I Need Sander Advice Please

[Iamdusty]

I have very limited space and need to buy a sander for the scroll sawing I do. So if I can only afford to have one sander, due to space and budget, what would all of you recommend?
I would like to stay under or around $200.00.
My scroll saw work consists right now of Boxes, baskets, fretwork and I would like to try my hand at segmentation and intarsia soon.
Your help will be most appreciated,

Dale

DW788

[Jediscroller]

Dale,
Could you elaborate a little on what you want to do with the sander?

[workin for wood]

Due to budget and space, and since you also mention intarsia/segmentation, I'll recommend the grizzle stationary belt/disc sander 6x48. Gives you plenty of power for shaping. You can hold pretty good size pieces over top to sand boxes or perhaps a pattern off of a fret piece. Disk is pretty big, great for sharpening tools, squaring boxes or segmented pie's for circle making and whatever else. Grizzly isn't the tool company I'd usually go to first. Being a stationary belt/disk sander, the quality can be sacrificed a bit. The price is right in the ballpark, and it isn't a monster tool, but it is something I use on a daily basis.

buy that tool and yes, you will be dusty <wink>.

The dust port is undersized. It works, but it misses alot of dust. The hole is only 2" but the paper is 6" wide, go figure!

[Magpie]

If you are really tight for money and space, this is a great little sander for the price, for segmentation and intarsia. http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...temnumber=2485 I dunno about doing boxes and such. For $30 you can't beat this one though, until you know what you DO want

Do you have a rotary tool (Dremel)? I can't live without mine. It's extremely versatile and pretty cheap--I have seen them for around $7 on Harbor Freight, although I'm sure the quality is not what you might want. I paid $50 for mine and it's well worth it. Mine came with everything from coarse sanding heads to sanding mops, not to mention glass etchers and stuff like that.

I also have a big belt sander but I don't use it much any more. If you would find it useful, I got mine for $75 at the borg. I'm sure you could find one cheaper.

For boxes and baskets and such, I don't really know what you need. I do my shaping with the small belt sander and the Dremel, but surface the blanks and finish pieces by hand. Hope that helps a little

[Iamdusty]

Thanks all who have responded so far.
I am embarrassed to say, that I'm not sure how to answer Kevin's question, because I am still learning so much. But I'll try to answer: On most of the boxes, I round over the edges and have been doing it by hand. With some of the portrait fretwork, I have needed to straighten some of the outside edges, where I haven't cut an exactly straight line, in cutting out the stock piece I am going to scroll. Then I also assumed that I would need a sander for shaping intarsia or segment pieces.
I did see a combo disk and belt sander at Lowe's today. They had a Hitachi and a Delta which had a disk and 1" belt sander.
Any thoughts and education you can share will be great
Jeff, who carries the Grizzly?

Thanks all, Dale

[JohnB]

G'day Dale,
I'd have to agree with Jeff.
I have a 6" x 48" belt sander with a 9" disk.
I never bothered putting the stop on the belt and this allows you sand as long apiece as you wish.
You have to hang on tight though or you'll have missiles

For straightening out wobbly outside cuts it does the job well.
The wheels on ends also allow you to sand into curves, and the disk, you'll find a thousand uses for.

I also have one of the smaller sander that are pictured in this thread. The disk I find is to small for anything, but the 1" belt does come in handy.

If I were to buy only one, it would be the larger one.

Just my thoughts.

[minowevie]

Hi there Dale. some of the sanders I use is just that, a disk and belt sander. then, a orbetale sander. used buy hand. also. if you do fretwork, you must have a drill press. to drill your holes strait. and you can use some sanding mopes, and sanding flees on the drill press. also some sanding drums on the drill press. also I use some palm sanders, and use the ready glue on sand pappers attatched to them in differant grits. to do my fretwork. and needle files, and emerybords cut to size,(thin) to do the inside cuts. If you have a grinding wheel, you can also fix it up to hold some sanding drums, of differant sizes. I do love my little 1" belt sander, and it doesn't take up to much room. and it takes off alot of stuff. to size things up with. mostly though. I use my little palm sanders. I also put the glue on sandpapper on the side of my table to run a piece over to plum or straighten the piece out on a quick not. hope this helps. your freind Evie

hear is some pictures of the way I put the glued on sand papper, to a palm sander. and the differant grits . and a piece on the side of my work table.

[minowevie]

Dale. If you would like to get a free cataloge to Grizzly . hear is a web sight for you.
Grizzly Industrial,Inc.(( grizzly.com )) or call,
1-800-523-4777 just go there and ask for a fee catalog. it is jamed packed full of fun toys. your friend Evie Ps there is lots of free catalogs out there for tools. I have lots do you wont them. your friend Evie

[groverd]

Dale; when i started doing intarsia many years ago i started with a palm sander, dremel tool with 1/2 drum, and hand sanding. The three did a adequate job for years. then being like most wood workers (and fishermen) I just had to have more sanders. now i have and use a oscillating spindle, small inflatables, larger semi-inflatables, disc/belt, orbital sanders! I figure i can never have enough sanders or clamps

Grover D

[lucky788scroller]

the website is www.grizzlyindustrial.com and I think I would go along with Jeff, if there can only be one multiuse sander for all that you need, one of those combination belt/disc sanders should be very useful.I would though sugest one with cast iron tables,like the G1014Z on the grizzly site. Its not a benchtop sander, but its much heavier built. There are many other brands of them that are similar, so do shop around. Dale