Tony Sade
07-31-2004, 11:36 AM
A few months ago, I started a thread asking for opinions on edge sanders. In particular, I asked about the Bridgewood 80A and the new Grizzly G0512. The thread is here:
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=8015
As I expected, I got a lot of feedback on both units, and some suggestions that I consider the General machine at this price point. I went round and round for awhile, then decided I needed a new dust collector more, so I went out and bought a 2hp Jet cannister and did the whole permanent PVC pipe installation thing. (Dang pipe and fittings cost more than the DC.)
Well, my birthday is just around the corner and I decided I should buy myself a present. (Actually, I long ago cut my wife out of the process, since she has no idea how to shop for me, and I just go get what I want and give her a picture to wrap up, mostly for the kids benenfit.)
While visiting family and friends in central Pa., I was able to stop in both the Grizzly (Muncy) and Wilke showrooms and get a look at both machines. Although Terry Hatfield's review of the Griz had me just about convinced, and I thought the slower speed would lead to fewer inevitable screwups on my part, one look at the machine and its comparitively massive table made me realize it wouldn't fit in the only space I have left in my shop for a new machine. (I was also discouraged because they were out of stock temporarily, and the box just wasn't gonna fit in the back of my Honda CRV.
I know, the size of the box seems like a dumb criterion on which to base a relatively major machine purchase, but it turns out the the BW just made it. Since I have a large oscillating sander already, I knew I wasn't going to need to use the roller at the end for sanding curves, and the smaller table would be sufficient for my needs.
Contrary to everything I had heard, I wasn't exactly overwhelmed by Wilke CS at the showroom. The guy on duty wasn't exactly helpful, but it didn't matter much-maybe he was just having a bad day.
Long story long, the sander works great. They've upgraded the stand, which makes it both look better, and appear more stable. It went together very easily, although assembly instructions, save for a few pictures which weren't much help, were virtually non-existent. Two major assemblies-put the base together, lift the head on and that's about it. (Nice to have a strong teenager in the house for help.) Assembling the rest-miter guage, extra fence for use when sanding with the head turned to the horizontal position, and putting togther the HTC universal mobile base were easy.
Fit and finish is fine, and the color almost matches the Grizzly machines. The higher speed of the unit (3900 FPM vs. the Grizzly's 1800 doesn't appear to be a problem. It comes with a 100 grit belt, and, while it does remove material relatively quickly, I don't think I'll be overdoing too often. My only criticism is with the dust collection. The way the motor is configured has the exhaust air (or whatever it's called) blowing straight up in the vicinity of the DC port. This has the effect of blowing the dust straight up instead of permitting it to get sucked into the fitting and DC system.
I've temporarily corrected this by slapping together a sort of shroud to both block the problem air flow and create a more extended port. DC is improved immensely. I'm told that these machines are the same as the General 15-005 and the Powermatic 13 that John Weber mentions in the previous thread. Although there appear to be some minor differences, like switch placement and motor h.p., they sure look identical to me. The General comes with a dust shroud that covers the problem area. and I'm in the process of trying to get my hands on one of those. (The General factory apparently shuts down for a couple of weeks in late July.)
I'm happy with the HTC base which works reasonably well, and unlike the Delta universal I have on a number of machines, doesn't require the cutting and drilling of the rails-it comes with its own. My only complaint is that in order to raise the machine, you have to step on each foot pedal raising device separately. Since the machine is a bit top heavy, that makes the process a bit tippy. Otherwise, it works fine.
So, I'm a happy camper, and as I told my wife, my sanding needs have now been met-I've also got a drum sander, big combo, oscillating sander and all the necessary hand power tools, which should cover the waterfront, at least until I fall under Festool's spell.
Sorry this is so long. Thanks for reading.
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=8015
As I expected, I got a lot of feedback on both units, and some suggestions that I consider the General machine at this price point. I went round and round for awhile, then decided I needed a new dust collector more, so I went out and bought a 2hp Jet cannister and did the whole permanent PVC pipe installation thing. (Dang pipe and fittings cost more than the DC.)
Well, my birthday is just around the corner and I decided I should buy myself a present. (Actually, I long ago cut my wife out of the process, since she has no idea how to shop for me, and I just go get what I want and give her a picture to wrap up, mostly for the kids benenfit.)
While visiting family and friends in central Pa., I was able to stop in both the Grizzly (Muncy) and Wilke showrooms and get a look at both machines. Although Terry Hatfield's review of the Griz had me just about convinced, and I thought the slower speed would lead to fewer inevitable screwups on my part, one look at the machine and its comparitively massive table made me realize it wouldn't fit in the only space I have left in my shop for a new machine. (I was also discouraged because they were out of stock temporarily, and the box just wasn't gonna fit in the back of my Honda CRV.
I know, the size of the box seems like a dumb criterion on which to base a relatively major machine purchase, but it turns out the the BW just made it. Since I have a large oscillating sander already, I knew I wasn't going to need to use the roller at the end for sanding curves, and the smaller table would be sufficient for my needs.
Contrary to everything I had heard, I wasn't exactly overwhelmed by Wilke CS at the showroom. The guy on duty wasn't exactly helpful, but it didn't matter much-maybe he was just having a bad day.
Long story long, the sander works great. They've upgraded the stand, which makes it both look better, and appear more stable. It went together very easily, although assembly instructions, save for a few pictures which weren't much help, were virtually non-existent. Two major assemblies-put the base together, lift the head on and that's about it. (Nice to have a strong teenager in the house for help.) Assembling the rest-miter guage, extra fence for use when sanding with the head turned to the horizontal position, and putting togther the HTC universal mobile base were easy.
Fit and finish is fine, and the color almost matches the Grizzly machines. The higher speed of the unit (3900 FPM vs. the Grizzly's 1800 doesn't appear to be a problem. It comes with a 100 grit belt, and, while it does remove material relatively quickly, I don't think I'll be overdoing too often. My only criticism is with the dust collection. The way the motor is configured has the exhaust air (or whatever it's called) blowing straight up in the vicinity of the DC port. This has the effect of blowing the dust straight up instead of permitting it to get sucked into the fitting and DC system.
I've temporarily corrected this by slapping together a sort of shroud to both block the problem air flow and create a more extended port. DC is improved immensely. I'm told that these machines are the same as the General 15-005 and the Powermatic 13 that John Weber mentions in the previous thread. Although there appear to be some minor differences, like switch placement and motor h.p., they sure look identical to me. The General comes with a dust shroud that covers the problem area. and I'm in the process of trying to get my hands on one of those. (The General factory apparently shuts down for a couple of weeks in late July.)
I'm happy with the HTC base which works reasonably well, and unlike the Delta universal I have on a number of machines, doesn't require the cutting and drilling of the rails-it comes with its own. My only complaint is that in order to raise the machine, you have to step on each foot pedal raising device separately. Since the machine is a bit top heavy, that makes the process a bit tippy. Otherwise, it works fine.
So, I'm a happy camper, and as I told my wife, my sanding needs have now been met-I've also got a drum sander, big combo, oscillating sander and all the necessary hand power tools, which should cover the waterfront, at least until I fall under Festool's spell.
Sorry this is so long. Thanks for reading.