Spindle Sander

[Glen Walker]

Guys,
Im looking for a little advice. Im thinking of purchasing a spindle sander and cant help but look at the Grizzley G0529. What do you guys think? Is it a worth while item to have, or is a guy better off just to get something to put in the drill and sand edges that way? What about the disc sander is that something that is used very often?

Thanks,
Glen Walker

[Keith Outten]

Glen,

I own one of the benchtop Jet Spindle Sanders and it is a real workhorse. I expect the Grizzly is a big step up. There are only two sanding machines IMO that are worth space in my shop, a spindle sander and an edge sander. These two machine together make woodworking so much more enjoyable than any other sanding machines.

If you ever use a spindle sander for even just a few minutes you will throw your drill press sanding drums away. If you ever use an edge sander you will never want to use a disk sander again, thats my take on the subject

.

[Jim Becker]

My OSS is the one "machine-based" sander that I actually use with any frequency.

[Tom Cowie]

I agree with Keith and Jim. I have the Jet Floor model. I'll never use a drill press again for sanding but I did for years . Major difference in the ease of use.

Tom

[Bob Michaels]

Same as Jim Cowie. My Jet floor model OSS does a reasonably good job and I like it.

[Darrell Jones]

I can also vouch for the Jet floor model. It's been a godsend for bandsaw boxes, intarsia, etc.

[Bert Johansen]

Glen, I also have the Jet benchtop OSS and find it indispensable. I have a number of projects that are mostly curved parts, and I simply wouldn't attempt these without the OSS. Unless you just make boxes, you will love having one in your shop.

[Bill Wyko]

I also have the Jet bench top. It really helps when making rings for segmented turnings. It's as powerful as a diesel truck too. Nothing slows it down.

[Dennis Hatchett]

Guys,
Im looking for a little advice. Im thinking of purchasing a spindle sander and cant help but look at the Grizzley G0529. What do you guys think? Is it a worth while item to have, or is a guy better off just to get something to put in the drill and sand edges that way? What about the disc sander is that something that is used very often?

You are on the right track as everyone has told you. Unless you have a specific application for the disc sander I'd encourage you to skip that feature just because of it's limitations. For $120 more you might consider the larger spindle sander that has more capabilities and much larger spindles. It's the 1071 OSS.

The G0529 is a good machine for a small shop but you might grow beyond it in the near future. It has only four spindles and it's largest spindle is only 2 inches. THe 1071 has ten spindles and the largest is 4 inches. That may not sound like much but it is a huge difference and you'll use those larger spindles frequently.

Maybe it's just me but most of the creekers seem critical of the combination machines because they seek to do two things, but this isn't always a good thing in a tool. I've never liked disc sanders so I have to disclose my bias, but I think most of us that have tried the smaller combination machines would have been much happier to buy the dedicated machine that does one thing well. It's an extra hundred bucks but it's a much better tool.