Recommend a belt sander to buy in the Sales!

[Eusebius]

I have a sheet sander but would like a belt sander for more demanding jobs. Since the sales are on it seems a good time to buy. Amazon below stocks Bosch and Black and Decker. I'd like a durable one that will last - I like good tools. Ideas for what to get? What width belt and what wattage should I go for? I doubt that I'll be sanding whole floors, but I will be sanding stuff like 2"x4" wood to make furniture. Any bargains you've seen about? I'm in W.London. Andy

[Richard A Downing]

I have a Bosch. It's very very good. Prefer the professional series if you can afford it. Black and Decker are the same firm as DeWalt, B&D is the brand they use for DIY tools and DeWalt for professional - you pays your money...

R.

[Eusebius]

Should I buy a belt sander with a speed control? Or do they all have one?

[John Rumm]

Sounds like your choice is between random orbit and belt then...

stocks Bosch and Black and Decker. I'd like a durable one that will

To an extent you pays your money and takes your choice. The more serious ones cost a good bit more but with have continously rated motors (i.e. you don't have to stop work every 20 mins to give it a rest) and will probably pass far less vibration to your hands. You should get a better finish and better dust collection into the bargain.

It is not worth buying a really cheap belt sander, since they are often made on a plastic chassis. Hence you will find that after a few months in storage it has often warped enough to no longer be able to centre the belt correctly.

A rasonable random orbit sander would start with something like the green Bosch PEX400.

? What width belt and

Most are about 4" unless you go for one of the special purpose narrow "power file" types.

[Andy Hall]

I researched this one long and hard just over a year ago, looking at reviews and trying out different products.

For belt sanders, Makita is the best choice (different sizes available) unless you want to go for a Festool.

For random orbital sanders, best choice is Metabo, especially SXE450, which has two circle settings and variable speed.

I'm wondering slightly why you would use a belt sander in furniture construction using 50x100mm timber.... Generally the application is for larger surface areas and for material removal.

Broadly, you can go for a heavier duty 100mm model or a smaller 75mm model - the latter being a little easier to wield.

[Andy Hall]

I don't know if they all do, but yes, I think so.

[Pete C]

Hi,

Argos sometimes have some good deals, I bought a Challenge one before xmas for £12.50 that I'm pretty happy with.

For sanding some 4" wide wood I'd expect a 4" sander will make things a lot easier or even a 6" bench mounting belt sander if sanding a lot of wood.

cheers, Pete.