Harbor Freight Disc/Belt Sander Opinions Wanted

[Andrew Kertesz]

I know with HF you have to be careful of what you buy. I find myself in need of a belt/disc sander and finances are extremely tight with the holidays looming. Does anyone have either the 4" belt/6" disc or the 6" belt/9" disc sanders from HF? If so what issues have you run into with your particular model? Thanks...

[Mike Cutler]

I'll let you know in a week or so because I'm looking at one of their bench top disc/belt sanders now, (6"belt/9"disc) and will probably pick it up this week.
They get very good reviews on some of the metal boards, and a co-worker is an HF Junkie and uses one at home. he says it works just fine.
They're definitely not "production environment" machines, but for the occasional home use they should be fine

[Andrew Kertesz]

I didn't see a 6"/9" bench top model, only a 4"/6" bench top. It looked like the 6"/9" was on a stand.

[John McClanahan]

I looked over the 4x36 Harbor Freight sander while in the stor once. In my opinion, it looks like it would be easy to break.

Menards has a Performax 4x36 for $119 that looks just like a Rikon.

I found a 6x48 sander on sale. I glad for the extra size. The Harbor Freight 6x48 looks a lot like a model sold by Grizzly.

John

[david brum]

I had one of the HF 4 x 36 with 6" disc bench sander a few years back. The motor was strong and didn't give me any issues. The problems that I had were:

1) the drive belt broke fairly early on. I was able to buy one from Grizzly, who sold the identical sander.
2) The table for the disc was wobbly and prone to slipping. I firmly bolted it down to 90 degrees and left it. It was fine after that.
3) Harbor freight sanding belts are horrible, with huge lumps at the joints. Better to buy decent belts. The disc worked fine.
4) Dust collection is not great.
5) I hardly ever used mine. It was messy for wood and the belt speed was too fast for delicate metal, such as chisels or plane blades.

I hope that helps!

[Jim Finn]

I have the 6"x48" Harbor Freight belt and disk sander. It is the most used tool in my shop. I made a wooden dust collector for it but it was difficult to make. It does a fairly good job of collecting dust, though. I do not recommend ANY of Harbor Freight sand papers, including the sanding belt for this sander. I get mine locally for about $6 each. I did not even install the disk sander part. I have no use for it. The motor runs fine. I was concerned that the belt tracking may not be good but mine works fine. It does take tools to adjust the belt tracking but stays were it is put throughout the life of the sanding belt. I mostly sand cedar and some maple and a little oak on this tool. It comes with a good stand but I had mine mounted to my bench for about a year before moving and now I use the stand. Works well either way. I use one of those "Erasers" to clean the belt regularly. This extends the life of a sanding belt by about 100 times. I paid $169 for mine in 2010 and see it offered here for $200. I recommend this sander.

[Mike Cutler]

I didn't see a 6"/9" bench top model, only a 4"/6" bench top. It looked like the 6"/9" was on a stand.


The 6/9 comes with a stand, but I'll take it off the stand and mount it to a bench, or pull it out as needed. I don't have room for the stand in my little shop. The basement, yes, but not the shop.

[David Masters]

I was looking at the Harbor Freight 6"x48" belt and disc sander this afternoon. My chief concern is how I would handle dust collection. I have a Craftsman 4"x36" sander now, and it throws dust everywhere. The belt wanders badly and the set screw that holds the disc to the motor shaft easily loosens. Grizzly has what looks to be a similar 6"x48" sander with dust collection of some kind, but it's nearly double the price of the Harbor Freight sander.

Do you have a picture of the dust collector you built? I'd like to get an idea if it is something I might be able to build.

[richard poitras]

When looking at sanders keep in mind a lot of the price pointed ones have a 3500 rpm motor, were the 1750 rpm motor is much more desirable.

[Jim Finn]

The tough part is making the dust pick-up box so that I can change belts without removing it. This is what I came up with. Mine is a six inch dust collection hook up. I think a four inch would also work.

[David C. Roseman]

When looking at sanders keep in mind a lot of the price pointed ones have a 3500 rpm motor, were the 1750 rpm motor is much more desirable.

Have to disagree with you on this, Richard. Why is the lower rpm motor more desirable in a belt sander (as distinguished from a bench grinder)? If your concern is the speed with which material is removed during actual sanding, shouldn't we be looking at the surface feet per minute of the belt, rather than the motor rpm? Unless the belt is direct drive, the sfpm is determined by pulley size, rather than motor rpm. For example, the HF 6" x 48" (with 9" disk) sander that the OP is asking about has a 3450 rpm motor, but is geared down by a drive pulley to a belt speed of 1280 sfpm, according to technical support. The much higher price point Jet JSG-960S has a 1725 rpm motor, and drives the same sized belt at 2258 sfpm. The Grizzly G1014Z, priced between the two, has a 3450 rpm motor, uses a drive pulley, and produces a belt speed of 2300 sfpm.

David

[Stan Mitchell]

The tough part is making the dust pick-up box so that I can change belts without removing it. This is what I came up with. Mine is a six inch dust collection hook up. I think a four inch would also work.

I have the Grizzly version. I hadn't thought of coming in from the back for dust collection - and with a integrated table to boot! I might have to build something similar for mine. Thanks for posting the pic.

[peter Joseph]

Any time I was seriously considering a HF stationary machine, I found a used, higher quality machine for sale locally at the same price point. Philly Craigslist had a delta sanding station (belt/disc) for 150$ a few weeks back. Compared to a HF machine its a no brainer. There is also so much for sale second hand right now that people are always willing to negotiate.

Peter

[richard poitras]

Have to disagree with you on this, Richard. Why is the lower rpm motor more desirable in a belt sander (as distinguished from a bench grinder)? If your concern is the speed with which material is removed during actual sanding, shouldn't we be looking at the surface feet per minute of the belt, rather than the motor rpm? Unless the belt is direct drive, the sfpm is determined by pulley size, rather than motor rpm. For example, the HF 6" x 48" (with 9" disk) sander that the OP is asking about has a 3450 rpm motor, but is geared down by a drive pulley to a belt speed of 1280 sfpm, according to technical support. The much higher price point Jet JSG-960S has a 1725 rpm motor, and drives the same sized belt at 2258 sfpm. The Grizzly G1014Z, priced between the two, has a 3450 rpm motor, uses a drive pulley, and produces a belt speed of 2300 sfpm.

David

Dave I agree 100 % with what you are stating and that’s where I was going with the motor speed as well. I lot of them that I have seen have the faster belt speed. I guess I should have clarified better what I meant.