Replies

1. 
   JMartinsky | Sep 17, 2006 03:49am | #1

   Dear Quick,
   I broke down over the summer and purchased a similar but benchtop unit from HD. It is the Ridgid unit. It occilates and take a spindle as well as the belt. It actually surprised me that it worked pretty well. I wouldn't call it an endorsement, but it does its job. My read on it is that these are not terribly sophisticated machines and therefore, pretty hard to goof up. Like, if "Ridgid" can get it right then anybody can. If it suits your needs, its probably OK.

   Best,

   John

2. 
   prospector | Sep 17, 2006 07:17pm | #2

   Having spent approx. $8,000.00 (within the last year) on Craftsmans wood equipment, 10" Table Saw, 6" Jointer, 18" Planer/Molder, 18" Sander, numerous other items, I wouldn't spend a dime on any more.  Extremely poor quality, most missing numerous parts for setting them up.  I have fortunaly been able too replace most of them, a little research you can find better performing equipment for the same price range.  Patience;  I was in to big of a hurry.  I have found a lot of good equipment, manufactured in the USA, of equal price and far superior quality, and technical support.  I hope this will help.  The key is patience and research. 

3. 
   Quickstep | Sep 24, 2006 05:44pm | #3

   OK, now I'm looking at the General 15-005 (  http://www.general.ca/pagemach/machines/15005a.html  )

   Does anyone have any experience or opinions on this sander?

   It comes in an oscillating model for an extra $200. Is that worth it?

    

    

    

    

   
1. 
   drumgod | Sep 24, 2006 08:14pm | #4

   go for it, it has good strong frame plenty of power effective dust collection and enough weight that you won’t be chasing it around the shop when you’re trying to use it. I have a similar one made for the European market and I love it worth the cost

2. 
   nikkiwood | Sep 25, 2006 02:52am | #5

   I have a virtually identical sander, but mine is from Powermatic. You might look it up and compare it with the General. I don't have any experience with General machines, but they do have a good rep. I bought mine about 4-5 years ago, almost on a whim. But the thing is incredibly handy to have around. I would class the oscillating feature as "nice to have, but not essential" in a machine of this type.********************************************************
   "It is what we learn after we think we know it all, that counts."

   John Wooden 1910-

1. 
   chills1994 | Sep 25, 2006 03:09pm | #6

   I'll throw my two cents in here....It is a General International machine, which means it is made in China or Taiwan, and no not to spin this discussion into US vs. foreign made, again.

   If it was a made in Canada machine it would just say General and have a maple leaf flag sticker on the front.  Such a machine you could use with confidence day in and day out in a commercial shop and still hand down to your great grand kids.

   The machine you pictured you could use as a serious hobbyist machine and probably pass it down to your kids.

   I have two General Int'l machines, an 18 inch bandsaw and a floor model drill press.  If I had the money and the space, I would upgrade to either a Laguna or Mini Max BS and then maybe, a Delta, drill press with a reeve's drive (speed adjuster on the front).

   I think you will be happy with that Gen Int'l sander.

4. 
   forestgirl | Sep 25, 2006 06:42pm | #7

   I'm curious about your choice of a belt sander vs. other choices (combination belt/disc or the Rigid spindle/belt).  Can you comment?

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-) 
   

1. 
   Quickstep | Sep 27, 2006 04:22am | #9

   "I'm curious about your choice of a belt sander vs. other choices (combination belt/disc or the Rigid spindle/belt).  Can you comment?"

    

   FG,

   I have a homemade disk sander that I mostly use to sand convex surfaces and sometimes to sneak up on a miter of fine tune a joint. Because of the rotation of the disk, either the bottom edge or the top edge of the work is left fuzzy.  Also, the belt sander with with the exposed pulley on the outboard end incorporates the ability to sand concave surfaces without the need for a seperate spindle sander.

5. 
   gb93433 | Sep 26, 2006 08:02pm | #8

   No company always build a perfect product that will hold up under all conditions. I own some General machines. I have a 6" and 8" jointer as well as a 6" slow speed grinder and a 350 tablesaw. Years ago I also purchased a 15" bandsaw. Every machine has performed flawless with the exception that I had a pulley come loose on the 8" jointer. The company has excellent products and first-class customer service. They are not Oliver or Northfield but they are way ahead of Delta. Years ago they made some machines for Delta. Personally if I had my choice of Delta, Powermatic and General most of the time I would pick General. In 2002 I purchased a new Powermatic Model 27 shaper and the spindle assembly was not centered in the hole in the table. I was able to move it some but not enough. The spindle pulley made a clank noise and I discovered that it was loose on the shaft. It appeared to be a jet painted gold.