Disk/Belt Sander

[Paul Douglass]

I have been using a little Craftsman disk/belt sander combo for about 30+ years that I received as a Christmas present. I now want a better one because I like to get into some segmenting work. I need one that can be set accurately to different degrees. Of coarse I don't have a lot of money. Have to be somewhat frugal. Could I get some recommendations on a pretty decent one say for around the $300 mark.

[Gary Herrmann]

I'd think your best bet at that price point would be arn. Powermatic 30a comes to mind. I think there was even one for sale on classifieds recently.

[Bob Aquino]

Not sure how much you are going to find for that price. Griz has the 1014z for around 400 delivered. I had that machine, its just OK, but it suffers from some design shortcuts like the mounting system for the table (all rides on one rod held in place by two setscrews) and it tends to move around a bit which does not do much for accuracy.

A 30a is a nice choice (I have one), but looking for one used will take some time and you most likely will have some work ahead of you to put it in shape. These sanders are not that common (same for the delta version) so when they pop up, they don't last long and they tend to go for some decent bucks, even when they need work. And don't ask me why, but these sanders always seem to be the most abused machines in the shop. People wear a dish in the platen or run the belts up against the side frame and cut a nice groove in the cast iron. The drums loose their crown so tracking becomes more tricky. And of course you need to renew the bearings for each drum as well as the motor. If you enjoy that kind of work, groovy. If you don't, plan on spending some more bucks for one in plug and play condition or go new. New, these machines were well over a grand so count on spending a wee bit more than 300 or stick with your current machine.

This one ran me 400 from a used machinery dealer, was one of the more complex restorations I have done, but is a nice solid machine now.

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_nh7rpc89jO0/ST8HWXU1nxI/AAAAAAAAEww/Knv9V2sjCYs/s800/P1030506.JPG