Spindle sander

[Ole Anderson]

Completed the first of six Michigan themed Adirondack chairs. Using the soaking wet ground contact Cedartone wood from Menards. I would like to use the KDAT wood, but can't seem to find it locally. 1/8" masonite template for each piece. Rough cut on the bandsaw, then using a pattern bit to finish it. Still needs touching up on the contours. Think I need to add an inexpensive spindle sander to the shop. There seem to be a ton of them out there from the same factory. Triton, Shop Fox, Wood River, Grizzly, Harbor Freight, Wen and so on, similar but probably not equal. Wen is the cheapest at $113, with Grizzly at nearly $200. Local dealer carries the Triton at about $170. Any recommendations?
Mich chair.jpg

[Paul F Franklin]

Are you talking about the stationary models or the little portable, hand-held ones that have shown up recently? I have the rigid stationary spindle/belt sander and it's very nice for smaller parts and light to medium duty. Also have a no-name version of the hand-held model which is very loud but very nice for larger work that would be difficult to hold/move on the stationary model.

I suspect that sanding cedartone PT wood will be messy and you may end up with a lot of fuzzy wood due to high moisture content. You might want to experiment with one of the spindle sanders you chuck in a drill to make sure it will work well enough for you before you plunk down for the machine.... Also, wear a good respirator while trying to sand PT lumber.

edit: forgot to say how nice the chairs look!

[Bradley Gray]

I had been looking for several years and recently bought an old Boice- Crane from ebay for $400. included 13 different diameter 8" spindles. Smooth and quiet.

[Ole Anderson]

This is what I am looking at, just an inexpensive bench top model:

Edit: I just ordered the Wen version, $120 delivered from Amazon. 400 reviews, 4.5 stars.

[Edward Dyas]

I have the harbor freight sander and it isn't very good. While the drum is 3" tall the sander only oscillates up and down about 1/2". Using 3/4" wood you end up not being able to use the center of the drum. I otherwise would be happy with the machine since it only gets occasional use. I had better luck with a drum sander on a drill press. It had more power and I could adjust the sander where it was needed.

[Ole Anderson]

I have the harbor freight sander and it isn't very good. While the drum is 3" tall the sander only oscillates up and down about 1/2". Using 3/4" wood you end up not being able to use the center of the drum. I otherwise would be happy with the machine since it only gets occasional use. I had better luck with a drum sander on a drill press. It had more power and I could adjust the sander where it was needed.

Yep. The difference between the cheap benchtop models and the more expensive versions seems to be the stroke length. I have 2.5" drum for my drill press with plenty of 80 grit sleeves along with a 1 hp 6x48 belt sander, but I need the smaller drums to get in the tight spots.

[Ole Anderson]

Ok, where has this inexpensive power tool been all of my life??? Got it today, and 60 minutes later it was unboxed, the drum(s) and sleeve(s) put on, hooked to my shop vac and 20 pieces of the Michigan mitt were sanded. Now where to store it...

Yea the stroke is short, but just flip the sleeve and keep going. Sleeves have plenty of wear left on them. Nice cast iron top. No complaints. Plenty of power. $120!

[Paul F Franklin]

You can also just plop down a piece of scrap to raise the work to a fresh spot on the sleeve....

[Jim Becker]

If you don't have one, you should have one of the gum-rubber abrasive cleaning sticks to help preserve your sleeves beyond just flipping them. It's an essential for most kinds of "stationary" sanders including the OSS, belt sanders, drum sanders, disk sanders, etc., that are used to shape wood.

I mounted my OSS on a pop up mechanism not long ago. While mine is in a cabinet, the technique can be used under any kind of work surface that has the available space below. See this thread: https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread....ghlight=Sander

[Lisa Starr]

I use my Ridgid Belt/OSS far more than I ever thought I would The orange store carries them at around $250, though often on sale for less. They also have the lifetime warranty.

[Stan Calow]

A spindle sander has upped my game. I have the Triton thats pictured, and I have looked it and the Harbor Freight model that looks identical in gray, and for the life of me, I cant see any difference. The Wood River one is identical too. I've seen the HF on on sale as low as $89 not counting the coupons you can add on top.

[Gregory King]

Be on the look out for a Porter Cable 121. Could be mounted in the extension table of your table saw. Always wanted one but price on new was $400. Love the PC stuff, built like a tank.