Need to replace and old B&D belt sander. What should I buy? I want a long lasting, quality tool and that produces good results.
I would rather spend the extra money and do it right, so what brand, model, size, would you recommend?
Thanks,
Alan — planesaw
Replies
We always had, and I still use..the workhorse..PC 3x21..some might dis agree for sure, but I will swear by mine, not at it.
edit..oh yeah, Klingspor belts..only
Edited 12/14/2003 1:57:00 PM ET by SPHERE
I'll throw my $.02 in as well. I used to work in a production cabinet shop and most of my job was Corian fabrication and installation. A belt sander was in my hand constantly. I used a P/C and never had any problems other than an ocassional handle to replace when it took a tumble. We beat the ever loving crap out of them and they were always reliable. Many I know think they are too heavy but I think that is an asset in a belt sander. You let the weight of the sander work for you instead of bearing down on the sander. When I started my hobby shop at home I couldn't afford the $ of the P/C and burned out a couple of other cheaper ones. Never liked the quality or feel and finally sprung for the P/C and couldn't be happier in the investment.
Brian
Put a 36 grt. belt on it and another sander, lots of xten cord..lockem on and drop them at the same time..PC always wins. We raced across the shop floor and set up jumps..no wonder nuthin ever got done. A graphite pad on the platen REALLY helps.not just for racin, but sanding too.
Not just for racing, but riding too! Been there a few times.
Here's another vote for the P/C.
If you want the ultimate portable belt sander, the PC model 503 or 504 is it, but it will cost you over $400, I think.
I have a model 352 presently, and I would recommend it or one of its descendents to a person who was going to have only one. It's very versatile, has held up well, and can sand close to vertical surfaces. Mine's just about worn out now, but it's seen some heavy use and abuse. I'll be replacing it with one from the same line.
Michael r.
I've had a PC 4x24 for about 25 years. Still works well.
What ever you get, keep the spare belts in sealed plastic bags.
PlaneWood by Mike_in_Katy (maker of fine sawdust!)
PlaneWood
Hi alan, the porter-cable 4"x24" is my choice, been using one for 20 years in my opinion the are the best. good luck mark.
my choice is makita 3x21 model 9900B, dont know if still available ,an excellent tool
or a 4x24 makita last model i had had a 9401 Good luck
Another vote for PC ........ like 'em all - 352VS (3x21), 362 (4x24), 503 and 504 (3x24). As to which one, if money is an issue the 352VS (about $150) will work fine. The 362VS is about $100 more. The 503/504 are very nice but unless you use a sander daily it's hard to justify the approximately $500 price.
i would say reguardless of brand get one that can be set upside down on a bench and clamped down.. makes for another use. (stationary sander..hand held work piece) a handy operation in some situations. and ads to the functions of the machine. I do it with a makita but the bosch and others are flat on top too.
j.
I had built a table that allowed the PC to be laid on its side..angled so that you can use the whole width of the belt . As an edge sander it was great...add a miter slot and you can sand endgrain up to a 2x6..or shorten a tooth pick a smidge..hows that for versatile?
Wow! Sounds like a solid vote for Porter Cable. I have generally liked the quality of Makita, but am not familiar with their sanders.
I am open to other people's thoughts and opinions. Will probably try to buy something before year end.
Thanks to everyone who has taken time to comment.
Alan -- planesaw
The problems with most belt sanders are weight and balance.
They need to be heavy enough that you can just concentrate on guiding the machine, not pushing it down to make it cut. I don't believe in excess pressure while sanding because it just overloads the paper and causes excessive heat, but just 1 or 2 PSI translates int 15 to 30 total lbs of downward pressure on a 3x21 sander. The more of that whic is in the machine, the easier it is to control.
Balance is critical because you want equal pressure all over the contact area. I have used so many sanders where the weight wasn't centered over the pad, and they were almos useless because they wanted to dig in in the heavy side or end, and they left "tracks".
I like PC sanders because they have some weight, are generally well balanced, and hold up pretty well.
Michael R
I've used Bosch and Makita belt sanders and like them but prefer PC exactly for the reasons Woodwiz mentioned. If for some reason you'll need to do lots of vertical and/or overhead sanding a PC isn't the best choice; that weight and swiveling bag work against you.
I've had a Mikita 4x24 for at least 20 years with lots of miles on it and love it. I've used plenty of others over the years while working for other contractors but the Makita is my 'fave. The only annoyance is the motor cooling fan exhausts in my face at certain angles so I made a little hood with cardboard and duct tape about 15 years ago (its still there).
The 4x24 gives you a wider base for table tops, etc. but is awkward for edge sanding a 1x (but so is a 3x21 for that application).
Norse
Edited 12/15/2003 2:21:09 PM ET by Norse
Alan, Just for the record I have the PC 4 x 24 VS. Its been in the shop twice for various reasons although its had very little use. It's not cheap to have 'em fixed, I now have more than twice the original cost in it. Its working pretty good now but it was expensive getting to this point. I guess I just got a lemon, or maybe its just bad Karma.
Its a nice machine but I got a bad taste because of the high repair costs.
good luck, Hugh
When I started looking for a BS I was thinking PC but ended up with the standard profile varible speed Bosch 4x24. The reason being is that I insisted on a sanding frame attachment and PC doesn't offer one. Bosch also has a bench mounting bracket for it aswell, but I have an old Delta 6x48 for that.John O'Connell - JKO Handcrafted Woodworking
Life is tough. It's tougher if you're stupid - John Wayne
Yet another vote for the Makita 9401 4x24 here. Mine is branded "Wolf" (a now definct British make who used to buy-in their sanders and planers from Makita in their later years), is 20 years old and absolutely unkillable. Norses's comments about the darned thing blowing in your face at certain anges is true, but it isn't really that much of a problem. The size and weight make it ideal for desktops, solid wood kitchen worktops, etc - but it is way too heavy for edge work. Pity is I can't compare it to the P-C - they've not made it to these shores for nearly 40 years.....
Scrit
depending on what all you want to do with it, i might suggest the bosch 1274dvs, 3x21. it seems to have the most available accessories like a leveling frame, bench stand and fence.
m
>>depending on what all you want to do with it, i might suggest the bosch 1274dvs, 3x21. it seems to have the most available accessories like a leveling frame, bench stand and fence.
I've never found a need for any of those accessories, myself. Not to say they are useless, but a well balanced, sander makes many tasks easier, and a poorly balanced one isn't a good tradeoff for all the accessories in the world, IMO. I haven't used the model you mentioned, but the Bosch belt sanders I have used have been really hard to use on flat surfaces. Funny, because they make a lot of very good tools apart from belt sanders.
Michael R
Alan, At the risk of sounding like a broken record , mine is an old Rockwell freight train belt sander 3"x24". Honestly if I had a long enough extention cord I could ride it to work.Happy sanding . dusty
A general statement but usually is true - buy the tool from the manufacturer that originally crafeted it - Milwaukee, the recip saw (Sawzall is their brand name), Skil (now Bosch) worm drive saw, and Porter-Cable for the belt sander. Other manufacturers try to improve on someone else's invention like B&D reconfiguring the belt sander machine profile. But in the long haul, PC still dominates particularly in production shops for one reason - reliability/ruggedness. And the 503/504 is the top of the line - an investment of around $400 but a lifetime machine!
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