Which Belt Sander

[Harbo]

Well I hope "BS" is not too much of a dirty word here, but having tried to hand plane (from rough sawn) a largish board of Redwood using a variety of different planes, I have decided the only way is to sand it - the grain is all over the place and the wood is soft , so tears out in chunks!
On the other boards where I have used my P/T - not so much of a problem, but this piece looks too nice to cut down, P/T and stick back together again?
I tried using by very old and narrow Bosch sander, but that dug in and was making more of a mess!
I have seen a review of the Ryobi EBS-1310V which comes out OK and Makita 9401 is on special offer. I had a look at a Festool BS 75E and a RO Rotex 150 FEQ, but cannot really justify the £360 outlay - as it will not get that much use (I hope).
Any recommendations?

Rod

PS my local tool shop would not give me the on-line price for one of them, which was £20 cheaper. I would have thought it cheaper for them for somebody to collect than have the trouble of posting out goods. Strange logic and no sale!

 

[Scrit]

For a hand belt sander bigger is better! A 4 x 24in belt sander covers the plot faster than a 3 x 21in one. I've an elderly Makita 9400 which stubbornly refuses to die - nice thing is most of the parts for this machine are still available.

Scrit

Edited to correct belt size. Oops!

 

[AndyBoyd]

I like Scrit have the Makita 9400 it has such a large base plate compared to the modern ones which makes all te difference (you near ear protection though)

 

[chunkolini]

I recently bought the Metabo 4" belt sander and have been using it quite fiercely, a typical job is to sand 30m of 145mm wide softwood planking in a morning, and it seems up to the job, it also comes with a base plate extension which helps on wider timber.

Chunko'.

 

[ike]

Hitachi do two large sanders - SB10V (variable speed) and SB110 (2-speed), both 110mm wide. I have the SB110. It's a beast.

cheers,

Ike

 

[Newbie_Neil]

Hi Rod

Whichever sander you buy, I would strongly recommend that you get one that has a frame.

Cheers,
Neil

 

[Permutation_Jim]

I use a Bosch 3" belt sander (called a 1274dvs in the States where I bought it... think it's called a GBS75AE over here) with the optional frame. The frame is fiddly to set up, but really works well for fine or delicate work. I may be a bigot, but when it comes to Bosch, I always take blue over green.

Also, if the stock is too narrow, clamp straight scrap wood on the sides to give the frame something to key on (and also a reference, such that the frame knows where to stop sanding).

I've seen the unit run £170-215 over here (or $170-180 in the States :shock: ), but the frame is extra (and not cheap).

Also, I'd REALLY recommend getting the inverted frame accessory, as well. Cost a bit extra, but makes mounting the thing upside down or sideways a breeze... instant linisher.

Hope that helps, Jim

 

[tagnut69]

Hi the ones every one ownes at work are the 2 big 100x610 Makita's 9401 and 9403 (company only supplies that size belt). Both appear equal and only about £20 differnce in price. Great kit but dont know if you can get a frame for them though

 

[Harbo]

Well I had to make a quick decision, to take advantage of APT's 10% discount, and ordered a Makita 9404. It arrived today with free 25 assorted belts (another saving - of £40).
I also bought from B&Q a Macallister dust collector - they did not have the smaller ones so I bought the larger one with the "silver discount" for £50.
With the power take off it works a treat with the Makita - no signs of any dust.

The Makita handbook is not that clever and states "adjust speed according to the material" - with no advice. It is adjustable from 210 to 440m/min and seemed to work best at the faster speeds on the Redwood. At the low speed to much friction and difficult to hold back!
Anybody got any advice on speeds or is it just a matter of trial and error?
It did not come with a sanding frame but according to the handbook one is available?

Pleased so far

Rod

 

[Scrit]

Anybody got any advice on speeds or is it just a matter of trial and error?
It did not come with a sanding frame but according to the handbook one is available?

Very much trial and error I'm afraid - you simply run it as fast as you can withoput the belt cloggig up (or the machine dragging you across the workshop.....). Not so sure you need a sanding frame if you get the right belyt speed and motion (i.e. gently sweep side to side whilst moving forwards does it for me). BTE to clean the belts get yourself one of thoese crepe belt cleaner sticks - they do work and give you about another 20% of life on the belts I find.

Scrit

 

[Anonymous]

Rod

The sanders you list are all very expensive ones.

i use a B&Q performance Power Pro which came with a sanding frame which is very useful. Had it 2 years and it is still going strong after quite a bit of use on many DIY and some furniture proejcts

Cost around £60 and has a 3 year guarantee :wink:

 

[Alex]

I've got the Makita 9400, a real brute weighs a ton and tries to pull your arms off. I've had it 13 years and as has been said you can not kill them.
My question/ignorance is how would a frame/plate assist in use?

 

[Scrit]

My question/ignorance is how would a frame/plate assist in use?

They are supposed to allow you better control (depth of cut) when sanding veneers - however for that I tend to use a random orbit sander as belt sanders are really heavy-duty fast stock removal pieces of kit, so if you don't want to sand so fast reduce the speed and use an old or higher grit belt for much the same effect. Frames are also supposed to give you better support when sanding to edges and can reduce the tendency to dub-over or sand through at edges on veneered stuff, especially for the inexperienced (solution: start on solid stock and progress to veneered as your experience grows). Personally, I just found when I had a machine with a frame (Elu MHB157e) that it got in the way a lot and periodically fell off of it's own accord :roll: . I have never really found the need to invert a belt sander and use it as a linisher, although I have used my Mak clamped onto the bench on its side for sanding edges of boards, a job for which a frame would get in the way. Of course the other a belt sander can do remove material quickly when scribing-in.....

I use a B&Q performance Power Pro....... Had it 2 years and it is still going strong after quite a bit of use on many DIY and some furniture projects

Cost around £60 and has a 3 year guarantee

Which means it will probably fail in around 13 months time :lol: Incidentally what size belt does it use and how available are they? 4 x 24in (110 x 610mm) belts are available from loads of places - one of the plus points to sticking to a readily available size - an one reason I got rid of the Elu - belts were a PITA to find

Scrit

 

[Anonymous]

Which means it will probably fail in around 13 months time :lol: Incidentally what size belt does it use and how available are they? 4 x 24in (110 x 610mm) belts are available from loads of places - one of the plus points to sticking to a readily available size - an one reason I got rid of the Elu - belts were a PITA to find

Scrit

£60 for 3 years good service? I'll be happy with that :wink: :lol:

Size is 76 by 457mm - same as the Makita and I usually buy packs of 5 Makita belts from Axminster as they are very reasonably priced