Strange question re: Oscillating Spindle Sander

[Jay Michaels]

I have this oscillating spindle sander and it's great:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LPFIPPQ/ref=s9_simh_gw_g469_i1_r?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=desktop-1&pf_rd_r=1RTKNXMTNZRKJKEAQ8NX&pf_rd_t=36701&pf_rd_p=2079475242&pf_rd_i=desktop

It is branded as a "WEN", although through research before the purchase, it became clear that this spindle sander is essentially simply a re-branded version of the same foreign-built sander that is offered under many names, including ShopFox, Grizzly, Triton, Rockwell, and others.

Last week, I spun the nut off the top of the spindle bolt and as I did so, it slipped right off and bounced into a tiny crevice between a massive old shop bench and the wall. Suffice it to say, the nut will not be retrieved any time before I move out of the house.

I don't intend to lug the sander to the hardware store to match it up with a new nut, but I need to know the size of the nut or the spindle bolt so I can purchase a replacement nut. I'm away from the shop today and I'm hoping to stop at a hardware store later to grab the replacement.

Any chance anyone knows the size of this bolt or nut? I greatly appreciate any assistance that is offered!

[Grant Wilkinson]

I have a similar sander, branded Craftex (Busy Bee in Canada). The nut on mine is M8 - 1.25 Left hand thread.

[Mike Ontko]

...I spun the nut off the top of the spindle bolt and as I did so, it slipped right off and bounced into a tiny crevice between a massive old shop bench and the wall.

It never ceases to amaze me how often those little things that you drop end up finding their way into the hardest to reach places.

[Chris Padilla]

I suggest a magnet to retrieve it. Ought be doable. If a nut can fall into this spot, surely a magnet of similar size on a string can as well! :) I suggest a rare earth one.

Hmmmm, I wonder if the magnet or nut would cost more and how quickly to find either the nut or magnet. Good Luck either way. :D

[Myk Rian]

It never ceases to amaze me how often those little things that you drop end up finding their way into the hardest to reach places.
Murphy's law.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

It never ceases to amaze me how often those little things that you drop end up finding their way into the hardest to reach places.

.....and if it is something like your car sitting in the middle of the garage..it will find the exact center of the car........


Murphy's law. Amen!


I suggest a magnet to retrieve it. Ought be doable. If a nut can fall into this spot, surely a magnet of similar size on a string can as well! :) I suggest a rare earth one.

Hmmmm, I wonder if the magnet or nut would cost more and how quickly to find either the nut or magnet. Good Luck either way. :D I agree Chris. I'd try a magnet first.

[Grant Wilkinson]

If you can't get a magnet close enough, attach a piece of cheese cloth over the end of you shop vac nozzle and see it you can suck it up.

[Larry Browning]

I have a similar sander, branded Craftex (Busy Bee in Canada). The nut on mine is M8 - 1.25 Left hand thread.

I'm hoping to stop at a hardware store later to grab the replacement.

I hope it is a big hardware store, that sounds like it will be pretty hard to find.

[Bruce Page]

Every shop should have one of these: http://www.amazon.com/Master-Magnetics-07228-Telescoping-Retrieving/dp/B0000DINDG/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1452883465&sr=8-5&keywords=telescoping+magnet

[Jay Michaels]

I have a similar sander, branded Craftex (Busy Bee in Canada). The nut on mine is M8 - 1.25 Left hand thread.

Fantastic - thank you.

Thank you all for the input - I appreciate it. Believe it or not, an Ace Hardware a few blocks from my office tells me on the phone that they do indeed have this nut - with the left hand thread - on the shelf for all of $.023

As much as I'd love to go digging behind the workbench, I'm more accepting of parting with a short walk and $0.23 versus the time (and likely frustration) it would take to fish this out, so off to Ace I go.

Thanks again - I really appreciate all the input.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Jay,

I'm not surprised. I bought a cheap grinder from Woodcraft. It had a balance issue that turned out be due to the hole in a nut (holding one of the grinding wheels on the arbor) wasn't perpendicular to the surface of the nut. Thus when you tightened the nut, there was about 30-40% of the surface of the nut not making contact with the grinding wheel. It allowed the wheel to wobble and it made it out of balance. My local ACE hardware had a left-handed nut for the arbor shaft. The Woodcraft store where I bought it is 110 miles away. I really didn't want to return it!

[Jay Michaels]

Just closed the deal at a local ACE for a grand total of under $1. Money well spent.

[Chris Padilla]

Kudos to ACE Hardware!! Glad you got things fixed quickly AND cheaply!

[Paul Wunder]

Welllll........does the nut fit? Inquiring minds want to know

[Jay Michaels]

When I get home, I'll tell you! :)

[Earl McLain]

I hope you bought two of them. I find that when i buy only one (nut, bolt, c-clip, cotter pin, clevis pin, whatever)--history repeats itself. When i buy two, i never need the second one...until 15 minutes after i lose the spare!!

earl

[Michael Stein]

I hope you bought two of them. I find that when i buy only one (nut, bolt, c-clip, cotter pin, clevis pin, whatever)--history repeats itself. When i buy two, i never need the second one...until 15 minutes after i lose the spare!!

earl

Everytime I buy and of the listed above, I purchase AT LEAST one, typically two spares. For the extra .14 it costs, its typically worth it.

[Peter Luch]

If not I received the exact same Wen sander Friday. Unpacked it but have not used it yet. Let me know if the nut does not work and Monday I can tell you what it is.

[Jason Roehl]

Every shop should have one of these: http://www.amazon.com/Master-Magnetics-07228-Telescoping-Retrieving/dp/B0000DINDG/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1452883465&sr=8-5&keywords=telescoping+magnet

Before I read the replies to the OP, I had that very item queued up for my response. I carry one in my pocket all the time. I've been through several over the years, but they've saved my bacon more than once.

My other suggestion would have been to buy several nuts each of sizes close to what you think it is, in both metric and standard. Cheap insurance.

[Ronald Blue]

+1 on what Earl said. Especially being so inexpensive. And to what Ken said.....things always end up in the middle of the car on the floor, or some equivalent hard to access location. In my job I have a telescoping magnet that can pick up several pounds that has saved me many times. Hope your back in business now though.

[Todd Willhoit]

I hope you bought two of them...

+1000. Need a "like" button for this.

[Gene Takae]

I hope you bought two of them. I find that when i buy only one (nut, bolt, c-clip, cotter pin, clevis pin, whatever)--history repeats itself. When i buy two, i never need the second one...until 15 minutes after i lose the spare!!

earl


Even if I purchase extras I'll never find it when needed!!!

[Bryan Cramer]

Just a note McMaster Carr would have that size and I bet even in different grades. They have just about everything when it comes to odd fasteners.

[Stan Calow]

For anyone interested in the sander, I have the Triton version of it. It appears to me that it is identical to the one that Harbor Freight sells, sometimes as low as $79-89 on sale.

[Larry Olsen]

Nut should be M10-1.5 regular thread

Larry

[Jay Michaels]

OK - so here's the strange outcome of this saga:

Got home with the left hand thread M8 1.25 nut (and yes, I did purchase two while I was there; if I lost it once...). But the bolt, it turns out, normal right hand thread. It is indeed M8, 1.25 so I was able to replace the missing nut fairly easily at the small-town hardware store in town over the weekend without hassle.

I do find it interesting, however, that different labels of this otherwise-identical machine would have different size bolts in the spindle.

I also bought an M8 1.25 wingnut to use on the top of the spindle when I'm using the larger diameter spindles (larger than the outer-most diameter of the wing nut) just to make switching it out a little easier.