How much usage do you get out of your disk sander?

[Bruce Page]

I have two of them. I wouldn’t put them in the “must have” category but they sure are nice to have when you need them. I am currently making a “stable” for my granddaughter that has a lot of individual piece parts and the disk sander has been invaluable.

[John Nesmith]

I have a 12" Harbor Freight model that I paid something like $70 for. It was worth it. Works fine. I only use it once or twice a month, but it comes in handy for wood and metal. Sharpens pencils too!

[Chip Lindley]

I do more metal than wood on the Rockwell 12" disc sander. Great for touching up metal parts to an exact 90 deg. The 6x48" belt sander is great for flattening things--like a warped pot metal TS insert.

+1 on sanding exact miter joints to an inexact angle. Great for sanding wooden cubes to exact dimensions for kids building blocks, etc.

The machine is there when I need it. I won't be getting rid it it!

[Gary Herrmann]

They're very handy if you turn. And if you happen across a really good large one for cheap, you'll find uses for it. I've only used the belt for sanding flats on turning blanks for mounting and rough rounding the corners of boxes.

[Jeff Duncan]

My first thought is what really is a "must have" if your doing woodworking as a hobby?

So from there I would say that a disc sander is down the list of nice to have tools but..... since one can never have enough tools, why wouldn't you buy one if it came along at the right price???

FWIW I have a 15" State which is a very well made machine. It certainly doesn't get daily use, but it sure is nice to have on occasion. Oh and it did get used today!

good luck,
JeffD

[Sean Nagle]

I have a 12" Delta disc sander (no belt) that I've been very pleased with. As Anthony mentioned, I find it invaluable to sand a convex curve "to the line" after rough cutting on the bandsaw, just as I use a spindle sander to sand a concave curve. I probably would never do without a disc sander, either standalone or on a sanding center.

[Bruce Wrenn]

I build little cars for Toys for Tots, hundreds of them. They are cut in the shape of a Volkswagon Beetle on band saw. Then it's off to the disk sander. First, I flatten the bottom. This gives me a reference plane to work from. Next I do the two sides, and finally do the radiuses on the body. With disk sander, this just a sweeping motion. Without my disk sander, I couldn't build anywhere near as many cars. I have the Delta 12" bench top unit, and a really cool one that I picked up off CL for $35. A machinest made it from aluminum.

[Mike Schuch]

I have a heavy old 12" disk 6" belt. It is occasionally very handy for wood projects. But when it comes to welding projects it is invaluable! I don't think I have done a welding project without using it at least a half dozen time per project.

The graphite pad on the belt platen is great.

[Glen Butler]

I use to have one so I used it, but I don't miss it. I mostly used it for metal, anyway.

[Doug Shepard]

I've got a 12" Disc/6x48 Belt combo and use the heck out of the disc but not so much the belt. I'd definitely want to replace the disc if it failed but think I'd rather have an edge sander than the 6x48 belt. Turning small circles on the disc is real handy as well as squaring up the ends of pieces or fine tuning miters. Beveled edge sanding with the table tilted has also come in handy.

[Phil Thien]

I've got one of those Ridgid oscillating belt/spindle sanders and I kinda wish I had a 12" disc sander instead. The belts kinda round everything over and I don't use the spindles enough that I couldn't have just chucked a drum into the drill press on occasion.

When I was a kid in shop we used the disc sanders a lot and they were very handy.

[Ole Anderson]

If my shop were bigger, I would love to have a 12" disk sander, but first on my list would be an edge sander, correct me if I am wrong, but wouldn't an edge sander do whatever a disc sander does? Sure it is lots bigger, but also a lot badder!

[Joe Cowan]

I use my mine alot. On narrow boards, as a habit, I touch up the ends to make sure they are square. On molding, I use it to get down to the exact length. Not useful on wide stock, but I like to cut long, and nibble away on the finish length.

[Cary Falk]

correct me if I am wrong, but wouldn't an edge sander do whatever a disc sander does? Sure it is lots bigger, but also a lot badder!

This is kind of my thoughts. I see only about 1/4 of the actual disc usuable since the bottom of the disc is blocked by the table and 1/2 of the top is pulling the piece of fthe table. I love my oscillating edge sander. A 20" or 24" disc sander might be a different story.

[Jon McElwain]

I have got a 12" delta that sees a lot of use. The large table makes it easier for me to sand curved pieces than on the belt sander with a much smaller table. I would love to have an edge sander too, but the disk sander with its downward stroke pushes the piece into the table instead of off the end of the table. If I was not a wood turner, and if I did more case work that was square, I would not find it quite as useful I do not thing. I also spent 4 years working in a boat shop where NOTHING was square. The 20" disk sander we had was invaluable. All that said, for some, a disk sander is just a really heavy paper weight.