What Spindle Sander to buy

[Vince Smith]

I've been looking at spindle sanders for a while and I'm not any closer to picking one. Any advise on which bench top is best or do I need to go right to the larger machines

[Michael Ginsberg]

I don't use it often, but I have has the Jet benchtop model for 6 years and never had a problem with it. It spins and goes up and down....
There is a off color joke in there... but I won't go there!

[jared herbert]

I have a delta boss table top sander. The biggest problem with them is the plastic gears that run the spindle upu and down. I had to replace mine once already after probably less than 5 hours use. If you plan on using it very much get a heavier duty one than that, it is only suitable for lite use. Jared

[Chad Bender]

I've got the Grizzly benchtop model. It works fine, although I use it a lot less than I figured I would. For large radius curves I typically use a pattern and flush cut router bit, and then hand sand.

[Ron Jones near Indy]

Love my Jet tabletop, but it's a lot more expensive now than when I bought mine.

[Bill Huber]

I have the Ridgid 4424 combo unit and love the thing, it is great as a edge belt sander and then just put a spindle on it and I can do all my curves as things like that.
The price is really great for what you get, at $200 it is really hard to beat.

[Van Huskey]

I think the big key is budget and how often you will use it. Many people use an OSS a LOT many people rarely ever. If you are in the latter I would say get the Ridgid, it ain't perfect doesn't have a lot of power but does the job for many. If you are looking at the heavy benchtop OSS like the General and Jet I would suggest just moving up to a florr model. If used is out the Grizzly and Shopfox are the best values especially if the Jet isn't on sale. Basically, if you can get by with a lightweight lower powered unit get the Ridgid, if you plan to use it a lot get the Grizzly. If you have a much bigger budget and plan to use it constantly there are more serious options available.

[Paul McGaha]

I have the Jet Benchtop OSS. Got lucky and found a used one last year. Really happy with it.

PHM

[Jay Rasmussen]

I've got the Griz G1071. I bought it I think the first year they offered it, paid $495.00. Wow, price has really gone up but mine is great piece of equipment. I haven’t had such good luck with their machinery since but this sander is well made and one of favorite tools. Having a heavy machine with a large table is really nice.

[Cary Falk]

I started with the Ridgid. It was a good spindle sander but my belt never tracked very well. I found that the spindlse were short for what I needed so I got a Grizzly G1071floor model. I couldn't be happier.

[Van Huskey]

I started with the Ridgid. It was a good spindle sander but my belt never tracked very well. I found that the spindlse were short for what I needed so I got a Grizzly G1071floor model. I couldn't be happier.

Buying the Rigid is a really good way to end up with a floor OSS and OES...

[Bill White]

Well, shame on me. My Ridgid has been a workhorse. Best $200.00 I've spent. Can't complain at all except for some crappy belts from trime to time.
Bill

[Ricky Rater]

Plus one for the Ridgid. I have used mine quite a bit in the last couple of months building toy rubber band guns. Used for smoothing curves and even hand shaping some of the parts. I would not call it perfect, but as benchtop units go I didn't find a better option.

I haven't found the power to be a real constraint - I have learned to work within the limits of the machine and have not been frustrated. It is possible to bog it down though.

[Jeff Monson]

I have the Performax OSS that Menards sells. For the occasional use that it gets, it works well.

[Lori Kleinberg]

Another vote for the Rigid. I use the spindle sander more then the belt, but for the price can't be beat.

[Bernie Kopfer]

I have used the older version of the Grizzly G038 [Ryobi label at that time] for years and it has been a cheap, reliable workhorse. Obtained a Ridgid somewhere along the line but dumped it because i had a good Jet belt-disc sander.The Grizzly was easier to use, changes spindles easier and less vibration IMO. And the dust collection on the ridgid was poor by comparison. Bought a Jet benchtop spindle sander and must say it works very well but required major tuning and skirt building for dust collection. And the sleeves are expensive and more difficult to change than the cheap Griz. So if you are just needing something to occasionally smooth some curves the Grizzly G038 or Ridgid would probably workfine. I've sanded hundreds of feet of wood thick and thin with mine. But If you are thinking long term and heavy duty the more expensive units would be the way to go. Have fun sanding!

[Matt Meiser]

I too have the Jet benchtop. I got mine (barely) used. Its a lot nicer than the universal-motored one I had before--pretty much seems to be just a scaled down version of the big one.

[Heather Thompson]

When it came time to buy an OSS I opted for the Porter Cable 121, it is a hand held unit that WoodPecker made an aluminum plate for to fit the same opening as their router lifts, thus giving double duty from the right wing of the tablesaw. WoodPecker does not carry the plate anymore (sometimes they do a limited run if you are on their mailing list), but other companies like WoodHaven produce a similar plate, not sure if it is aluminum though. I really like the fact that the PC121 is a hand held unit as it is only a couple of screws and the unit can be taken to jobs like kitchen sink installs, marble work, etc.

[Butch Spears]

I bought the Jet " about 3 yrs ago " it has been great, I think I paid about $300.00 but not sure. Buy the Best Tool that you can afford at the time. you will be a lot Happier down the road.

[Carl Beckett]

I have an older Ryobi benchtop. Its great, and I use it 'fairly frequently' - meaning enough that I leave it out on top of a bench and not buried on a shelf.

If you arent sure - start with a benchtop (read - cheap) - try it out and see how much you use it and upgrade from there. Ive aked myself if I would use a larger model, but my answer is that the floor space is needed for higher priority machines.

I also like that this little guy is very light and portable to move around. Later this afternoon, the Cub Scouts will be in my shop and this unit will get clamped to a small workbench at their height and will get heavy use (its a reasonably safe machine as machines go)

Oh - and dont overthink it - there isnt much that needs to go into the decision. (from time to time you can find these on CL even)

[Rob Holcomb]

Here's another vote for the Ridgid. I've had mine for three years and use it a lot! Never any tracking issues with the belt once adjusted when put on and no issues with the spindles either.

[Cary Falk]

Buying the Rigid is a really good way to end up with a floor OSS and OES...
Yeah, I ended up with a Jet OES also.

[Jeff A. Smith]

I've been looking at spindle sanders for a while and I'm not any closer to picking one. Any advise on which bench top is best or do I need to go right to the larger machines

I have a Jet OSS, but about 90% of the time, I use a shop-built spindle with rolled-on sandpaper attached and mounted in my lathe. This gives any spindle length or diameter I want. Yeah, the dust collection is crappy... But if you've got a lathe, you're about 20 min. away from trying it to see if it would fit your needs.

Jeff Smith
Athens, AL

[Don Bullock]

I have the Ridgid 4424 combo unit and love the thing, it is great as a edge belt sander and then just put a spindle on it and I can do all my curves as things like that.
The price is really great for what you get, at $200 it is really hard to beat.

I agree with Bill. I have used the belt and spindles on the same project because it's so easy to switch between the two. The way the table tilts has also been a helpful feature on projects. When I remember to hook upmy vacuum to the dust port the dust collection feature works well too.

[Rich Engelhardt]

When I remember to hook upmy vacuum to the dust port the dust collection feature works well too.
That reason is one of the biggies I went with the Ridgid.

[Kevin McCluney]

I've owned both the Delta BOSS and the Jet JBOS-5. The Jey was purchased when the Delta's motor burned out. I'd had it for 5 years and it saw only hobbyist use. I've had teh Jet for 7 years and it's still solid. I wrote a comparison of the two and posted it on Amazon under the Jet's listing - it's still accurate.