and delivers professional-grade timber cleaning and grain raising tasks. The strategic design allows woodworkers to negotiate deep corners as well.
Makita didn’t appear to be interested in creating a tweener product when the power tool-maker brought the 9741 wheel sander to market. Price alone puts in the pro tool bin and that’s where it belongs. But, it’s clearly a niche power tool that favors timber framers and log cabin building professionals among others.
In terms of cleaning beams, a standard nylon brush head gets the job done quickly and efficiently. Light pressure can produce a natural polished sheen. Add some elbow grease and raised beam grain comes to life.
This Makita also makes head changes simple. It comes with a 2-inch hex wrench and a wire brush option can cleanse most surfaces of paint and discoloration.
Although the design is well balanced, the weighty 9.26 pounds means even tough guys won’t be free-handing beams and wood surfaces. In that respect, this may be best suited in the workshop. On site use would means setting up saw horses or limiting it to short-term stints, unless you have a particularly strong arm.
What Are Other Makita 9741 Wheel Sander Users Saying?
Several tool owners marveled at its efficiency to repurpose old beams and strip blotched surfaces. For the most part, those that took time to post their experience on message boards say Makita 9741 achieves its limited purposes.
Others like that fact this product rolls right out of the box. Just adjust the height of the front roller and rock.
The knocks on this product have been that it doesn’t deliver the power necessary to clean certain surfaces. If you’re looking for a major paint-stripping power tool, this might not be it. It may not be equivalent to an amped up wire brush and can of paint stripper.
That being said, the Makita 9741 Wheel Sander has significant value for craftsmen that work with timber and log homes among others. It brings enough power to clean the patina off material and raise surface grain.
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It’s a great tool that does exactly what it is supposed to. Like you said, it’s heavy so using it on assembled frames is hard work. Best for the shop, on the sawhorses. We use it all the time for small jobs. For bigger jobs it’s slow, boring, and hard work. For those we put brushes in our 4-sided planer and run the pieces much more efficiently.
Thanks, Kurt, great tip for the larger projects.
One of the best tools for cleaning barnwood. Sawn or hewn beams or boards, this tool with the Nylon wheel brush will remove 100+ years of dirt without taking away the wonderful patina. It will also impart a bit of a shine on some oak and maple and other woods that have a certain waxy compound in them. Some oak has more than others. Not really sure what it is, but when it shines up like that it looks great. This tool can also be outfitted with a flap sanding wheel, and a wire wheel, but for most barnwood and beam stuff, I prefer the nylon bristle wheels. I can’t notice much difference in performance between the medium and coarse nylon wheels for what I do.
I agree with you Brad, great tool for what you are using it for. Hope your house project is going well. Would like to hear about it sometime.