thinking of buying this sander, any comments ??

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LarryS.

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Hi all,

Thinking of buying this to reduce my sanding workload :
http://www.axminster.co.uk/product-Axminster-AWEBDS610-Belt-and-Disc-Sander-580422.htm
100233_l.jpg


anyone got one, or recommend an alternative ?

thanks
 
I've seen it up close and it's not the sort of quality you'd expect from a £200+ machine. But that said it's only got to sand wood. I had a little play with the table locks and they were of the chocolate variety. I think you'd have to replace them to ensure it stayed at 90 degrees.

What exactly do you want to use it for?
 
I used to own a similar machine (branded Perform) with a slightly lower spec. It was noisy, wasn't terribly accurate and, as wizer suggests, you'd expect a bit more for £200 - I guess most of that is spent on the steel stand, though.

Depending on what you're looking to do, you'd be better off with a 12" disc sander (in fact, I think you may already have one, Paul? :D). You've also got a bobbin sander for inside curves.

For edges of boards, use a sharp hand plane. If you still intend to sand after that, you shouldn't need to go less than 240g once all the machining marks have been removed. :)
 
thanks guys, the reviews on the website were really good but you never know who is leaving them.

Olly, haven't got a disc sander but have got the bobbin sander (which has seen little or no use I'm afraid so far).


wizer, i'm looking to buy it to reduce the amount of time I have to spend sanding. I'm putting it mildly saying I loathe sanding - so any way to do less then I am very interested :D :D
 
sanding what tho? These sanders are really only used for shaping and edge prep. If you're thinking about sanding a complete project with one, you need to think again.
 
Another problem I found was the belt on that type of combi. sander wouldn't give accurate results and it was very easy to stall. Trouble is, Axminster have (in the last year) rebranded their cheap Perform range to come under their own name. It's hard to know what is what... I still think you'd get more for your money in a 12" disc sander. If the worst came to it, you could always make a simple jig to hold your Makita belt sander stationary! :wink:

Personally I'd love to have a drum sander; it would save so much donkey work in the early stages of sanding. After planing and thicknessing, you could finish through the drum sander on a coarse grit to remove all the previous machining marks (except on the edges). Then, once you've cut all the joints, you could start sanding lightly with 120g paper (random orbital, etc.) and you'd be ready for finishing in no time! 8)
 
I have the rexon version of that sander

I find it realy useful edges and circles in particular on mine the top fence comes right off meaning you can flat sand long boards easily, dust extraction is also fair picks up quite a lot, use a belt cleaner and belts and discs last ages.
 
I have that sander and I find it great for what I need it to do. The disc table is accurately at 90 degrees to the disc when in it's fully upright position and the 45 degree mark is pretty easy to adjust to as well. the machine is solid and quiet, but on the other hand I have never used any other disc sander so I can not comment on how it stacks up against the competition. when I was looking at buying it 18 months ago it was a toss up between this one and the Record one that was about £40 dearer at the time, everyone on this forum was full of priase of the Axminster one, which show how things change over time.

I must confess that I very rarely use the belt sander, I have only really used the rounded end to shape a knife handle to the tang.

My only real gripe with it is that the discs are sticky backed, which makes changing them a chore as you have to clean the old sticky off of the metal disc plate before you attach the next disc or it will not be fully flat. coming from a handheld disc sander I had assumed that all sanding discs were velcro backed and quick to change. Pick the grit you are going to be using and then never change it ;)
 
thanks for the info frugal, think I am going to head down to axminster and see all the kit in the flesh, looks like perhaps just getting the disc sander is an option
 
Hi paulr

yes i have one , not had it to long , or done a great amount of sanding from it but IMHO It's an adequate machine with plenty of power you wont stop it and it does not slow down when under load.hc
 
thanks for the info hc, hoping to get to axminster in the next couple of weeks to have a look
 
PaulR":sjhl2bcc said:
Hi all,

Thinking of buying this to reduce my sanding workload :
http://www.axminster.co.uk/product-Axminster-AWEBDS610-Belt-and-Disc-Sander-580422.htm
100233_l.jpg


anyone got one, or recommend an alternative ?

thanks


I have owned one of these for a little over a year and it has been absolutely flawless in operation. Belts seem to last a long tine too.

My only slight disappointment is that the work support at the rear of the belt is a little thin and flexes too much - other than that, can't fault it.

Wizer stated
I think you'd have to replace them to ensure it stayed at 90 degrees.

This is simply untrue. the table on mine has stayed spot on and the quality of the machine is very good in my opinion - I did look at several at two woodwork shows before buying this one
 
No Tony, it's not untrue, it's my opinion of something I have seen in the flesh.
 

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