I've always been satisfied with my Shopfox W1855 36" combo from Grizzly, and don't consider that size as a toy.

IMHO, "bigger" wouldn't be "better" for 12 more inches, at double (or more) the price.

 

IMHO, "bigger" wouldn't be "better" for 12 more inches, at double the price.

It's actually only a ~6" difference. I'm not sure how much it matters, but I never thought I would need a belt/disc sander until I actually got one... and now I use it all the time, and it's also what I use to sharpen my turning tools. Mines a 48" belt/10" disc sander, but I can't imagine that the 6" shorter platen would make much difference for me.

Cheers,
Brad

 

I've got one I've had for years and still use. Anything that won't work on it for me I use my 6" x 60" Griz edge sander.

And, I wouldn't call it a toy. I bought it to do certain jobs with and that's what it does.

 

Buy the tool you want. you will regret buying anything else.

 

ive had a 6/36 for over 20 years. it gets used often- more the belt than disc but worth every penny

 

To us, our 4x36 inch belt sander with a 6 inch disc is large. It is old and heavy solid metal. It just works for us. Honestly, I do not use it often. It has no dust port, but I rig up the floor nozzle on the shop vac next to the sawdust "spray" and the shop vac sucks it in.

We also have a 1x30 inch sander with a 5 inch disc. It is a Wen, but the same as all the other brands. It is plastic and I call it a toy, but we use it far more often than the 4x36 inch belt sander. Sometimes small and light is better and more convenient. The low cost lightweight plastic "toy" sander fits that description well.

We have many sanders at our disposal:

• 6x36 / 6 inch belt/disc sander (described above)
• 1x30 / 5 inch belt/disc sander (the plastic toy that works well for us)
• Oscillating spindle sander
• Spindles for the drill press (rarely used)
• 5 inch Random Orbital Sander (ROS)
• 1/3 sheet Orbital / Finish Sander (old Craftsman with no dust collection)
• 4x24 handheld belt sander (Rarely used ... too difficult for me to control well. I have a strong friend who wields one with amazing agility.)
• Dremel tool with many grinding and sanding bits
• Preppin' Weapon sanding blocks
• A block of cherry wood with chamfered edges sized for my hand. I "made" it in the 1970s. You pinch the sandpaper and start sanding.

Of all the sanding tools we have, we use the Preppin' Weapon sanding blocks the most.

 

I replaced my worn out 4x24 benchtop belt sander with the Rikon 50-122, 6x48 belt sander. Was a nice addition to my shop. But I'm thinking of getting another 4x24 sander. For sanding the smaller pieces. Was easier to control sanding smaller pieces with a smaller sander @ slight slower rpm speed.

 

I got a Rikon 6x48" at an estate auction;didn't need it, but bid just for fun and got it at a ridiculous price. It was new in the box, only the top had been opened; I suspected the old fellow opened it it, saw just how big it was, could not lift it (100 pounds) and pushed it to the corner.

The damn thing was a beast, and I had no need nor space, so sold it for a 250 profit in 2 days. Would have liked it in the shop, but neither need nor space.

 

You’ll have to decide how much you will use it. I don’t use mine much, but it’s there if I need it..

 

I used to have a Wen 4X36. It was very underpowered (1/3hp), and it bogged down the instant a work piece came in contact with it. Needless to say, it now lives elsewhere. Last year I came across a 70s vintage Craftsman 6X48 with a 9" disk which needed to be restored. It is one of those with the motor/drive belt/stand. I restored it and now I use it all the time. It is a beast, and it removes material in a hurry.
The Rikon 6X48 with the stand was a possibility until I came across the Cman.

 

I have a Bucktool 4x36 belt sander. Seems really well built, inexpensive. I run belts for metal on it and mostly use itto clean up my metal projects before welding and in preparation for paint. Some wood goes on it but not much.

 

I use what I have room for...and I use both the belt and the disc a LOT.

 

One additional comment about our 4x36 sander. I was out shopping for sanding belts last week. Nobody had 4x36 belts for it other than the "industrial hardware" store. A few stores had a limited selection of 4x36 belts in coarse and very coarse grits, but not the finer grits we use, like 120.

 

I was out shopping for sanding belts last week. Nobody had 4x36 belts for it other than the "industrial hardware" store.

+1 to Bandits suggestion of HF. They have the 4x36 inch belts in 36, 80 and 120 grit. I use their belts on my 6x48 and they work just fine. And using a sanding 'eraser' (or even an old tennis shoe) helps make them last a lot longer.

Harbor Freight 4x36 inch sanding belts - $3.99

Cheers,
Brad

 

maybe get those belts where I get them? Harbor Freight.....as my sander is a 4 x 36....and a 6" disc...

 

I much prefer their Red Belts...as the Blue ones shred very quickly....

 

I don’t know where you live, but a search on Facebook marketplace in Connecticut brings up about 6 Delta, “old iron” 6x48 sanders around $300. I have had one of these for about 50 years and I use it frequently. It has a dust collection connector that works fairly well depending on what is being sanded.

 

Have you considered the used equipment market? Determining how you will use it now. How much space do you have? What might I do in the future with it as I gain skills? Thicker material either takes more time or needs more HP. I have owned a Craftsman 4 x 36/9 disc. It did just fine for my father in law for 40 years and me for 10. I bought 3 - Delta 6 x 48 /12 disc in a high school auction. Kept the best one vintage 1981. I went from 1/2 HP to 1.5 HP with a similar footprint. Generally I don't need the bigger one. But sometimes it is nice to have. It does have dust collection which was a plus. But I have less than $ 500 in it. I would consider the used market. Ask them for a video of it in use.

 

I replaced my "exploding" Harbor Freight 4x36 disk/belt sander about 2 years ago with the Ryobi 4x36 model and I use it constantly in my shop. I added an auxiliary table on the belt arm since I use that predominantly and in the vertical position. I thought about getting the Rikon but decided that for all the work I do, the 4"x36" meets all my needs without taking up the additional space. I also have the 1"x30" belt sander from HF and so far its worked perfectly. I also have an oscillating spindle sander that has a belt sander attachment and even that feature doesn't get a lot of work. The spindles, yes; the belt sander, no. I believe that what you choose to buy is determined by what you actually need and what space allocation you have. For example, I have a Jet 6" Long bed jointer and it sits mostly unused most of the time. I rarely need to do long timber dimensioning and know that for 99% of my shop work a bench top Rikon would fill the bill nicely.But I have the long bed so until I decide to part with it, it will sit in the shop collecting dust most of the time. So, bigger is not always better. Get what you need to accomplish the work you do.

 

Seems like your concerned about the 4x36 benchtop sander. Whether it can do what you'd like it to do. And really don't want the expense of the 6x48 benchtop belt sander. I'd ask myself, what do you want to sand with it... Then purchase accordingly.

I got my Craftsmans 4x36 sander, new in 1995. It did everything I asked it to do. And I wore it out the, 4x36. Gave it away to one of my step-sons, he's still using it. The reason I went with the 6x48, I make Memorial Urns. I do a lot of sanding, 5 1/2" to 7" wide pieces, from 5 1/2" to 8" long. I thought the 6x48 benchtop sander would handle them quicker. Verses my V-Surface Drum sander.

Sometimes you may feel the need for: Detail sander, 1/4 Sheet sander, 5" or 6" Orbital sander, 3"x21" or 4"x24" portable belt sander and 4x36 sander or 6" disc sander.
You may find all you need is the 4"x36" sander with 6" disc & a 4"x24" portable sander for the larger panels of wood, plus the Detailer Sander. This combo of three sanders worked fine for me (15 years). I didn't start getting the larger tools & sanders till I retired.

 

I had a Delta 4x6”. Definitely a toy.

I have a RIKON 6x10. A step up but not what I would consider a quality machine. I was going to buy the Central Machinery but this came up on sale. The table is a disaster, almost impossible to adjust so I have to leave it set at 90.

Dust collection on the disc is very good, on the belt, not as good.

Grizzly makes a nice looking 6x12, but it’s hard to justify $1k for a sander. Had it to do over I would buy a Grizzly 12” disc ($325). I don’ t use the belt sander much and could edge sand on the table saw, or build a jig for a belt sander.

Grizzy makes a 6x10 that looks substantially better than the Rikon.

But more to your question, those belt sanders aren’t really edge sanders, unless you could rig up a table that runs the length. If you really need an edge sander, I’ve seen several DIY’s that don’t look that hard to build.

Mike Farrington sells a tapered sanding disc for a table saw. Have yet to buy one, but it’s on my list. Double Taper Sanding Disc — mike farrington

 

When buying tools new it's a you get what you pay for type thing Taiwan makes the majority of the new tools you will be looking at and a lot of them are they same thing with different names on them. And now they will be higher priced once new tariffs hit the stores inventories. Your bargains are in the used market but if you don't know how or don't want to learn how to work on your tools then go buy a new one...soon. A tool with a belt driven motor will almost always be a more substantial tool than a direct drive tool at least in the area we are talking about.

 

Could you expand on why belt driven designs would be better than a direct drive design?

 

Have found that a belt drive allow things to stall a bit, IF one presses too hard....without affecting the motor itself....at least on the 4" x 36" one I have in the shop

As for using the rounded end where the sanding belt goes around the idler roller...

That would depend on if the radii match each other,,,

 

That in itself could be considered a safe thing if the belt slips because of too much load and is another thing in favor of belt drive. I wouldn't want a direct drive lawn mower for that reason.