Hi,
Disclaimer: While I'm not a huge HF fan, there's a time and a place in some instances... In any case, I am not willing to get into an argument about that topic, so if that's your interest please take it someplace else.

My old sanding station was beyond repair (or at least beyond my patience to yet again try to get it to track properly etc.) so I pulled the trigger on the HF (Central machinery) 6x48 sander. Here's the link. I paid $250, and others could probably get a better deal if you watch for sales. Note, the 20% super coupons don't work for some items at HF anymore.

I picked this unit because....
- From my research (here and other forums, youtube etc.) it seems that this is a clone of many other well-reviewed items out there
- I found that woodworkers (including reviews here, other forums, youtube) actually found this sander to be among the HF gems
- Given the price, how crappy my old sander was, how simple of a tool this is compared to others... it was worth rolling the dice

Anyways, putting the tool together was straight forward, yet somewhat time consuming. Probably took me 2 hours total (but then, I was customizing as I went). I found the tool to be quite substantial overall, and all parts went together exactly as instructed on the first try. First test run, the belt tracked dead on and didn't require any adjustments at all. Quiet and powerful compared to my old beast.

Others complained about the cheap miter gauge (that's legit, but minor gripe in my opinion) and the light-weight sheet metal stand (which I thought was fine, especially with the mods that I added, see below).

The switch used to be on the back, but it's on the front now, which I found to be a good change.

Note: Others have reported that grizzly parts may work interchangeably on this tool. I have not verified that myself, but just mentioning for those interested.


Modifications:
To the stand, I added a plywood shelf, and two 2x4 runners that allowed me to attach swivel/locking casters. These two changes improved the stand quite a bit, and I feel it's plenty sturdy for my usage needs.

The unit comes with just one aluminum tool rest / table, and I didn't want to have to swap it back and forth from belt to disc all the time. So I cannibalized the cast iron tool rest from my old sander, and was able to make it work. As per the note above, you could probably buy a grizzly tool rest and achieve the same result.

The disc sander comes with a plastic cover with a 1.5" (as I recall) port for dust collection. I wanted 4", so I cut a larger hole and affixed a 4" port that will accept flex hose.

The belt sander comes with a metal 2" (I think) port for dust collection. Again, I wanted 4", so I built a simple box that has a 4" port/gate on the back side. The underside of the box has some reference ledges that allow it to be quickly aligned on the tool rest / table, and I left a lip that accepts a c-clamp for holding it in place. Not the most elegant thing I've built, and it raises my work surface up a bit, but a ton of suction is nicely directed to the lower few inches of the belt.

(Note: the glue was drying last night, so I haven't tested this one yet... will post an update on that later... )

I hope this review/brainstorm is helpful to someone :-)sander 1.jpgsander 2.jpg