Floor model Oscillating Spindle Sander

[Eric Arnsdorff]

Any of you with a higher end spindle sander… I’m interested in your opinions on it.

I have the opportunity to buy a barely used Jet JOSS-S at a decent cost. I would like to upgrade my Ridgid spindle sander. But I can’t decide if there’s that much benefit in the higher end unit.

Any thoughts on it would be helpful.

[Robert Hayward]

I had the Jet bench top model a few years ago. It was a nice running machine but had a limited number of spindles. The spindles with a rubber cylinder were all out of round making it very difficult to sand to a line.

Take a look at a new Grizzly G1071. Comes with ten different sizes of spindles. Might be in the same price range as the Jet you are looking at.

[Edward Weber]

I have the Jet bench top version. The machine works fine, heavy smooth and pretty quiet, but I do wish it had more spindles.
I haven't had the same experience a Robert, but it does happen with rubber drums from time to time.
I also bought the optional 3" drum for mine, making it mush more useful.
Good machine, depending on price, of course.

[Cary Falk]

I had the ridgid benchtop and hated it. I have had the Grizzly floor model for some time. After shimming the table to get it flat, I am very happy with it. I wanted taller spindles.

[roger wiegand]

I have a State T5 sander, which is awesome, but gigantic and pretty much way overkill for my shop. It was much cheaper than a grizzley, which was a big part of the attraction. A B4 would be adequate for almost any shop short of a full blown pattern shop. The big tabletop is really nice to have thought when sanding guitar bodies and such. If you go that direction look for one with a full set of spindles, they are hard to come by otherwise.

[Eric Arnsdorff]

Thanks for the feedback.
It sounds like going with the floor model would be a good move. Based on your feedback I just went ahead with the purchase. I’ll pick it up tomorrow afternoon.

It does operate extremely smoothly and there was mention here of the larger table which also appears very nice.

On top of that - he had never even turned it on. It is literally brand new. I still paid a lot for it ($1625) but still quite a savings over the new price with tax and shipping. Grizzly does have one the same size which is less but there appears to be a lot that makes this model worth it over the cheaper Grizzly. It looks like Grizzly also has one and the same price range as the Jet. So I’m happy with the deal even if it is still a lot for a hobbyist shop.

[John Ziebron]

I had the Jet benchtop model for years and then upgraded to their floor model that I picked up on Craigslist a few years ago. It was definitely worth going to the floor model with the larger table and especially the larger spindles up to 4 inch.

[Rick Potter]

I have a Jet floor model. Bought it used 10 years ago for $500. It works great, but it was handled roughly, and the tapered spindles are scored and difficult to remove after using. I have yet to make a hood under the table to assist with dust collection.

[Eric Arnsdorff]

The confirmation is reassuring!

@Rick - looking at it makes me think it is fairly well sealed for dust collection. What are you thinking is needed?

[jim gossage]

I have the grizzly floor model and have been very pleased. I retrofitted it to improve dust collection and now there is absolutely no dust at all. PM me if you're interested in some pics - very easy and costs nothing.

[Rick Potter]

Maybe the newer ones are sealed up better, but the front area below the table is wide open on mine. There is a 4" dust port on the back, and the sides are ok also. They left the front open so the table can tilt. I had a wooden piece taped on for a while, and it worked much cleaner.

No big deal, I just haven't gotten to making one with magnets or whatever to fill the gap, yet be easy to remove to change spindles.

Jim...love to see pics of what you have done. That Griz is probably much like the Jet.

One thing not mentioned about the floor models is that the tall spindle allows the sanding drums to be flipped, and still work on thick pieces. I have also thought of cutting off both worn ends, and using the unworn center over for two more rounds, when just sanding 1" stuff. Can't remember if the stroke is 1" or 1 1/4" on mine. The spindles are 8 or 9" long.

It's also nice to use occasionally like a drum sander if I need to thickness sand small but long work. Just set up a quick fence and feed it against the rotation of the drum. Works great.

[jim gossage]

Jim...love to see pics of what you have done. That Griz is probably much like the Jet.

Works great.

Here are a few pics of a rear and front shroud that I fashioned from one of those plastic cartons that mini cream puffs come in (Sams, Costco, some grocery chains). Very easy to do with a little measuring and a pair of scissors or razor knife. I needed to screw the rear shroud on but the front shroud pops on and off over two bolts (see short video link below). Although the underside is not hermetically sealed, there is never dust on the table after sanding. I have done a similar thing on the underside of my minimax bandsaw with excellent results.


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https://www.youtube.com/shorts/YVwdy8i5p0c

[Alan Lightstone]

I have the Jet, and agree with all of the above. Needs more spindles, and dust collection is terrible. I need to try what Jim did to improve that. But does work very well.

Also, the top rusts like crazy, so be preventive about that. It rusts more than anything in my workshop. By a lot.

[John Kananis]

I have a scrollsaw that's like that. I've owned it close to 20 years and if I don't look at it for a week, it turns orange. Nothing else in my temperature controlled shop rusts, really nothing.


I have the Jet, and agree with all of the above. Needs more spindles, and dust collection is terrible. I need to try what Jim did to improve that. But does work very well.

Also, the top rusts like crazy, so be preventive about that. It rusts more than anything in my workshop. By a lot.

[Eric Arnsdorff]

Thanks Jim for showing that!

Although I'm still not sure if the model I have needs that. But certainly, as I begin to use it and if I find that I do then I will be making a similar housing. I'm guessing that could be 3D printed but cream puffs sound like a bonus treat.

@Alan - do you have the benchtop model or the floor model (Jet JOSS-S)? First run on mine the dust collection seemed to do fine but it was just a quick test and I certainly can't really comment on the dust collection yet. Also, the model I have has more spindles than I think I will ever use (which is nice to have too many rather than too few).

The pics below are from the Jet website but show the same model I have well and looks just like shown. Note that it has accordion style covers that are attached with hook and loop covering the front and rear making spindle collet access relatively easy while maintaining air flow from the sanding area. Also, you can see the array of spindles included which range from 1/4" up to 4" (10 total).

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@Rick - I thought the ability to turn over the spindle appeared to be a nice feature. I need to find some of the replacement sandpaper to keep but certainly it appears I can get the most out of a drum.

[John Ziebron]

Eric, looks like they made some improvements from the older model I have, like improved dust collection. I also like that the spindles are stored inside the cabinet. Mine are stored on horizontal racks on each side of the cabinet with them sitting vertical. I occasionally use Johnson's paste wax on the top like my other machines and I also purchased a magnetic cover that I cut to fit, including cutting the center hole so you can leave a spindle in it. I also wax the tapered end of the spindles as well as the female mate in the machine as I used to have some minor surface issues before. I think you made a good purchase and you'll enjoy using it. Like with a ROS do not put much pressure on the spindle; let the sandpaper do the work. I have both fine and coarse grits that I purchase from Klingspor. I you need to remove a lot of material like from a bandsawn edge it's worth the extra couple of minutes to put on a coarse sleeve.

[Eric Arnsdorff]

Thanks John! I just received a large roll of paper for my 22/44 drum sander from them and I'll look there to get some sleeves. Last night I waxed the taper on mine as well. I'm glad to hear that may be useful.

@Jim - I noticed you said you did the same on your bandsaw. I have the 24" Centauro (branded as a MiniMax S600P MM24). It definitely could use the area under the throat plate to be enclosed better. I may go cream puff shopping later!

[Alan Lightstone]

Thanks Jim for showing that!

Although I'm still not sure if the model I have needs that. But certainly, as I begin to use it and if I find that I do then I will be making a similar housing. I'm guessing that could be 3D printed but cream puffs sound like a bonus treat.

@Alan - do you have the benchtop model or the floor model (Jet JOSS-S)? First run on mine the dust collection seemed to do fine but it was just a quick test and I certainly can't really comment on the dust collection yet. Also, the model I have has more spindles than I think I will ever use (which is nice to have too many rather than too few).

The pics below are from the Jet website but show the same model I have well and looks just like shown. Note that it has accordion style covers that are attached with hook and loop covering the front and rear making spindle collet access relatively easy while maintaining air flow from the sanding area. Also, you can see the array of spindles included which range from 1/4" up to 4" (10 total).

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@Rick - I thought the ability to turn over the spindle appeared to be a nice feature. I need to find some of the replacement sandpaper to keep but certainly it appears I can get the most out of a drum.
I have the benchtop model, which I built a base cabinet for. Sorry, I didn't pay attention to the model number you were asking about.

I did buy a number of additional spindles, so not a huge problem, though I truly hate the effort required to change them.

[Alex Zeller]

I also use Klingspor for my spindle tubes. The Grizzly ones fit tight but the Klingspor ones slide right on yet once tightened they don't slip. The could use the grit size on the inside as the medium and fine look very similar. As long as you have room you will love having a floor model over a smaller benchtop version.

[Rick Potter]

Mine is also the older model type John described. I like the way your spindles are stored horizontally inside. I have always wanted to find a better way for mine, as they wiggle around whenever I move it around, and I worry they may fall out of the rack.

Thanks for the pics Jim, mine is similar and all ideas are on the table.

[jim gossage]

@Jim - I noticed you said you did the same on your bandsaw. I have the 24" Centauro (branded as a MiniMax S600P MM24). It definitely could use the area under the throat plate to be enclosed better. I may go cream puff shopping later!

For those interested (sorry, not trying to hijack), here are some pics from my retrofitted upper dust shroud for my 16" minimax. It came with a single dust port on the lower wheel chamber but nothing where the lower blade guide system was, and so dust collection was mediocre. I removed the lower blade guard, tapped a few holes into it and added two custom-cut cream puff carton (apparently I used to eat a lot of cream puffs) shrouds along with a dust port (similar to the Rockler Dust right 4" quick change combo port). The whole assembly just mounts back on the lower wheel guard bold and when you slide it up, it gives near perfect dust collection.


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[Eric Arnsdorff]

Thanks Jim!!! This is perfect - easy and cheap! This is identical to the construction on my bandsaw. As built my bandsaw rains dust on me and everywhere.

While this has deviated a little from the original topic - I’m very happy to learn this!
I had plans to draw and 3D print something but I’m not sure when I’ll get around to it for my bandsaw. Currently I have an additional hose wire tied in this area which does ok but needs improvements. Just the hose there makes a noticeable difference. I also sealed all the unsealed openings with weatherstripping which has also helped tons.

I looked it up and my Aldi’s near me has plastic containers of cream puffs! I’m gonna pick some up today and construct this to hopefully make my band saw as dust free as possible.

[jim gossage]

I looked it up and my Aldi’s near me has plastic containers of cream puffs! I’m gonna pick some up today and construct this to hopefully make my band saw as dust free as possible.

The hardest part of the project, as I recall, was eating all the cream puffs.:D