Jet bench-top spindle sander

[Bryan Cramer]

There is a Jet bench-top oscillating spindle sander JBOS-5 on sale at our local tool dealer. The original price was $420 it is now down to $360. Is this a good deal? Are there any big negatives to this machine? Does any body have one? The Rigid has an all plastic body which I don't like, the Craftsman has a sloppy fitting bearings, and the Delta I was told to stay away from because the company was bought out recently. The Jet sale ends Monday so I need advise fast. I would have already got it but $360 is a lot for a spindle sander. Is it worth it?

Thanks in advance.

[Greg R Bradley]

My personal opinion.

I have the Rigid and it is adequate for my home needs. I know someone that has the Jet in a business and he likes it. If it is going to get heavy use, it is worth $360 easy.

As far as I'm concerned Delta getting bought out is GOOD news. Getting it away from Stanley Black & Decker is likely a big improvement. Just look what they have done to Porter Cable.

[David Nelson1]

Bryan I have looked this tool over top and bottom. When time comes this is the one I'll get unless I decide to go for the floor model.

[Bryan Cramer]

The main reason why I wand the Jet is the enclosed motor which what I was told will last longer. I also like the taller spindles because I do a lot of band saw boxes. Delta being bought out is a good thing but it will take time to get their parts and services straighten out and besides the current spindle sander is being discontinued I heard. I want quality that is why I am looking at the Jet. (I had bad experiences with poor quality tools)

[Greg R Bradley]

Jet/Powermatic is a mixed bag on design & quality. I returned a PM2800 drill press for a Delta. BUT, I have two Jet grinders and they are great - also have an old Dayton & a complete piece of garbage from Grizzly. The Jet bench top spindle seems to be great. I created a prototype piece in my garage with my Ridgid & then made a bunch of duplicates in my friends production shop using the Jet spindle sander & it worked very well. It is used several hours a day in his shop & worked perfectly for a couple years.

[Bruce Page]

From what I have read the Jet is a great benchtop spindle sander. If & when my Delta Boss dies that is going to be the replacement.

[Matt Winterowd]

I bought the similar size/construction General International model for just under $400. No regrets here. I actually had the Rigid before and for me the problem wasn't the plastic, but the table. Having the whole table tilt around the spindle as opposed to just one wing (that's still not tight to the spindle) is much more useful to me. I'd buy the Jet for that price if I didn't already have the GI.

[Ira Matheny]

I orginally picked up a Craftsman. Plastic. Did a fair job, but only 1/3 HP. A year ago I obtained the Jet JBOS-5. Excellent little machine. I would only get rid of it if I could find a floor unit [1 hp] with which to replace the 1/2 hp JBOS-5. The Craftsman is noticabbly slower than the Jet. I still have it but never use it.

[Dick Mahany]

There is a Jet bench-top oscillating spindle sander JBOS-5 on sale at our local tool dealer. The original price was $420 it is now down to $360. Is this a good deal? Are there any big negatives to this machine? Does any body have one? The Rigid has an all plastic body which I don't like, the Craftsman has a sloppy fitting bearings, and the Delta I was told to stay away from because the company was bought out recently. The Jet sale ends Monday so I need advise fast. I would have already got it but $360 is a lot for a spindle sander. Is it worth it?

Thanks in advance.

I've had this sander for 5 yrs + and it gets lots of use. No problems, plenty of power, reasonably good dust collection when hooked to shop vac. I've used Klingspor sanding sleeves and they're excellent. No regrets what so ever.

[Brian W Evans]

I have the JBOS-5, bought used off of CL for $200. It is a solid, hardworking machine. I'd buy another one in a heartbeat. I'll also second what others are saying: I'd only give it up for a floor model. In fact, the guy that sold it to me was only getting rid of it because he needed the bigger capacity of a floor model.

[Callan Campbell]

I have this Jet OSS. Although a floor model would have been nice , this bench top suits me just fine. Decent dust collection port, works well off my single stage DC. Motor power is good, and the drive is quiet. The tilting top is a real bonus over a fixed table machine if you're dealing with angles when sanding.

[Paul Stoops]

I also have this Jet OSS. I haven't used it extensively, but it is a very quiet, solid tool. I would definitely recommend it. I also bought the 3" spindle and insert plate. I have had it for some time so I don't recall what I paid for it.

[Jeffrey Makiel]

Another happy owner of the Jet OSS. This machine has the following benefits over other benchtop sanders: tilting top, 3" spindle option and all metal construction. The downside is that it's more pricey, a bit heavy to be considered portable by me, and a bit tall when placed on a typical benchtop.

If I did it again, I'd buy another one. Here's a drawing of the stand that I built for it...

Jeff :)

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[Steve Massimi]

Jeff, thanks for the great stand suggestion with drawing! Looks nice! I may very well model mine after yours.

Steve

[Carl Crout]

I have had one since 2007. My only complaint is, it is hard to get new sanding drums onto the rubber spindles. I guess I could try sand them down a little. Get one, its a good machine

[Randall J Cox]

I've had one for the past 3 years and use it off and on. Works great for me. I have a shop vac hooked up to it and dust collection is really good. I haven't tried to buy new sanding rounds for it yet. I like it. What I would look at before buying is the bottom corners that it sits on. For some reason they keep shipping them with inadequate cushioning on the bottom and they all show up with damage. You know its coming like that, advise them to beef up the cushioning, and still shows up damaged. Mine along with lots of others. Not too smart on their part and I guess they really don't care. Other than that frusterating part, works fine. Randy

[Bryan Cramer]

This is strange to have one of my old threads pop up the same day I just logged back in as I see I've been away from this form awhile. This was a a bit a go but I ended up with a Grizzly combo spindle disc sander instead. I think they had a Christmas sale going on which put the price not far over the Jet (and others) bench top machines at that time. That is the perfect combo for me. I know it has plastic drive components but so do the bench top ones. If anyone wants to know more I can share a quick review on specific areas. This reminds me I need to make a wooden cabinet to replace the steel one that has no storage. And maybe find time to convert the old 6X48 belt sander into a edge sander. :o

[Doug Dawson]

This is strange to have one of my old threads pop up the same day I just logged back in as I see I've been away from this form awhile. This was a a bit a go but I ended up with a Grizzly combo spindle disc sander instead. I think they had a Christmas sale going on which put the price not far over the Jet (and others) bench top machines at that time. That is the perfect combo for me. I know it has plastic drive components but so do the bench top ones. If anyone wants to know more I can share a quick review on specific areas. This reminds me I need to make a wooden cabinet to replace the steel one that has no storage. And maybe find time to convert the old 6X48 belt sander into a edge sander. :o

I was just about to suggest that that was a really good price, but then I saw the date. Currently with the Jet sale it's US$449, and that's still not too bad. I don't have one, I was always kind of put off by what seemed like iffy dust collection.