Which Oscillating Spindle Sander?

[jason lambert]

My fathor is telling me I need to get a spindel sander and he is probably right. He is threating (actually in his cheapness he will) tie up my drill press with getting one of thoes clynder sets and throughing dust all over my shop. Can someone recomend a Oscillating Spindle Sander. Dust collection is important and a bunch of different size spindles or clynders is nice. I don't ned to go overboard here it will be rarely used.

[Bart Leetch]

My fathor is telling me I need to get a spindel sander and he is probably right. He is threating (actually in his cheapness he will) tie up my drill press with getting one of thoes clynder sets and throughing dust all over my shop. Can someone recomend a Oscillating Spindle Sander. Dust collection is important and a bunch of different size spindles or clynders is nice. I don't need to go overboard here it will be rarely used.

Then you probably won't like my recommendation which is the bench top Jet Spindle Sander. It's a well made tool that works great & has dust collection & a tilt top which has come in handy several times.

[John Hedges]

Then you probably won't like my recommendation which is the bench top Jet Spindle Sander. It's a well made tool that works great & has dust collection & a tilt top which has come in handy several times.


I completely agree. As far as the benchtops go this is the cream of the crop. One note however, since it has a tilting top the dust collection is poor. Just make a 3 sided cover out of MDF to fit over the front when it is at 90 degrees (which it is most of the time), and the dust collection is great. It also is one of the only benchtops that can take a 3" spindle which is the size I use the most.

[Paul Girouard]

Delta Boss is nice. At least it was , a shop I worked at had one. Very quiet , almost couldn't hear it running. Metal top , very nice unit IMO.

http://msni.pricegrabber.com/pi/0/18/21/1821549_640.jpg



http://www.tylertool.com/desabospsaki.html

[Mike Heidrick]

I have the the grizzly 1071 floor model. Bought it used for $400. Have seen others like it for sale around the same price. It has a tone of spindles that are 9" tall.

You may just want the $199 ridgid though and be done with it. Gives you a small belt sander as well.

[Per Swenson]

As Mike sez above,

The 200 dollar Rigid suits us fine.

Per

[Brian Penning]

Another vote for the Ridgid.
Googlize it and you'll find mostly positive reviews.

[John Keeton]

I have the Grizzly G0538 http://www.amazon.com/Grizzly-G0538-Oscillating-Spindle-Sander/dp/B0000E3HO4 At $150 not a bad deal.

It seems to perform well, is quiet, and has very good DC when hooked to my system.

[Doug Shepard]

Delta Boss is nice. At least it was , a shop I worked at had one. Very quiet , almost couldn't hear it running. Metal top , very nice unit IMO.
...


In addition, the dust collection is pretty respectable. Just hooked to a shop vac there's very little dust. The top doesn't tilt like the Jet but it can often be picked up with the full set of spindles tossed in on some pretty decent sales.

[Don Bullock]

...
You may just want the $199 ridgid though and be done with it. Gives you a small belt sander as well.

I agree with Mike. I really like the Rigid and it has an oscillating belt sander too.

[William Addison]

I looked at all of them and tried the Jet and Delta. I bought a General 15-220 M1 and think it is the most robust of the lot.

[Ron Jones near Indy]

Got to agree with all the good comments about the Jet.

[Bart Leetch]

I have the Grizzly G0538 http://www.amazon.com/Grizzly-G0538-Oscillating-Spindle-Sander/dp/B0000E3HO4 At $150 not a bad deal.

It seems to perform well, is quiet, and has very good DC when hooked to my system.

I think this machine is pretty much the same as the older Ryobi.

[Raymond Fries]

I have the Jet and love it. It has a few more options than the Delta and I have not tried the Grizzley but I am sure it stands up to the name.

Just buy the machine that fits your needs and you will get the best value for your money.

Good Luck with your decision.

[Peter Quinn]

I have the the grizzly 1071 floor model. Bought it used for $400. Have seen others like it for sale around the same price. It has a tone of spindles that are 9" tall.

You may just want the $199 ridgid though and be done with it. Gives you a small belt sander as well.

Yup. I second Mike's comments, and Per's too. I use the grizzly at work, tough tool that takes up a bit more space than some but has the size and power to tackle big work with ease and small work with grace. Lots of spindle sizes, BIG solid table. You'll have to fashion your own DC scheme if you go with that one.

I own the rigid, nice capable little tool, DC is pretty good with a simple craftsman shop vac or a hose into my main DC system, I use both depending on the situation. I've thrown a larger plywood top over it to support bigger work in a pinch which short circuits the built in dust port. Very worth the price.

I looked at the jet, seems like a good compromise between the floor models and the portable rigid. Seems like the choice depends on the size of your work and the frequency with which you use it as well as the space you have to allocate for it. I needed one I could use in my shop or throw in my van to take on installs, so the rigid fits that bill perfectly.

[Pete Clifford]

Another vote for the Ridgid.
Googlize it and you'll find mostly positive reviews.
I've also got the Ridgid and quite like it. Small enough to easily fit on a mobile tool stand, reasonable dust collection with an edge belt sander thrown in. Here in Canada I don't have a Grizzly or Jet distributor, so haven't had the opportunity to look at these machines, but I personnally don't want a floor-standing OSS.

[Don Eddard]

Another vote for the Ridgid. The oscillating belt gets used on mine as much as the spindles.

[Mike Heidrick]

You'll have to fashion your own DC scheme if you go with that one.



The big Grizzly floor model does have a 4" dust collection port on it. Works pretty good - could be better with additional dust panels like the mods recommended on the Jet.

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e169/BloomingtonMike/sander1.jpg

[Stan Smith]

Delta Boss is nice. At least it was , a shop I worked at had one. Very quiet , almost couldn't hear it running. Metal top , very nice unit IMO.

http://msni.pricegrabber.com/pi/0/18/21/1821549_640.jpg



http://www.tylertool.com/desabospsaki.html

I've had one for at least 7 years. I moved to a smaller shop and was going to sell it. Glad I didn't since I need it now and it still works great.

[Cary Swoveland]

I too have the General 15-220 M, and am very happy with it. It is virtually identical to the Jet. As with the Jet, an optional 3" drum is available. (Stangely, Gerenal doesn't sell an insert for the 3" drum, but the Jet insert--a separate product from the Jet 3" drum--fits fine.) There's a discussion and pic of the General at http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=87552.

The Ridgid is praised almost universally, but I had one for a short time and was not impressed. Maybe I justed couldn't get past the cheapness of construction.

For a very limited budget, the Triton OSS (sold--for about $100--under various names) is a good buy. It does not have a tilting table, however. Here's a pic:

97672

Cary

[Jim Becker]

I have the BOSS and it's a very nice machine. If I were buying today, however, I'd want something like the Jet since it not only has the cast iron table, but the table tilts. There have been a number of times that I had to "jig up" where a tilting table would have served the need. In either case, the machines are nice and reasonable investments...definitely not "over board", in my book!

[Mike Wilkins]

Different opinion here. You stated you will not be using it very much, so why not a portable one??? I have the Porter Cable hand-held spindle sander (don't remember model number) and it stays in the box 95% of the time. I got an assortment of spindle sizes when I got it, so different radii is no problem.
Fine Woodworking magazine did a test on spindle sanders and gave the Rigid top honors, so I would also recommend it also.
At least it beats tying up the drill press all the time.

[Bill White]

Can't fault it after 5 years of use. Dust collection is OK.
Bill

[Cary Swoveland]

Different opinion here. You stated you will not be using it very much, so why not a portable one??? I have the Porter Cable hand-held spindle sander (don't remember model number) and it stays in the box 95% of the time. I got an assortment of spindle sizes when I got it, so different radii is no problem.
That's the PC 121. I had one, and found it a very well-build tool. However, its main utility is in portable use, especially for truing and smoothing counter edges (using an included edging accessory). Considering that it's fairly pricey, requires a table or router table plate for fixed use, and would be awkward or impossible to tilt when in a table, I don't think it's the best solution for someone who has no requirement for portable use.

Cary

[Alan Schaffter]

I can't make a recommendation since I don't have one . . . . But I have been looking for a nice used floor unit with cast iron, tilting table, and decent amount of vertical oscillation. Why, I really don't know, since I VERY, VERY RARELY have a need for an OSS. So, needless to say, I have not found an standup OSS at a price that matches my minimal needs.

I occasionally use my drill press mounted drums, but, the bearings in a drill press are not designed for lateral loads resulting from using a sanding drum so using it like that will shorten bearing life. You might want to politely inform your dad of this.

[Sam Blanchard]

Another vote for the Rigid - dust collection is good, not too noisy, sands well, table tilt is nice with miter slot :)

[Chris Padilla]

That's the PC 121. I had one, and found it a very well-build tool. However, its main utility is in portable use, especially for truing and smoothing counter edges (using an included edging accessory). Considering that it's fairly pricey, requires a table or router table plate for fixed use, and would be awkward or impossible to tilt when in a table, I don't think it's the best solution for someone who has no requirement for portable use.

Cary

I have the 121 and a plate to house it from Woodpeckers. It comes in handy but I don't use it all that much. It is easy to store away.

[Myk Rian]

I got rid of my Delta disk/belt sander when I bought the Ridgid. I use it all the time.

[Jeffrey Makiel]

I've been thinking about an OSS for so long, I'm almost ashamed to post this. :)

When the time comes, it will likely be the Jet benchtop for its cast iron top, tilting top and 3" drum capability. But it's probably the most pricey of 'em all.

-Jeff :)

[Robert Parrish]

My Ryobi OSS gave up the ghost yesterday so I bought a Ridgid EB4424 at HD for $199.00. I used it several hours today and it is great (I'm making a carousel horse which requires lots of sanding)! I connected it to a 4" dust collector port and there was very little dust in the shop.

[Tim Dorcas]

Yet another vote for the Ridgid Sander. It is very reasonably priced and has lots of options.

[Josh Rudolph]

Another vote here for the Rigid. I also have the Ryobi version which worked well for it's purpose. The extra option of making it into a small belt sander has been nice as a bigger piece can be sanded without the scalloping.

FWIW...the Rigid was recently voted Best Value and Best Overall from a recent tool guide. Take it for what it is worth.

You said you will seldom use it and since price is always a function, I might consider a hand held portable. However I think you will find yourself using it more than you think once you see how handy they are. The $200 for the Rigid would be money well spent.

[Ryan Lipski]

+1 for the Ridgid as well. Handy little rascal!

[John Sanford]

Here come's yet another vote for the Rigid, although I must admit that only about 25% of its use is with the spindle. I LOVE the OBS functionality though. For a lightly used machine, I don't think you can find a better mix of value, flexibility and functionality than this beast.

[jason lambert]

Well would up witht he Jet, I hate my personality, can't by cheap tools.... I will just have to eat cherios for dinner for the next month.

[Russ Hauser]

I have a Delta Boss. It has an effective dust collection system, although I had to make an adapter to fit it to a 2 1/4 inch Shop Vac hose.

Russ

[Porter Bassett]

On HomeDepo.com, you can buy the Rigid sander for $200 with shipping, or a reconditioned one for $170 with shipping. Which would you go for?

[Shawn Walker]

On HomeDepo.com, you can buy the Rigid sander for $200 with shipping, or a reconditioned one for $170 with shipping. Which would you go for?

I have that machine, and I do like it.
I have bought reconditoned tools a few times with good success, but I've read a few bad stories with reconditoned Ridgid tools.
For the $30.00 dollar difference, I wouldn't do it. IMHO.

[Mike Henderson]

Well, you guys convinced me. I went out and bought the Ridgid oscillating sander. I got a $25 off promotion from HD and used that to offset some of the cost. I'll let you know how I like it after I've used it a bit.

Mike

[Pete Clifford]

Welcome to the Ridgid OSS club, Mike. Just don't forget to keep the UPC off the box and send it in to Ridgid for your Lifetime Service guarantee.

[Mike Henderson]

Welcome to the Ridgid OSS club, Mike. Just don't forget to keep the UPC off the box and send it in to Ridgid for your Lifetime Service guarantee.
Yep, already done. And in the spirit of "no picture - didn't happen" see below.

My shop is getting very crowded.

Mike

[Mike Henderson]

For those of you who have the Ridgid OSS where do you buy your sanding spindles? Are they available at your local HD or other borg? Or do you have to order them through the Internet? If so where?

Thanks for any pointers.

Mike

[Chris Padilla]

Yep, already done. And in the spirit of "no picture - didn't happen" see below.

My shop is getting very crowded.

Mike

Well I have to admit that is a nice looking machine. I don't have any orange in my shop, however....

[Michael Stanley]

I really like my Ridgid. I find myself using the belt attachment way more often then I thought I would.

[Chris Varas]

That's the PC 121. I had one, and found it a very well-build tool. However, its main utility is in portable use, especially for truing and smoothing counter edges (using an included edging accessory). Considering that it's fairly pricey, requires a table or router table plate for fixed use, and would be awkward or impossible to tilt when in a table, I don't think it's the best solution for someone who has no requirement for portable use.

Cary
I guess its just how you look at it? I do agree it seems a little pricey for what it is but for something that will only see limited use, it seems to make more sense to me for a home WW'er with limited space. Most of us need another stationary tool like we need another hole in our head. IMO, bench top tools are not that much easier to store or work around.

The key benefit to the PC 121 IMO is that it can be installed into your router table when needed and then stored away in a draw when not. The fact that you have the option to use it "off site" if needed is just a bonus. Installing it in a router table will probably give you the advantage of having a larger support table then you would get with even the larger floor standing OSS's. The only down side I can see is no tilting table and I have no idea how well the dust collection works, especially table mounted? Price wise, while not as inexpensive as the Ridged, it is a lot less then the Jet bench top OSS.

Mind you, I don't have any of them but have seriously considered the PC 121 and those where my thoughts on it. If I'm wrong or missing something, please fill me in?

[Carlos Alden]

Hey all:

I was interested in the Ridgid sander, so looked for feedback here by users. Did you know that it's available as a refurbished item for $130? It will be the next toy in my garage.

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&productId=100642014&categoryID=529793


Carlos

[jason lambert]

Yea no orange in mind eithor but way to much green!

[Steve Sawyer]

Yet another recommendation for the Ridgid. Not only does it work well with (IMO) excellent dust collection, it's light, so I'm able to store it under one of the wings on my jointer, and toss it up on top of the workbench or TS when I need to use it.

Excellent value.

If money and space were no object, I'd probably ALSO have a disk/belt sander, an edge sander and a floor-standing OSS, but I'd bet even then I'd keep the Ridgid around.

[Eric Roberge]

One more vote for the ridgid. I have been very happy with mine.

[Luther Oswalt]

Another vote for the Rigid .... it's a nice tool!
Leo

[Dewey Torres]

Is this thing loud quiet or somewhere in between.

[Bart Leetch]

Is this thing loud quiet or somewhere in between.
Even if sound wise its quiet color wise its still loud.:eek::D

[Pete Clifford]

Is this thing loud quiet or somewhere in between.
The OSS itself isn't that loud, but the Ridgid shop vac that I connect for DC certainly is noisy.

[Mike Henderson]

Hey all:

I was interested in the Ridgid sander, so looked for feedback here by users. Did you know that it's available as a refurbished item for $130? It will be the next toy in my garage.

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&productId=100642014&categoryID=529793


Carlos
When I checked into this a while back, the problem was that they charged shipping on the refurb unit but not on the "new" unit. This brought the price up a lot closer to the "new" unit.

I decided to go with the new unit, primarily because I got a $25 coupon from HD which made the new and refurb close in price.

Mike

[Carlos Alden]

Mike:

Thanks for this information. I've not yet bought anything Ridgid refurbished, and was wondering about the low price.

Carlos

[James Williams 007]

I like buying big Iron stationary tools but the rigid got such good reviews in the mags and it had so many features I couldn't resist. Unless you can find a steal on the list or are ready to shell out some cash go to the borg and grab the rigid you wont regret it. It hooks up nicely to my dust system too!:)

[abram godshall]

i have the ridgid. for 200 you can't beat it. good entry level machine. added bonus is belt sander. conversion from belt to spindle and back again is easy.

[Pat Germain]

After all the glowing reviews here, I picked a Ridgid EB4424 sander last night. I put it together and gave it a try with the belt mounted. I sanded some edges and rounded over the corners on a piece of scrap.

Boy, someone was using his gray matter when he designed this little machine! It's "The Little Sander that Could".

I saw HD had the sandpaper sleeves in stock and picked some up. They come in a package with five 150 grit and five 80 grit (one sleave for each size). I hope it's not one of those things rarely in stock.

Has anyone noticed a difference between using a shop vac and using a dust collector on this sander? I was thinking using my DC might be quieter. My shop vac is also a recently purchased Ridgid. It's quiet for a shop vac, but noisier than my DC.

Also, has anyone found any minor mods which make this little workhorse work even better?

[Chuck Tringo]

I believe HF has sanding sleeves that fin in a wider range of grits and quite a bit cheaper, but I think you get a wasted sleeve in the pack that is larger than any of the spindles on the Ridgid (3"?) but still, much cheaper than the Borg ones.

[Brian Effinger]

After all the glowing reviews here, I picked a Ridgid EB4424 sander last night. I put it together and gave it a try with the belt mounted. I sanded some edges and rounded over the corners on a piece of scrap.

Boy, someone was using his gray matter when he designed this little machine! It's "The Little Sander that Could".

I saw HD had the sandpaper sleeves in stock and picked some up. They come in a package with five 150 grit and five 80 grit (one sleave for each size). I hope it's not one of those things rarely in stock.

Has anyone noticed a difference between using a shop vac and using a dust collector on this sander? I was thinking using my DC might be quieter. My shop vac is also a recently purchased Ridgid. It's quiet for a shop vac, but noisier than my DC.

Also, has anyone found any minor mods which make this little workhorse work even better?

I picked one up last week, and I couldn't agree with you more. What a great machine. Also, I've got mine hooked up to the shop vac since I don't have a DC, and while it is noisy, it seems to pick up just about all of the dust. There doesn't appear to be any floating around.

[Pete Janke]

Ridgid works fine for me.

[mreza Salav]

Ok, I add this:
I have the Ridgid too and overall, I think it's Ok (or maybe better). The ease of change between spindle and belt is very nice. It's also good to have both features at a low price.
However, I have two complains about it:

1) with the belt mode, it's next to impossible to get truly 90 degree square edges, no matter how I adjust the table. The trouble seems to be the surface under the belt isn't flat, so you would get a convex edge.

2) it's difficult to clamp a block of wood or fence to the table; there is simply not enough edge around the table to do so.

Since then, I've got an old big rockwell belt-disk sander and rebuilt it.
Both the surface under the belt and the disk are truly flat.

Would I still buy the Ridgid? Yes, the spindle sander of it is pretty good and the edge sander works Ok. But Just wanted to warn of some of its limitation you don't hear very often.

[Sam Blanchard]

Is this thing loud quiet or somewhere in between.
Another satisfied Rigid owner here - seems rather quiet to me, but I have not owned any other OSS with which to compare. I usually have ear plugs in for all power equipment, but if I run this one w/out, it's fine. Dust collection is good too.

[Pat Germain]

I now have one minor gripe about my Ridgid sander. I went to use the spindle yeterday and found all five sanding sleaves that came with the sander are just slightly too big. That is, they don't fit snug on the spindle. There is just enough slack so the sleeves just slip while the rubber roller turns.

Luckily, I bought an extra pack of sanding sleaves. Those fit good and snug. But one of the rubber rollers is also just a litle too big on the inside. It slips on the metal spindle. I put a bit of blue tape on the metal spindle and that solved the problem.

Otherwise, I'm still a happy sander. :)

[Joel Earl]

Have to agree with many above --- another vote for the Rigid here

[Matt Meiser]

I picked up a PerformaX from Menards last week. At one time I had a Delta BOSS and sold it when I downsized my shop. I finally realized that that was one tool I shouldn't have gotten rid of. The PerformaX is exactly like the Harbor Freight, Triton, and former Ryobi. It works great and my only complaint is that it is fairly noisy compared to the Delta. It has a 2-year warranty through WHM (Jet/Powermatic) and was just over $100.

[Sonny Edmonds]

... that I dood mine with a PC portable OSS.
Mounted it to a Rousoue router plate and it lives in a second router station in my TS side table. (The box below is dust collection)
I've never needed it freehand, so it lives at the ready there. And it's handy at times.
Lots of ways to cut down on your fingerprints... :D

http://home.earthlink.net/~pie/images/shop_shots/center_2.jpg

[Pat Germain]

That's a way cool setup you got there, Sonny. I also dig the old iron drill press.