Which belt sander?

If you have Fine Woodworking #170 (Or online but Membership Required)
Choosing and Using Belt Sanders by Scott Gibson

These aggressive tools are unmatched at rapidly flattening panels and
shaping curves.
Belt sanders have long been a mainstay tool for tasks such as
flattening glued-up panels, removing mill and burn marks, or evening up
two joining surfaces. In this overview, Scott Gibson, a regular
contributor to Fine Woodworking, sorts through the different sizes and
features of belt sanders available to woodworkers, and tests models
from seven manufacturers-Bosch, Makita, Craftsman, DeWalt, Hitachi,
Porter-Cable, and Ryobi-examining the effectiveness of dust
collection and stock removal on each. Also included are tips for
shaping curves and flattening stock, and a look at sanding frames,
which add stability when sanding flat panels.

http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/SkillsAndTechniques/SkillsAndTechniquesPDF.aspx?id=2911

R. Pierce Butler wrote:
> I need some advice. I have a very old Porter-Cable 3x21 sander.
It is very
> old and it needs some parts like rubber tires, etc. that are likely
NLA.
>
> Should I go with a new 3x21 sander or should I go with a 4x24" sander?
>
> If I go with the 4x24" then should I go with Porter-Cable 362VSK or
should I
> go with the Milwaukee 5936? The PC is variable speed and the
Milwaukee is
> not. Is it really worthwhile to get the VS sander? No point in
getting
> something that is of little to no usefulness.
>
> If a 3x21 is better then should I get the PC 352VS?
>
> I dont use the belt sander all that often but maybe I would use it
more often
> if it would sand flat.
>

I've burned up more belt sanders than I can remember.

The Porter-Cable units in your post are garbage, I've burned them out
repeatedly.

Got to the point P-C would no longer rebuild them under warranty.

If you truly need a belt sander, then the Porter-Cable 50* (with or
without dust bag), chain drive unit, is the ONLY one worth having.

It is the most expensive unit out there, but it is also the only one
that will survive hard service.

If you build a lot of tops, a belt sander makes sense.

If you don't, not sure why you would want one.

Lew

Lew Hodgett <[email protected]> wrote in news:H4oCg.5891$xp2.3350
@newsread1.news.pas.earthlink.net:

> R. Pierce Butler wrote:
> > I need some advice. I have a very old Porter-Cable 3x21 sander.
> It is very
> > old and it needs some parts like rubber tires, etc. that are likely
> NLA.
> >
> > Should I go with a new 3x21 sander or should I go with a 4x24" sander?
> >
> > If I go with the 4x24" then should I go with Porter-Cable 362VSK or
> should I
> > go with the Milwaukee 5936? The PC is variable speed and the
> Milwaukee is
> > not. Is it really worthwhile to get the VS sander? No point in
> getting
> > something that is of little to no usefulness.
> >
> > If a 3x21 is better then should I get the PC 352VS?
> >
> > I dont use the belt sander all that often but maybe I would use it
> more often
> > if it would sand flat.
> >
>
> I've burned up more belt sanders than I can remember.
>
> The Porter-Cable units in your post are garbage, I've burned them out
> repeatedly.
>
> Got to the point P-C would no longer rebuild them under warranty.
>
> If you truly need a belt sander, then the Porter-Cable 50* (with or
> without dust bag), chain drive unit, is the ONLY one worth having.
>
> It is the most expensive unit out there, but it is also the only one
> that will survive hard service.
>
> If you build a lot of tops, a belt sander makes sense.
>
> If you don't, not sure why you would want one.
>
> Lew
>

I do some tops but not many probably due to the lack of a good belt sander.
The belt sander is useful for quick removal of material.

R. Pierce Butler wrote:

> The belt sander is useful for quick removal of material.

As long as you use a belt sander as a stock removal and not a
finishing tool, you will be happy with the "Choo-Choo".

It is a beast that comes to do heavy work, not play games.

Lew