Stationary Sander advice

[Brian Kent]

I am an amateur woodworking, expecting to keep the hobby for the next 40 years.

My little Ryobi belt / disk sander is dying. I need to know what to buy next. I use a stationary sander for cleaning up surfaces and edges. My other main tools are a Grizzley 1023 cabinet saw, and an array of chisels, planes, and other handtools. I have a bosch random orbit sander and a hand-held belt sander.

My current woodworking is small boxes - about 20 this year - and furniture - 5 pieces this year.

Should I just replace the belt / disk sander with a little better one, like a Delta 31-695 or a Grizzley 1014?

Or should I go another direction for stationary sanding? I would really appreciate your advice. My budget is up to $400 ($500 with tax, shipping, and sanding belts or whatever.)

Thank you in advance

[Matt Newton]

Brian, I too was in the same dilema you are currently. I read several posts here and decided to go with the Rigid occilating spindle sander. It not only does spindles, but it converts to an occilating belt sander in about 1 min. In the latest issue of Fine Woodworking, they rated OSS and the Rigid model came in first. Boy did that make me feel good. Hope this helps. Just my $.02.

Matt Newton

[Terry Hatfield]

Brian,

It would surely stretch your budget but I would suggest an edge sander if there is any way you can swing it. I have the Grizzly G0512 ($675) and I absolutely love it!!!!!!


50302


I use it all the time. Super handy machine. They do make a bench top version that has a different table, the G0531 that's $475.

50303

You might check them out. I use it on virtually every single project adn would hate to be without one now that I'm used to it.

Terry

[John Bush]

Hi Terry,
I have the floor version with the smaller table, the G1140, and think your style would be a little better. What is the diameter of the outboard spindle? Mine is 2"++ and is limited to large area spindle sanding. Also, the table is short enough that longer pieces are a little more difficult to manipulate. The 1140 works well, but the 0512 has some additional features that make it a better choice . JCB.

[Terry Hatfield]

Hi Terry,
I have the floor version with the smaller table, the G1140, and think your style would be a little better. What is the diameter of the outboard spindle? Mine is 2"++ and is limited to large area spindle sanding. Also, the table is short enough that longer pieces are a little more difficult to manipulate. The 1140 works well, but the 0512 has some additional features that make it a better choice . JCB.

John,

Not sure what size your end spindle is but the 0512 has 2 1/8". The Griz site says the one on the 0512 is smaller than the others but I don't know how much smaller. The big table is really nice. It was the main reason I chose the 0512. I would buy it again in a heartbeat!!!

t

[lou sansone]

although this is out of your price range for a new machine, the top of the line delta is a fantastic machine. I have used the cheepy versions and have nothing good to say about them. you can sometimes find these units used for a good value. I think that these run ~ 1350 new

lou

[Perry Holbrook]

Most people that have discovered edge sanders and put them in their shop will tell you it's one of the best decisions they have made. Mine is by far the most used tool in the shop.

Perry

[Doug Shepard]

I'd recommend searching for a used Delta 31-280K (12"/6x48") or equivalent. I think the bigger disk would be a lot more useful to you over time. I got lucky and found a good deal on a used one several years ago. I use the disc portion quite a lot. The belt portion isn't quite as generally useful for furniture stuff - for that I'd go with an edge sander if I had the room or money. But for small box making, the belt section is very handy. Get the biggest disk you can afford. The 9" effectively limits you to only doing 4.5" wide pieces. My $0.02.

[Doug Shepard]

Maybe this is fate? Right after posting I saw this thread pop up
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=46029
If you're near PA, this might be worth looking into.

[John Huber]

Here's another vote for the Rigid oscillating belt/spindle sander. I've used mine extensively in both modes for over a year. Works fine. The horizontal orientation of the belt makes it easy to fine-tune edges as long as 30" perfectly straight and smooth.

[Jim W. White]

I've been thinking about this one from Rikon. Does anyone have any first hand experience on this machine?

http://www.rikontools.com/Products/Sanders/50-120.html

Thanks,

Jim in Idaho

[Jim Becker]

While I like my Grizzly G1276 combo sander (6"x48" belt plus 12" disk) I should have bought an edge sander instead. To date, I've never used the disk and an edge sander would be more useful for the kind of work I generally do with the sander. This is an example of not fully thinking through a tool purchase. Good product, but not the best for the situation.

[Travis Porter]

I am with Jim's opinion on this. I have a Jet combo same size as Jim's and rarely use the disk. maybe I don't know how or what to use the disk for, but I use the belt a lot and would love to have an oscillating edge sander in its place.

[Wes Bischel]

Now that I think of it, I use the belt on my combo 99% of the time. I would agree, the edge sander would be more appropriate for most of my work as well. Hmmm maybe . . . maybe next year?!

Wes

[Doug Shepard]

That's interesting. I find it just the opposite. I use the disk about 90% of the time and the belt 10%. The low belt use is primarily due to it just not being long enough for a lot of things. But I use the disk for stuff like:
Touching up miters
Outside curves (it's a lot quicker than using my spindle sander)
Sanding pieces to an exact length that were cut purposely a bit long with a rough method (jig saw, hand saw, etc)
Making small circles (too small to be done with my router circle jig)
The list goes on.

[Brian Kent]

I just got back from Rockler, where I perused a dozen books and magazines. I was surprised that in many woodwoking books there is not even a mention of a belt / disc combination sander. I talked to one of the old guys there and he said that they do sell the Delta 61-395 sander, but that I might consider a Performax 10 / 20 drum sander.

That sounded interesting. But then I remembered that I like to use the belt sander because I can run through the grits and get a lot of sanding done fast.

The edge sander also looks real interesting. Luckily it's just out of my range so I have to wait a month. That gives me time to think. (Also gives my Ryobi time to fail completely with Christmas presents not yet finished.) But the edge sander shares the problm of not being able to quickley change sanding grits.

Thank you for all the help an new information.

[Jim Becker]

Brian, with a combo sander, you will likely not be changing grits often on the disk...generally speaking, these tools use PSA abrasives and it's hard to keep them resusable when you peel them off. Changing the belt on the, um...belt portion...is a bit easier. But even then, these are shaping tools so leaving 80 or 100 grit on the machine all the time is quite common. I actually don't change grits on my drum sander other than occasionally using 36 grit if I'm working a big slab from rouge. Outside of that, 80 grit lives on the machine. My OSS only has 100 grit sleeves. If I were to get an edge sander, the same would apply there, too. 100 grit all the time. Now, for finish sanding with the ROS, I have the complete assortment of grits from 80 on up and change as I move from start to finish, as it were... ;)