Belt disc sanders

[Jim McLeod]

Hey all. Looking for a belt disc sander for my basement workshop. No room for an edge sander. Thought about used but there is literally zip on CL in my neck of the woods. Read as much on the 2 specific models I'm considering but most of it is really old. Hoping to get some new feedback and or advice. First one I'm looking at is the Rikon 50-120. I like the compactness and price is better than the next. Not thrilled about the wacky dust port sizes. Next would be the Jet JSG-96. Not as compact. I like the dust collection setup. Price is a lot more. Reviews are all over on both. Either one would be mounted to a rolling {maybe flip} cart. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Have a great day

[Bernie Kopfer]

I have used the Jet unit for years without any problems. Tracking can be a little finicky to adjust is my only complaint. Looking at the Amazon reviews it appears Jet quality control is not doing its job. This unit has been around for many years so the design is sound. My customer experience with Rikon has been super positive so I would lean that direction.

[Michael Schuch]

I have used the Jet unit for years without any problems. Tracking can be a little finicky to adjust is my only complaint. Looking at the Amazon reviews it appears Jet quality control is not doing its job. This unit has been around for many years so the design is sound. My customer experience with Rikon has been super positive so I would lean that direction.

I have found that tracking in most affected by the crown of the wheel and the stiffness of the belt. If you are having problems with finicky tracking try wrapping a few layers of electrical tape around the center of the wheel to increase the crown. This has worked for me on my ancient Rockwell belt/disc sander.

[Robert Hayward]

I owned and used a Rikon 50-120 for quite a few years, close to ten. Good little machine but marginally powered. At least mine was marginally powered. Had to replace the belt twice and the on/off switch once. Mine was used with the belt in the horizontal position. Pressing down hard on a piece of wood would cause the belt to go off proper track. Release the pressure and the belt would go back to proper track. While the sanding disc could be replaced with the table on the machine it was much easier to remove the table while making the change. I was able to find a rubber adapter at Woodcraft that fit the dust nozzle on my 50-120 with the opposite end fitting a shop vacuum hose end. If I was going to do a lot of sanding I would use the shop vac coupled to the Rikon and my dust hood with stand from Woodcraft.

[Jim Becker]

None of the combo sanders have very good dust collection and many don't even have standard ports. When I owned a 12"/6x48 combo (I sold it awhile ago to another 'Creeker) I found it worked best with a vac type extractor and I also had to manufacture my own port setup for the disk side of things.

[Paul F Franklin]

I haven't used either of those models, but one thing that is really annoying about the ancient craftsman belt/disc sander I have is that the disk is oriented so it partially blocks access to the belt from the right. So if you're trying to round a corner on a chunk of wood bigger than 6 or 8 inches, it hits the disc housing so you have to flip the work over to finish rounding the corner.

From the pictures of the Jet, it looks like the disc will not block access to the belt. Harder to tell from pictures of the Rikon, so you might want to check that in person.

[Scott T Smith]

I have a Grizzly G1276 1725 rpm belt/disc sander in the wood shop, and their G1183 3450 rpm version in my metal shop. Both have been good sanders, but the belt tracking is a little more finicky on the 1183.

[John K Jordan]

I use a couple of Rikons, the 50-120 for wood and a smaller one for metals. Both have always done what I needed. I had to replace the belt on the larger one after about 4-5 years but it wasn't expensive and Rikon customer service was excellent. I have no problem with the tracking or the power.

[glenn bradley]

When I grow up I want one similar to what Jim recently sold; the Grizzly G1276. They were just over $500 when I started lusting after them. It is one purchase I didn't make way back when that I truly regret.

[Brian Tymchak]

I have a 15+ yr old Jet JSG96. They haven't changed much although I think I paid $350 ish way back when. I generally use the belt much more than the disk. And the unit has been a workhorse. But 2 things annoy me about the belt sander. 1. You have to remove the table completely to change belts. Now I don't know how else the table might be designed to avoid this but it bugs me every time. 2. The screws that hold that table on have the spring loaded knobs where you loosen/tighten part of a turn, pull back to reposition the knob, make another part of a turn, etc. The knob on the left is restricted so that only small movements are possible so it takes forever to fully tighten/loosen that screw. It can be a pain to get the first thread to catch when reinstalling the table after a belt chage. I haven't looked into any alternatives for that though. Too lazy I guess.

[Mike Kees]

When I grow up I want one similar to what Jim recently sold; the Grizzly G1276. They were just over $500 when I started lusting after them. It is one purchase I didn't make way back when that I truly regret.
This . I to looked at them for a long time. Ended up with a general international 6x89 edge sander. Then sold it and bought a 6x108 version. Still wish I had bought that Griz "back in the day".

[Lawrence Duckworth]

I have the Jet JSG-96Sander. The back belt guard cover should be hinged so the top can be used as a radius option.

[Stephen Rosenthal]

I have found that tracking in most affected by the crown of the wheel and the stiffness of the belt. If you are having problems with finicky tracking try wrapping a few layers of electrical tape around the center of the wheel to increase the crown. This has worked for me on my ancient Rockwell belt/disc sander.

Everyone I know who has a disc/belt sander, regardless of make, complains about this issue - including me. Mine is an old craftsman 9”/6x48 unit. I’m going to try Michael’s suggestion. Geometrically it makes sense.

[Rick Potter]

Talk about prices being high...I have a Delta 6" X108 Edge sander on CL right now. Since it is in great shape, I have it listed for $2500 and think it is sky high, But the reason I am asking that is because in the last month two others have been on CL, one for $3100, and one for $2600. Neither was the deluxe version like mine, and the cheap one was used hard.

I am thinning the herd again, and selling off larger equipment I don't use much. Guy is coming to get my Laguna Slot Mortiser tomorrow.

[Bernie Kopfer]

I have a 15+ yr old Jet JSG96. They haven't changed much although I think I paid $350 ish way back when. I generally use the belt much more than the disk. And the unit has been a workhorse. But 2 things annoy me about the belt sander. 1. You have to remove the table completely to change belts. Now I don't know how else the table might be designed to avoid this but it bugs me every time. 2. The screws that hold that table on have the spring loaded knobs where you loosen/tighten part of a turn, pull back to reposition the knob, make another part of a turn, etc. The knob on the left is restricted so that only small movements are possible so it takes forever to fully tighten/loosen that screw. It can be a pain to get the first thread to catch when reinstalling the table after a belt chage. I haven't looked into any alternatives for that though. Too lazy I guess.

Your experience mirrors mine exactly. Amazing to me that the same machine now costs over 900$. And if Jet has not improved the belt changing procedure I would look at another machine.

[Ole Anderson]

Have a Craftsman 6x48/9" combo. Quickly ditched the disc portion and used the belt portion for light production work on aluminum after adding a 1 hp TEFC motor. Still in use after 30 years. Had to replace the moveable belt wheel as it wobbled itself right out of the bearings. Added a fence angled to the belt as a pseudo edge sanding attachment.

[Jim McLeod]

Thanks to all for sharing your experiences and advice. Wish I could say it steered me in one direction but it did not. I was kinda hoping there would be more positives on the Jet because I like the fact that it has a 4" port with a blast gate that steers the suction to the belt or disc. Belt change looked the easiest to. Have to agree with the fact that reviews were not that good on Amazon and maybe the quality has slipped. Like the profile of the Rikon for less space but the dc ports are so small. Maybe I could make some mods to that. Did look at the grizzly G1014Z but was not thrilled with 2 different sized ports. Anyhoo, I really do appreciate all the replies. I guess the search, and research continues. Thanks again and you all have a great day

[Darrell Bade]

I bought a Shop Fox W1712 this fall. My supplier hadn't instituted the price increase yet so it was a good price at 725. It does have a couple off size ports but I came off the DC pipe at 4" to a 4x2 1/2x2 1/2 Y. Did need one or two of those rubber pipe connectors to get to the goofy sizes on the machine. It does a good job at dust collection. I'm happy with it other than you do need to take the tables off to change the paper, but I never change it unless I wear it out.

[John K Jordan]

Jim,

I didn't get to real all the posts but I saw one about changing the belt on the Jet and the tracking.

I don't have experience with the Jet but it's easy to change the belt on my Rikon 6x48 belt / 10" disk sander. If the belt is positioned horizontally loosen the clamp with a 6mm hex key and tilt it up a little. Then I just have to remove the rest/table (two knurled thumb screws and two plastic knobs) and release the quick tensioning lever on the front (the side with the disk). The belt slides out the front. Changing belts takes less than a minute.

Also, I have zero problem with the sanding belt tracking. If it drifts a bit to one side I give the adjustment knob a slight turn and it centers and stays there during use. To remember which way to turn the adjustment knob without experimenting, I wrote the direction on the belt table with a sharpie.

I use the belt quite a bit (in the horizontal mode only) but use the disk sander more.

I have the dust port connected to my 5hp ClearVue cyclone. I think it does a fairly good job collecting dust, at least after a small modification: I used a piece of aluminum tape to cover the gap behind the belt table. I've considered cutting a second port underneath some day.

JKJ

[Jim McLeod]

Thanks again for all the replies. Really appreciate them. The Rikon seems to be leading the pack but still searching. Was wondering if anyone had any dealings with Bucktool? They have a 6x48 that looks interesting. Bucktool BD61000. Reviews aren't to bad but not many. Just curious. Have a great day