Modular sander-casing architecture

A sander-casing apparatus comprising:

• field housing means for containing at least a motor;
• at least one of
• random orbital sander (ROS) shroud means for containing an ROS-type power transmission, and
• quarter sheet sander (QSS) shroud means for containing a QSS-type power transmission;
• and
• interface means by which the field housing is made connectable to the ROS shroud and the QSS shroud;
• the ROS shroud means and the QSS shroud means being configured for cooperation with one or more of the field housing means and the interface means so as to promote desired orientations relative to the field housing means, respectively.

A method of assembling a sander-casing, the method comprising:

• providing a field housing to contain at least a motor, the field housing having an interface connectable to each of the following,
• a random orbital sander (ROS) shroud, at least an ROS-type power transmission being containable therein, and
• a quarter sheet sander (QSS) shroud, at least a QSS-type power transmission being containable therein,
• the ROS shroud and the QSS shroud having configurations that cooperate with the configuration of one or more of the field housing and the interface to promote desired orientations relative to the field housing, respectively;
• providing one of the ROS shroud and the QSS shroud;
• and
• disposing the provided shroud around the field housing.

A method of manufacturing random orbit sanders and quarter-sheet sanders, the method comprising:

• providing a sander-appropriate motor;
• encasing, at least partially, the motor in a field housing to create an at least partially assembled power unit, each of the plurality of at-least-partially-assembled power units having the same interface, which is connectable to each of the following,
• a random orbital sander (ROS) shroud, an ROS-type power transmission being containable therein, and
• a quarter sheet sander (QSS) shroud, a QSS-type power transmission being containable therein;
• and
• stockpiling amount X≦Y+Z of the at-least-partially assembled power units, where X≧1, Y≧1 and Z≧1 and where X>Y and X>Z, by iteratively repeating the steps of providing and encasing, while also stockpiling the amount Y of the ROS shrouds and the amount Z of the QSS shrouds with which instances of the amount X of at-least-partially-assembled power units can be mated, respectively.

A sander-casing stockpile comprising:

• a plurality of field housings to respectively contain at least a motor, each of the field housings having an interface connectable to each of the following,
• a random orbital sander (ROS) shroud, an ROS-type power transmission being containable therein, and
• a quarter sheet sander (QSS) shroud, a QSS-type power transmission being containable therein;
• and
• at least one of the ROS shroud and the QSS shroud;
• the ROS shroud and the QSS shroud having configurations that cooperate with the configuration of one or more of the field housing and the interface so as to promote desired orientations relative to the field housing, respectively.