12" disc sander question??

[Nick Jarrell]

I am planning on picking up a 12" disc sander today or tomorrow and I have a couple questions. My main 2 options are Delta and Rikon. I am leaning towards the Rikon only because my local Woodcraft has it and I've heard good things about it. Anyone have any opinions on either machine? I am starting to get into segmented turnings and my current 6" Ryobi is not acceptable. I want a machine with a flat and true table top I cant continually worry about table warping. Both machines use a cast iron table top, which is what I am looking for, but is one better than the other? Basically, both sanders are pretty equal. What I am really looking for is personal experience with the machines from end users.


I also have the option to pick up a Central Machinery disc sander for quite a bit less than the other 2, but I have always used the philosophy of purchasing the best machine I can within the budget that I have. This machine is inferior in every way with the exception of the motor. This unit has a 1.5 HP motor where the other 2 have 1/2 HP motors. For what I am doing, I don't think the extra HP would give me any added benefits.


Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.


Thanks.

[Doug Ladendorf]

Nick, I'm afraid I can't give specific experience with either machine but I will comment that lately Delta seems to be MIA with regard to parts. Looking purely at the two manufacturers I would go with Rikon which seems to be a vibrant company. Sounds like you are ready to go but if still deciding you might consider Grizzly or used older machines.

[Thomas S Stockton]

I have the central machinery one, for the $100 it cost it is pretty amazing. It runs absolutely true no wobble no nothing. The only problem I had is the table angle adjust is kinda wimpy, Most everything I need it for is 90 degrees so I fixed an easily removable block under it to keep it fixed. A good trade off for the price. Only real problem I can see is that with anything, especially with a cord attached at harbor freight is that I got a good one and you could easily get a bad one.
Tom

[Bill Geibe]

I was curious and looked at the spec's of this sander and the user reviews. The 5.7 amp rating of the motor is too low to be a true 1.25 HP that it's rated at - maybe 1/2? But nearly everyone was impressed with it's power. One big plus (and this wasn't in the specs but one reviewer noted it) is that it had a cast iron or cast steel platen (disk). This is good because all that weight/inertia keeps the disc from bogging and also makes it easier to clean off stubborn sanding disks without leaving gouges in the metal. I have a 9" Craftsman belt/disk sander with an aluminum platen and it easy to mark up the metal. For that matter, when I got my used Craftsman, the platen was way out of true. The cast iron platen is likely to stay as true as it was originally machined.

The thing gets good reviews and doesn't cost much. My 2 cents is that it's a worth try.

I agree with Doug that since Delta was bought by a Chinese company, parts have been terrible to get. I have a part for my Unifence that's been back-ordered nearly two years. It's an inexcusable situation.

Bill

[Bruce Wrenn]

I've had a Delta for years. Bought it used from a friend. Sanded thousands of Toys for Tots cars on it. Never a problem.

[Keith Westfall]

When I looked at them, one thing I noticed was that the Delta disk ran true while the other ( I believe a Rikon) did not. Delta was heavier (told myself that meant it was built better) and ended up gong with the Delta even though it was "quite a bit" more!

Other than that, can't say much as I haven't used it yet

[Rich Riddle]

Do you plan on purchasing a bench top unit or stand alone model?

Unfortunately,I have experience with the Delta and Central Machinery (Harbor Freight). If you found an old Delta unit, great. If not, the new ones aren't very good tools. The are not true and have a non-flat tables. Avoid the Central Machinery sander for the same reason as the Delta, bad tolerances and poor quality control. I have heard better things about the Rikon model and Jet models.

[Greg R Bradley]

One of the things that has become very important is WHAT tool you have and WHEN you bought it. I have a 10 year old Delta 12" sander and could probably use another. It is great. The new ones are pretty much crap compared to the 10 year old one.
The current Delta might be better than the current Rikon - but maybe not. The Jets I've seen look OK and I'm not a WMH fan at all.

I think I would not buy any tool that you can not inspect in person and then buy THAT unit. Not another one in a box or mail order or Amazon or whatever. That unit that you just looked over and plugged in, ran, and inspected for true, straight, balanced, etc. or just skip it.

[Larry Whitlow]

One of the things that has become very important is WHAT tool you have and WHEN you bought it. I have a 10 year old Delta 12" sander and could probably use another. It is great. The new ones are pretty much crap compared to the 10 year old one.
The current Delta might be better than the current Rikon - but maybe not. The Jets I've seen look OK and I'm not a WMH fan at all.

I think I would not buy any tool that you can not inspect in person and then buy THAT unit. Not another one in a box or mail order or Amazon or whatever. That unit that you just looked over and plugged in, ran, and inspected for true, straight, balanced, etc. or just skip it.

I'm glad you brought this up. In my experience, it is not going to be easy to visually inspect a Delta disc sander. Unless I'm missing something, no one is carrying these or other Delta benchtop power tools (other than miter saws). I think the same can be said for a lot of other brands/tools. So, while I agree with your recommended approach, it may not be all that practical to actually put into practice.

[Jim Neeley]

I'm glad you brought this up. In my experience, it is not going to be easy to visually inspect a Delta disc sander. Unless I'm missing something, no one is carrying these or other Delta benchtop power tools (other than miter saws). I think the same can be said for a lot of other brands/tools. So, while I agree with your recommended approach, it may not be all that practical to actually put into practice.

That seems strange to me, Larry, since I can find them locally and with you living in California and me living in Anchorage, AK. I just don't find them at the BBS; I have to go to the industrial hardware stores. Oh, and yes, the price is about retail here rather than the 10% or more off )and take your chances).

Jim