Belt Sander Recommendation.

[Simon Dupay]

I need a good, solid belt sander what do you guys recommend?

[Brian Kent]

Hand-held or stationary?

[Simon Dupay]

hand-held belt sander

[Roger Lewis]

I am very happy with my hand held Porter Cable 4x24 belt sander. Mine is variable speed, but 99% of the time it is run at full speed, so that feature is ok, but is not a deal breaker. The dust bag works well. The belt adjustment is easy to use and stays on track well. I often flip it over, or on its side, clamp it down and use it more like a stationary sander. It is on the heavy side, it has a solid metal casing and it is large, 4" x 24". The weight is nice when sanding a large surface. It is not so great when having to hold it vertically, or on smaller pieces. Overall I am very happy with the sander. my .02

-Roger

[Cary Falk]

I have a Makita 3x18 and a 4x24 and love both of them

[Jerry McFalls]

I have a 4x21 DW433 seen here http://www.dewalt.com/us/products/tool_detail.asp?productID=6362 and like it just fine. The kit includes a stand I find comes in handy on occasion. :)

[jack duren]

Used them all over the years. Prefer the BOSCH 4x24. PC would be equal if the bag was on the correct side...

[Jim Becker]

I have a Bosch 3"x21" and find it to be a very good tool. That said, I rarely use a belt sander. This one has been used three times and two of them had it upside-down in the bench vice...

[Mark Singer]

The bosch is really good 3x21

[Frank Drew]

I've had a big (4x24) sander but would only now get any kind of hand held belt sander if it had a sanding frame; it presents the abrasive belt to the work absolutely evenly and allows the tool to act as almost a finishing sander, with the chance of a dig-in virtually eliminated. Once the initial set up is done, the sanding frame can be put on or taken off in maybe five seconds, with no loss of adjustment. My most recent one was a 3x21 (or 24?) AEG, I think.

[Matt Ocel]

Bosch 4 x 24.

Good power.

Couldn't live without it on the jobsite or in the shop.
I use it for everthing from counter tops to sharpening my pencils and chisels.

If I was more agile, maybe even a pedicure.:D

[Matt Hutchinson]

I have used a couple different sanders, and they all seem to do well. I mainly just wanted to add this: it's all in how you use it. No, not all belt sanders are created equal, but here's some food for thought. I have been using an old, early 80's craftsman 3x21 belt sander. It has terrible balance, awful belt tracking, and runs like a jalopy. Yet, I am still able to get large panels very even and smooth with no dig-ins. This is not me trying to boast about sanding skills, I just want to illustrate that at a certain point it comes down to user experience. The first couple things I did with this sander got chewed up, but I soon learned how to get a good finish. So basically, get a DeWalt, Makita, Bosch, or PC. Read reviews to know which you might prefer, but unless you improperly use them you should be able to do fine work with any/all of them.

Hutch

[Richard M. Wolfe]

I started using a Skil 3x18. Then I went to the Ryobi 3x21. I went through two Ryobi sanders and now have a Bosch 3x21 and a Porter Cable 4x24.

The Ryobi and Bosch are designed the same way, having a flat top, which I highly recommend. I built a 'cradle' out of scrap and can flip the sander on it's back and use it for sanding small pieces and use it that way all the time. I really liked the Ryobi but for some reason kept having the switch go out on me. It must have been something in how I handled it, but no trouble with the Bosch. I don't know about Ryobi quality now and although I really liked the design I have been through two of them (bearings plus switches), and although the Bosch is more expensive it's been a better buy as it's lasted much longer. All have had variable speed, which is a lost cause.

I also have a PC 4x24.....the 'Locomotive'. If you need material 'hogged' off it's a good machine but will really give you a workout as it's about twice as heavy.

I find the 3x21 sanders to be more versatile from the standpoint of easier to handle. Anything finer than 80 grit is lost on the 4x24, and if you use the 4x24 a lot you can cancel your gym membership. :) A big belt sanding job (like sanding some solid wood 12 in square by 2 ft long live oak art stands not long ago) was starting at 36 with the 4x24 down to 80, down to 120 with a 3x21 and finish with a random orbit.

Oh yeah, as an edit, I forgot to mention..... Never, under any circumstances, buy that $50 Craftsman 3x21. No, I take that back. Buy it and give it to your worst enemy for a Cristmas present.

[Simon Dupay]

right now I've narrowed it down to ether the PC,makita,dewalt or a Milwaukee I'm leaning toward the PC. to me the PC is the "king" of belt sanders but they are petty damn heavy.

[Frank Martin]

I use it for leveling panels after glue up. I used to use a Festool Rotex, but the Bosch is far faster than the Rotex and with the frame, pretty much no risk of damage. Whatever you get make sure you get a frame. I think all models of Bosch and most of Makita have a frame, not sure about PC though.

[Don Inghram]

Here is another option. Black and Decker. Yea, I said it B & D. Called the dragster. Like another poster mentioned, it's mainly in how it's used. Tracks well and has plenty of power. Did I mention it's $40? Usually find it at $69, but I've seen it many times for $40 at Wal-Mart. I've ran mine for days at a time with no problems. What more can I ask of it?

[Peter Quinn]

I've used the Bosch 4-24 and 3-21, the makita 3-21, the PC 4-24 and a Milwaukee 4-24. I own the cute little hand held PC belt sander presently and like it a lot.

The boschs (either size) were the best over all of those I've used, good power, easy to control, gets in nearly flush for close quarters. The makita was a close second. The big PC is a barbell that a guy my size can barely control. Not sure why it is so heavy. I think it was built to with stand abusive contractors as much as anything. The Milwaukee I honestly think was based on the stump grinder design. It was heavy and tough to control, threw dust in every direction, but had enough power to grind anything down quick.

I have the little PC and its great for scribing, flushing small areas and such. Not so good for 'flattening' panels or tops, but I never use a belt sander for that anyway.

[Bryan Berguson]

My PC 3x21 is powerful and tracks great. Dust collection is terrible. Someday I'll replace it for shop use with one that has better dust collection.

Bryan

[Greg Hines, MD]

I don't have one, but I am looking at this one carefully:

http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=20082

I like the idea of a smaller belt sander.

Doc

[John Callahan]

....but they are petty damn heavy. They are but for flattening panels and other horizontal work that weight is an asset- no need to bear down, just let the weight of the sander do the the work. If you will have an aprecialable amount of overhead and/or vertical work that weight will quickly become a liability.

[Travis Rassat]

I don't have one, but I am looking at this one carefully:

http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=20082

I like the idea of a smaller belt sander.

Doc

I've had this little Porter Cable for a couple of weeks now and I like it, although I don't know if I'd treat it as a regular belt sander - I consider it kind of a fusion of a quarter/half sheet sander and a regular belt sander, so it might not be what you want. It's a nice compliment to a regular belt sander. I like the fact that it's relatively lightweight and the small size makes it pretty versatile. For example, I was able to use it inside a cabinet I built for myself to make a little more room for the drawer slides.

One thing to note is replacement belts - currently there is a lot better selection of 3" or 4" belts than there are 2 1/2" belts for the little P/C. The 2 1/2" belts aren't outrageously priced or anything, there's just not quite the selection available yet. It's just something to consider when you consider the lifetime costs of the tool.

By the way, if you have a Lowe's in your area, they offer the mini-P/C for $99 now.

Hitachi also has a 3" x 21" belt sander that seems promising - it's much more affordable than the DeWalt or Porter Cable sanders (it's about $140 at Lowe's), and carries a 5 year warranty. I've never owned a Hitachi tool, and I chickened out and bought the little P/C instead. The thing that I really like about the Hitachi vs the DeWalt that was sitting next to it was that it felt a lot lighter - 9 1/2 pounds versus 12 for the DeWalt. When the budget permits, I might get this Hitachi to compliment my little P/C.

I guess it all depends on how you want to use it. I hope that helps!

[J. Z. Guest]

I've got the inexpensive Makita 3x18 one from Menards. (it was around $100) I use it for correcting mistakes and grinding down screw hole plugs.

IMO - There's no point in spending a ton of money on these unless you're really going to be doing heavy-duty work with it.

If I were to do it again, I would probably get one of the blocky, rectangular designs by either Bosch or Ryobi. With this style, one can clamp it to one's bench for use as a stationary unit. (either vertical or horizontal) I've done this a couple times with my Makita, but it is awkward.