12" Disc Sander Advice

[Tim Null]

I know that there are threads regarding this topic. But most replies are that they like their sander.

I am hoping for some detailed reviews. I am looking at the Jet, Grizzly and Delta 12" benchtop models. If you have one, can you give me your opinion on quality, performance, alignment, dust collection, etc. I would really appreciate it.

Thanks,

Tim

[Doug Carpenter]

Tim,

I have the Delta 12 disc sander. I had read reviews about it having some run out. Mostly due to paint on the back side of the disc where it meets the mount. I took mine apart and saanded what little paint there was. Over all I am happy with it. If there is any run out it seems like it it more a case of the abrasive disc not sticking to the actual disc.

I was considering a combp belt and disc but I am glad they are two sepperate machines. From the looks of them they all appear to be the same machine wearing different color paint. with the exception of some jet models.

I was hppy to get mine used and I use it for alot of things. I must admit though I haven't used it in a case where I had to count on the accuracy of the table or anything. That being said the table adjusts nicely and the dust colection works great on the downward rotation side of the disc when I use it with my shop vac. I didn't think it was as effective when hooked to my dust collector. If I bought another one I might go grizzly because it looks the same and from my few dealings with grizzly's customer service I am really impressed with how I was treated. And I don't even own a grizzly machine. I did purchase a part for a machine and they were so helpful and the part wirked so they really know their stuff.

Good luck, hope this helps, Doug

[Keith Outten]

Get an edge sander they are much more useful.
.

[Tim Null]

Thanks, Doug, that helps.

Keith, aren't most edge sanders big? I am in a one car garage shop, so space is at a premium. I already have the Rigid combo sander, but wanted something to do precision sanding of miters and fine tuning edges for small boxes, etc.

What do you suggest?

[Bruce Page]

Tim, I also have the Delta 12” benchtop. It is quiet, has plenty of power, and smooth running – it takes 2-3 minutes to come to a stop when I shut it off. As for alignment of the slot to the disk face, it is straight forward easy and something you’ll do each time you change the paper.

[Keith Outten]

Tim,

The 6 by 80 inch edge sanders aren't very large, the footprint on mine is about 39" long and 17" wide. The Ridgid machine is a good edge sander for it's size, I use one at CNU in the sign shop.

The problem I have always had with disk sanders is the variation in speed between the inside and outside diameters of the disk. The outside cuts to fast unless you are sanding short pieces and long pieces aren't suited for disk sanding.

Through the years I found that for my purposes owning multiple sanders has been the best use of floor space. Every job has some sanding work to be done and it isn't the most pleasant part of a project. I finally ended up with an edge sander, bench top spindle sander and a flap wheel/drum sander combo machine. These three machines pretty much take care of just about any project and they store against the back wall of my shop most of the time and don't take up any premium space. I also own a small drum sander, have it mounted on a hydraulic table so it stores underneath my table saw wing or my ShopBot.

I used to own a belt/disk sander years ago but I didn't like the machine and was glad to see it leave my shop.
.

[Julian Wong]

Tim,
I have the delta disc sander. While it works for most sanding, my problem is unlike the paint/glue that some others have experienced. I too found the platen to have a lot of runout, but it's due to the plate not being flat/true with respect to the arbor. I have learnt to live with it by taking only light passes each time. I got mine used. but I wouldn't pay full retail for it for all it's problems.

Other than that, the sander is plenty powerful for all my sanding needs. I use it all the time to round off edges.

I think the jet is a much better machine, tighter tolerances, but also almost double the cost IIRC.

My 2 cents

[Nathan Palenski]

Get an edge sander they are much more useful.
.

As you said in your later post, it takes a couple of sanders to do all the sanding jobs you need. Of all the sanders in my shop I use the edge sander the least. When I do use it it saves a ton of time but those uses are infrequent.


Tim,
The problem I have always had with disk sanders is the variation in speed between the inside and outside diameters of the disk. The outside cuts to fast unless you are sanding short pieces and long pieces aren't suited for disk sanding.

.

Thats one of the disc sander bonuses. Its specifically helpful when shaping curved outside edges of things. You start near the outer edge of the disc for agressive shaping and then move toward the center to smooth out.



I started with a 30 year old delta/rockwell sander which I liked. The table gauge was pretty accurate and it had plenty of power for my liking. I ended up picking up a second disc sander so I could run 2 different grits. The second one was a much newer jet with the cartrige filter. The rockwell sander had ok dust control but the newer unit captured as close to all of it as I could see. The biggest difference between the two was the runout on the disc. The old unit had a lot which I didnt know any better about. After I got the new unit it was so obvious that I stopped using the D/R. No matter which one you get make sure it has as little runout as possible.

Before I ended up with two disc sanders I looked at the Grizzly G7297 and G0702. The 7297 was a nice unit but I think I would have liked a larger, heavier table. I bet it would be great for a hobby shop. The 0702 is a very capable machine. If I didnt luck into the trade for the Jet I have now I'd have an 0702. No doubt about it.

[Aaron Wingert]

I got the Delta a few months ago after struggling with which one to buy. The Jet was too pricey for me, so the contest was between the Rikon and the Delta. I looked at a Rikon and there was an incredible amount of "runout" in the face of the disc...So much it would've really affected performance. I opted for the Delta and it has no appreciable runout. That being said, I'm not one of those people that takes a dial indicator to it to see...I use it and it works nicely.

I will suggest that you get a finer disc than the one that comes with the sander. It is much too coarse and aggressive for my liking. Dust collection is fairly effective. If you use the sander without at least attaching the included hose you'll quickly understand why they put dust collection on them...Without the hose that thing throws dust out to the right. Even without dust collection, the bends in the included short hose drastically reduces the dust blowing out if you leave it attached.

[Dan Lyman]

In my experience, the Jet 12 disc sander is much better than the delta. Better dust collection and no runout. A nice piece of equipment.

[Mark Walker]

I'll agree with Dan. I looked at both the Delta and Jet, and went with the Jet. Very solidly built and no run out visible to my eye. I had issues with the sanding discs not sticking to the platen however, but that was fixed by adhering some sandpaper to a jointed block of hardwood, and holding it against the rotating platen until the black (phosphate?) coating was removed. I couldn't be happier with it, except for when I need to lift it to move it somewhere. :)

[Tim Null]

Thanks for the input. I am leaning toward the Jet. I hate buying a tool only to upgrade to the better one later. If they were equal I would probably opt for the less expensive model, but the consensus seems to be that the Jet is a better tool and that price is the issue.

[Don Alexander]

i like my 12" Rikon and i have no runout its well made , has a manual brake and the price was significantly cheaper than Jet or Delta
the table is solid and aligns easily, adjustments are also easy
i got mine primarily to accurately square pen blanks , but quickly found it to be quite useful for lots of small parts

as with any tool you need to carefully check the setup and tweak the adjustments as needed to get the desired results

[Doug Carpenter]

Tim,

I looked at my grizzly catalog this morning after posting and it looks to me like the base of the grizzly is stamped steel while my delta is cast iron. Certainly a drawback when you have to lift it but a pluse while it is running. Also the brake is manual. I like that feature because you can opt not to stop it if you are done but if you need to stop it you can. Every tool I have ever owned with an automatic brake quit working long before the tool died.

I think it is a good choice for the work you are doing. If anything it may be a little fast. It doesn't take much to grind away your material.

And even though it is heavy with a small shop you can put it away. I am thinking of mounting mine to one of those flip top rolling carts. You could do that one one side and youe small combo on the other.

I can't dispute the edge sander idea but you're talking apples and oranges or more truthfully rollerskates and mercedes. :)

[Kirk McElhinney]

I also have the Jet, no runout and no problems

[michael flay]

+1 for the Rikon, solid built, built in stops for the angles and nice fit and finish.

[Van Huskey]

In the 12" disc category I would take the Jet everyday. The best built of the bunch but not the least expenisve by a decent shop.

I for one agree with Ken's belt sander approach. They take up less room than one would think, on a mobile base they hide away and most will double as a spindle sander. On the latter the less expensive versions do not oscillate and though you don't get quite as smooth a finish they have much more surface area to prevent burning even better than a OSS. Some actually have a built in spindle but those have all the shortcomings any non-oscillate spndle sander.

One other approach is the Grizzly G0529. It has a pretty decent disc sander (not as good as the single use Jet) plus a really nice OSS for $550.

[Tim Null]

The edge sander sounds great, but I have no room. At the moment, even the open space is taken up with mobile units. I actually have to roll them onto my driveway in order to work.

After my youngest finishes high school, he is starting 7th in the fall, we will probably move and I will get a larger shop. For now, it is make due with my limited space.

Thanks for the input though.