Belt Sander ?

a static sander (linisher)

Dunno what you want it for, but belt sanders are incredibly aggressive beasts. Take you eye off them for a second & they gouge great lumps out of things.

Bought a B&D 3x24" years ago (prob. 30). Still in use. Also have a bench stand for it, but it is somewhat flimsy and I rarely use it. That little extra belt length can make a lot of difference. Have never felt the need for a wider belt and I imagine them unwieldy. As TMH says, they can be aggressive beasts. They are good for some purposes but not a cure-all. With practice and the right grade belt they can achieve good results. For a linisher. If you have the space, use and wallet capacity, I would go for a stand-alone. These also often include a disc sander which can be of enormous use. They're not that expensive. Mine has proved invaluable over the last 20 years. Again choice of belt grade and practice are important.

HTH

Nick.

Hire one first. Then when you've realised how useless they are, save your = money.

I've got a nice one. Makita, well made, about 25 years old. Nice bit of kit= . Still damn-near useless for any rational purpose. It comes out about once= in five years, maybe for a bit of corner work in a stripped floor, or fini= shing off chainsaw carvings. Otherwise though, it's like a hand-held electr= ic plane - a complicated machine for destroying the job at the last minute.

If you must get one, then get one with a frame around it. At least that red= uces the risk of front roller divots.

it. Still damn-near useless for any rational purpose. It comes out about on= ce in five years, maybe for a bit of corner work in a stripped floor, or fi= nishing off chainsaw carvings. Otherwise though, it's like a hand-held elec= tric plane - a complicated machine for destroying the job at the last minut= e.

educes the risk of front roller divots.

I'll look for a frame model

make a static sander =A0(linisher)

Depends on your line of work really. I find mine really useful. You can also get a lump of special plastic for cleaning the belts too.

Don't think it makes that much difference - the main difference being in width...

Longer will make for a slightly longer bed and hence very slightly less aggressive.

Probably fair - but depends a bit on what you are doing. Sanding a floor for example would better suit the larger one.

a static sander (linisher)

Many have a flat top, which means the "adaptor" can be as simple as a clamp.

Personally I quite like mine for quick finish stripping. The key to success being to keep it flat and moving.

Not much use if they've got your DNA on file.

a static sander (linisher)

So a 3" x 24" is the choice then .... I keep an eye on ebay ...