Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Gunsmithing Benchtop disc/belt sander recommendation !!!

My old Delta benchtop sander is on the way out. I've had it for maybe 25 years. 6" disc, 4" belt.
I wouldn't mind a bigger one. The Jet models are nice but pricey. The local store is having a 15% sale on Jet tools for the next 5 days but still over $600.
A friend recommended POWERTEC BD4800. Never bought any of their stuff. A bigger one, 4" disc, 8" belt with a 1/5hp motor is @ $150 + shipping.
Any recommendation? I really miss having this tool. Very handy.

The Jet disc/belt sander in my shop is nice but it has dust and cobwebs on it from disuse. If it were mine and not the shop's I would sell it to you cheap. I only utilize a 12" disc sander anymore. IMO the large disc sander is a more efficient tool- capable of dealing with larger objects than the small disc of the combo tool, and the larger rest makes for more accurate angle sanding as well as the usual 90 degree sanding than the small rest on the belt of a combo tool. Just my opinion, but I would seriously check out the 12" sanders and compare against the combo sanders before buying one.

Look at motor size when shopping. I have a Sears 4" belt, 6" disc with a 1/4 hp motor. I can stall the motor with only moderate pressure on the belt. The one it replaced had a 1/3 hp motor which did not stall.

The article on that page is pretty informative for machines in a low end price range. Hard to believe you can buy tools like that for the price they are offered. However, a couple things to consider IMO. These machines are cheap enough you can use them until you burn them up and toss them and you still won't be out much. Depending on what type of work you are planning on doing, these might be pretty light machines- power wise. If you can stall it out easily with the sanding or grinding chores you are planning on, you need a bigger machine. However, if 1/4 or 1/3 hp will be sufficient for your light sanding chores, then the one your friend recommended will probably last until you get serious and step up to a Grizzly, Delta, Jet, or other grinder with a 9 or 12" sanding disc and a 4 x 36 or 6 x 48 belt. I use the hell out of my Grizzly 6 x 48 with a 9" disc sander with a 3/4 hp motor and I still stall it out occasionally. But then, I use it for a lot of heavier duty grinding than most.

Keep in mind that cast iron and substantial materials will create weight and stiffness in the machine that will aid in accuracy, long life, and dampening vibrations while working on it.

A great place to find sanders for a killer price is craigslist.

If you're stalling out your sander you're probably using too fine a belt for the amount of material you're trying to remove, switch to a coarser grit belt. Forcing it to the point of stalling the motor wears the belt out sooner than using the correct grit belt. Horsepower of the motor is important and so is cast iron construction of the machine itself. Craigslist is a great place to find older well made equipment also garage sales. Using a quality belt/disc is another key to good sander performance, stay away from cheap imported stuff.

Let us know how it works out for you. I bought the WEN, which is the people's choice winner in that article. I actually just used it earlier this evening. It makes short work out of recoil pads:



I also used it to help shape and re-contour the forend of the stock shown above.

This disc/belt sander is very hard to stall out and works great for my needs so far.