Should I buy this 20" disc sander?

[dustin wassner]

I have been looking for one of these for several months. I made an mdf one that goes on my lathe but it is a little scary to use... I would use it almost entirely for segment rings

They want $500. It is about a 3hr drive away.

Conquest is the brand. 2hp 3ph motor

My main concern is the condition of the face and table. He says the face is flat and the table pitting is not bad. I think it is hard to tell from the pics.

The height adjustment crank is missing. Looks like the same setup as most drill press tables.

Thoughts?

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[Bill Dufour]

I do not think the height is adjusted much except to change sandpaper. You will never find the wormgear maybe replace it with a power actuator. Pitting does not matter since this is not a precision surface. If it bothers you fill the surface with jb weld and sand it smooth under power.
Bill

[andy bessette]

Definitely bottom feeding.

[dustin wassner]

I don't mind passing, but I also don't see spending 1500 on a disc sander any time in the future either, so it is either something along the lines of this or just make due with a 20" mdf disc mounted to a faceplate.

The pitting doesn't bother me, but it is hard to tell how the face of the disc is with all the glue on it.

[Frederick Skelly]

You should be able to clean the glue off that face. It shouldnt be pitted because the paper is mounted there and should protect it from rust. Do you know how they change the paper if the height adjust is broken? Suggest you ask before driving 3 hrs, in case its too rube goldberg for your tastes.

Another idea. Make a small banjo mounted table for your lathe-based sander and maybe it would be easier to use.

Good luck,
Fred

[Harold Balzonia]

Before taking a three hour drive, see if the seller will shoot a couple short videos for you on his phone and text them over to you.... i would want to see how true the wheel runs and listen to the thing run for a few seconds, at least... my $0.02

[Joe Jensen]

Conquest is a good brand and usually a lot more money. Check ebay for sold ones to gauge price

[Bill Dufour]

i am not sure if the missing gearbox is elevation or tilt. I would shy away if it is tilt. If tilt moves you have a problem if elevation moves a little it will not cause problems. Elevation could be held up with a car jack and a 4x4. Tilt who knows how it might be locked down?
Bill

[Bill Adamsen]

20" is a very usable size. Check whether without the height crank it is possible to replace the discs. I use pressure sensitive (PSA) discs and getting them on and off is not trivial. Lowering the table to have total access to the disc is critical. Getting that gear might be costly, difficult or even impossible. Otherwise it is very well priced. Pitting on the table is not an issue ... or at least it would not be for me. If you plan to power via a vfd you can get variable speed which would be a nice feature.

[Joe Jensen]

I'm pretty sure Conquest still makes disk sanders, it's likely they would have parts.

[Bill Bukovec]

Do you have 3 phase power in your shop?

[glenn bradley]

Just food for thought . . . I prefer to change the paper without moving the table. Fold the backing back not quite half way.

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Slide the half with the backing on between the table and the face plate, align the sticky half and press on lightly.

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Rotate the disc and peel the remaining backing.

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All done. I run a gum stick across it to assure a good seating.

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[Matt Day]

Do you have 3 phase power in your shop?

All he needs is 220v and a phase converter (vfd).

[Bill Dufour]

A vfd will allow variable speed within reason, if desired.
Bill

[dustin wassner]

I have an RPC and a VFD for 2hp but I doubt the motor's insulation class could hold up to reduced hz, although the braking would be really nice. I would initially use the RPC.

The broken crank is definitely the height adjustment. The lock is what stops the table from sliding down. Conquest still makes the model sander, so I would imagine the part is still available. This is really not a big concern to me, nor is the table pitting.

Damaged to the face does concern me. This was used with metalworking, as many of these sanders are, and I believe most all of these sanders have aluminum faces.

If I am able to use body filler on the face in any scores, damaged areas, etc and bring the face to an adequate surface that has no runout, and if the filler would not peel away when removing the adhesive, the I would feel a lot better about it.