Hand-held corded belt sander recommendations?

[Kent A Bathurst]

I have one. A massive VS Porter-Cable from back when that was a badge of honor.

A friend is going to need one [he hasn't figured it out yet, but he'll get there] I have no idea what's good in the modern world. Will be used on a bench, not on dealing with stuck swollen doors in the summer.

Something you've had hands-on, please, and would gladly spend you own money on.

Gratzi

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Mine is from the era you mentioned minus it's belt cover but still functions admirably. Nice to see you posting my friend.

[Phillip Mitchell]

Makita 9903 - 3” x 21” belt - gets my vote. I have one and spent my own money on it and haven’t tossed it out yet ;)

[Michael Burnside]

I have a Makita 9404 and like it a lot, but it isn't cheap. I personally think variable speed is a must in a belt sander, so I would make sure that whatever you buy has that feature. Barring that one feature, if budget is a concern or it will be light use, they're all about the same.

[Warren Lake]

3 x 21 Rockwell with lots of hard use on it only the switch replaced. IM used to that so id buy the same in Porter cable, not as good but would close with whatever lesser stuff was used in it. The rockwell is impressive considering what it did and also that it was used when I bought it.

[Kent A Bathurst]

Nice to see you posting my friend.

And glad to hear from you as well, sir.

[Kent A Bathurst]

......it isn't cheap..variable speed is a must...,

A] Not spending my money - spending his, so I'm fine with that :)
B] agree 100% on VS

Thanks

[Tom M King]

I have one of those PC 4x24 beasts from the '70's that still works because I never use it much. For a 3x21 I have a nearly as old Bosch that's much smaller and easier to handle. I don't have any complaints about it, and I probably have it because it was the best deal, or available easily when I needed it. I expect any of the major brands should be fine.

[Kent A Bathurst]

Makita 9903 - 3” x 21” belt - gets my vote. I have one and spent my own money on it and haven’t tossed it out yet ;)

Thanks, Phillip

Looks about right. I'm comfortable with Makita brand. 3 x 21 is good size; don't think he needs a 4 x 24. Var speed and 10# is good. For bench-top work, I think heavier is better - hook the handle with one finger and hold on as you move it around; let the belt and the weight do the work.

These guys' marketing people crack me up - always mention the mickey-mouse dust collection bag as a positive/benefit. Step #1 - Open the box; #2 - throw the bag away; #3 - connect vac hose; #4 Rock'n'roll

[Warren Lake]

I like vari speed on grinders and would not buy another without it. Never tried it on a belt sander I just move faster or use less pressure but its a good thing to be aware of. As far as I know ive never needed it. Can you work it with your thumb as you hold the unit or somewhere else and you set it. How much variation in speed from low to high? have you entered any belt sander races?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0V7z8kH2wDE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pr_G7dN0w_M (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0V7z8kH2wDE)

[Maurice Mcmurry]

My current one is a 3x21 Porter Cable. It has been excellent. It is on its 2nd platten and has a parasite looking light switch stuck to the outside while I track down a proper replacement switch. I will go with a Makita when I replace it and stick with 3x21. I used 4x24 a lot in the past, the great big Rockwell's that look like a locomotive and a red plastic Milwaukee. Both were good and heavy, too heavy. A design that sits upside down is handy. I have a freebie, usually with a 120 grit belt, secured upside down. it is very handy for small work.
The front handle on the Porter Cable gets in the way of using the front roller as a spindle sander. I remove it when needed.

501435 The earth shoe bag works well. The light switch has to go, although I am all ready for belt sander races. I do not use the Porter Cable for woodworking much these days but it is handy for making things fit during installs.

[Kent A Bathurst]

The great big Rockwell's that look like a locomotive.......

I always wondered what it would be like to drive that sucker.




A design that sits upside down is handy

Good grooming tip - thanks.

[Kent A Bathurst]

have you entered any belt sander races?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0V7z8kH2wDE

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0V7z8kH2wDE)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pr_G7dN0w_M



There are no unworthy activities when the correct brand of canned beer is involved.

[Bill Dufour]

For bench use a seperate speed control box is cheap enough. I did not see much point of VS on my little ROS.
Watch the amps this horrible fright one is only 8 amps. Probably cheap enough to replace then scr with a bigger one.
BilL D.
edit: Amazon and the bay have 15 amp models.
https://www.harborfreight.com/router-variable-speed-control-dial-59386.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=12126402660&campaignid=12126402660&utm_content=141957249534&adsetid=141957249534&product=59386&store=3163&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIuMvvw4n9_gIVXR-tBh2JkAQHEAQYASABEgIT7vD_BwE

[Rob Sack]

Although I rarely use a belt sander these days the best balanced sanders I have are the 3 x 21 Swiss made Bosch and the 4 x 24 Hitachi. I have had both for many years. I also have the Porter Cable 3 x 21 and 4 x 24 belt sanders and both are excellent tools. But the Bosch and Hitachi previously mentioned are the ones I grab first.

[Tom M King]

I haven't even looked at the others, but my old Bosch is very low profile and easy to handle. I also have a little one handed Porter-Cable one that I use for trimming horse hooves.

[Frank Pratt]

I've had a Makita 3" or 4" x 24" sander for close to 40 years. It's taken everything me and my 'enthusiastic' neighbor have thrown at it and still works like new. All I've had to do to it is replace the cork pad.

[Warren Lake]

sounds like most of them work well. Ive had mine so hot a number of times I cooked hot dogs on it. I got a deal on a ton of them left over from saw stop demonstrations.

[Cameron Wood]

I have several Porter Cable 3x21 ones- they're OK, & keep showing up for cheap or free,

so not worth upgrading to Makita, which I favor.

Set up with 40, 80, & 100 grit belts, & long cords which stay plugged in so always ready to pick up and use.

[chuck van dyck]

Not a belt sander but I really like my 6” bosch with dual mode. In beast aka turbo mode it melts wood.

[Dave Zellers]

have you entered any belt sander races?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0V7z8kH2wDE

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0V7z8kH2wDE)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pr_G7dN0w_M


Well that was disappointing. My first boss when I started learning carpentry over 50 years ago, told stories of belt sander races where they would sit on them and pull the switch. I was expecting to see that. :(:D

The 70's were different.

[Warren Lake]

Dave were you working with Lilliputians?

The belt sander was my stroke sander till I built one. Then bought a real one, later replaced that with a better one.

Cant always take the work to the sander so always need to have the belt for the stuff it excels at. They can do good work. You can sand your rails on a door then turn and sand the styles and then that cleans up well with a random. If you are accurate with the belt sander it leaves clean results with very little cross grain to almost non.

[Mike Wilkins]

Festool has a belt sander available, but for the Euro market. Somebody contact Festool USA and see if it can be offered stateside.

[Cameron Wood]

I remember ride-on belt sander races in the '70s.

There was also a local motorized bar stool race.

[Christopher Charles]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=F9hCPe4KNtg&pp=ygUSUmlkaW5nIGJlbHQgc2FuZGVy

[Rich Engelhardt]

Back in the 80, the rep from Makita that came to Builder's Square, used to sit on a belt sander and zoom across the store. It was pretty cool. That sucker would really move!


I picked up a Black and Decker 3X21 "Dragster" to sand down a deck because the low profile snout could get under the lower part of the railing. I ended up using/abusing that thing a lot longer than it should have lived. It's still going strong. I didn't expect that.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

The Black and Decker 88 was the 2nd power tool I bought myself. That was 1983. It was a workhorse and where I learned the turn it upside down trick. I had to have a repair shop find a switch for it. When the part came in it was in a Ryobi bag which I had never heard of. I told the tool shop guy he had made a mistake. I was wrong. I cut the front of the 88 off so I could carve with the front roller. I snagged the cord with my feet and pulled it off of the bench so many times that it eventually became a blob of epoxy, same as the red plastic Milwaukee. Both ended life working fine mechanically but unable to survive being drug off of the bench by tripping on the cord. My 1st power tool purchase in 1981, A Skilsaw. It is still in use almost every day.

501495 B&D 88 501496 Ryobi 7075 501497 4 x 24 Milwaukee

[Ole Anderson]

I have a PC 3x21 and love it. Had a PC 4x24, it was too heavy and frankly was outperformed by its little brother. Both used in production work finishing spinning 6' long aluminum 1.5" and 2" diameter tubing.

[Tom M King]

Not a belt sander but I really like my 6” bosch with dual mode. In beast aka turbo mode it melts wood.

One of those ended my belt sander use. I call it Beast Mode too.

[Jim Becker]

I have a Bosch 3x21. I've not used it for many years, but I keep it because it works and there might be "that situation" where it's the right tool for the job.

[Jim Dwight]

I have a Ryobi 3x21 which works fine but doesn't get used. It is shaped like a Bosch that has the motor between the drums the belt rotates over. My Bosch random orbit sander has the turbo mode mentioned by others. In that mode it removes wood about as fast as my belt sander and it can be near instantly flipped to random orbit mode to help remove the scratches left by the more aggressive mode. In random orbit mode it has a 5mm orbit so it still removes wood significantly faster than more typical random orbit sanders. It's only drawback is it is challenging and tiring to use one handed. But it is still the sander I use for anything very serious. I like my little Wen spindle sander which also has a belt sander capability but for hand held work, I think the more agressive random orbit sanders are the way to go.

[Dave Zellers]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=F9hCPe4KNtg&pp=ygUSUmlkaW5nIGJlbHQgc2FuZGVy

Yeah! That's the ticket!

[Jonathan Jung]

The Makita 9404 is widely regarded, from NZ and Oz to the US, as one of the best made. I have an older one and it is great. I also have a Porter Cable 371 for one-handed use.

[Alex Zeller]

I had a Craftsman 3x21 that lasted me decades but finally gave up. In the past I used it quite a bit but not much now. I did have one large project so I got a Harbor Freight Bauer 4x24. It's a little big but has plenty of power. It was a big enough job where if I let the smoke out of it I could return it. But it easily handled course belts (Can't remember if it was 36 or 40 grit). I've used it a few more times to shape curved top chests. I'm not a huge fan of HF but I have gotten a few electric tools that are still working. If on a budget I would buy one of top HF brands. I don't think I would buy the Central Electric or Warrior versions but I have enough confidence to try the Bauer 3x21 belt sander.

[Mel Fulks]

3x21 belt sander is sometimes the only way to go , but they can “rock “ …in a bad way. 4 x 24 for wide ,flat like big cruise ship
stability…unless you want to belt-sand in , almost realistic ham -handed fake ,belt sanded “realistic” hand planing .

[Greg Quenneville]

I grew up on Craftsman belt sanders and the 1970’s equivalents. I now have a Festool BS 75 with the optional sanding frame which I find to be fantastic and reliable enough to sand 26 shop-made six panel doors without divots or high spots as (not) revealed using gloss paint. Obviously I used finishing orbital sanders for the actual finishing grits.

The Festool BS series sanders may not be available in 120v, and may have to be imported in their native 240v configuration. If I ever moved back to North America my BS 75 would be making the trip.

[Thomas McCurnin]

The Skil 7313 is a nice homeowner choice. It was designed to be able to work upside down on a bench or in a vise, and if you're lucky, you can get one with a sanding frame/sled. They are usually under $30 on eBay or Craigslist.

[Dave Sabo]

Festool has a belt sander available, but for the Euro market. Somebody contact Festool USA and see if it can be offered stateside.



:rolleyes:

good luck luck with that !



I'm in the camp with c.v.d ........................... get this instead:

https://www.boschtools.com/us/en/boschtools-ocs/sanders-get75-6n-200696-p/