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Decent belt sander rec's

1K views 9 replies 9 participants last post by  Ripper70 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
Hi All,

I have an old black and decker belt sander from the early to mid 90's my folks gave me. I don't use it real often so I never had the urge to upgrade. This spring I'm going to be sanding our resonable sized deck. I am thinking of upgrading to a little better belt sander, but when looking at the prices I was surprised how expensive they are compared to my 5" RO's.

I don't need the best and most expensive, just a moderarly to lower priced dependable one. I am not even sure if I need variable speed - the one I use now isn't and I've never had the urge to want one.
 
#5 ·
For what you'd likely spend on a rental, you're already half way to owning a used one. I bought a Porter Cable 362 CPO for $160 15 years ago and I've seen them for less than half that used on CL or the like several times since. I even picked up a variable speed, like new Porter cable 3" x 21" belt sander for $10 at a garage sale. There are deals to be had and often you can own for less than the price of renting.
 
#7 ·
I should have said: rent, but probably not a belt sander. They almost certainly have something that would be more suited (easier, quicker) for sanding a "reasonable" sized deck. Such a job is going to tax the best hand held sander, so findng another way would be a good thing. Even if the hand held belt sander is the best tool, you will be using it a lot…burning up a rental (with hazard ins.) is much better than burning up the one (or more) you just bought. Something like a flooring sander might be a better way.
 
#8 ·
I have a Porter Cable belt sander…..3 X 21…..Had it for years….Used it twice, I think….I don't care for belt sanders, as they can get too aggressive. You really need to know how to use one, or it can chew up the wood and make deep grooves or high and low spots on the lumber.
 
#9 ·
I don't use a belt sander for any kind of fine work. Most of what I use mine for is to clean rough wood prior to running it through the jointer and planer. Keeps the sand and dirt away from the knives.

As for which one to buy, I like my 3×21 Makita, and the 3×21 Ryobi I bought maybe 12 years or more ago simply won't die. If Ryobi still offers a belt sander, it should be cheap and acceptable.
 
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