Porter Cable vs Ridgid Spindle sander

[Steven Wilson]

The Ridgid has been reviewed here many times. You will be hard pressed to find anyone who has said bad things about it.

Then you haven't looked too hard Art. I use to have one and at first it seemed to be a decent machine, then I noticed that the belt wouldn't sand square and that it has a very slight twist. I checked this against a few others at the Borg (thinking that mine was defective) and they all had the same problem. I quickly got rid of that machine and picked up the large Grizzly OSS which is a very good machine and much more useful than the Ridgid.

[Peter Quinn]

Should mention the rigid is not gonna do the work of a cast iron 4" OSS or a big table belt sander. Not that industrial or precise. Wouldnt try to fit inset doors on this thing or something. Just a nice solid little tool for rough fairing curves and scribing small parts. Real cute too.

[Art Mann]

Then you haven't looked too hard Art. I use to have one and at first it seemed to be a decent machine, then I noticed that the belt wouldn't sand square and that it has a very slight twist. I checked this against a few others at the Borg (thinking that mine was defective) and they all had the same problem. I quickly got rid of that machine and picked up the large Grizzly OSS which is a very good machine and much more useful than the Ridgid.

I said he would be hard pressed, I didn't say it would be impossible. All tool companies produce a bad one every now and then. I'm sorry yours turned out that way. My belt sander attachment doesn't have a twist and it sands square. Apparently, that has been the experience of a large majority of owners. You are taking your chances with any manufacturer, including Grizzly. I once bought a Shop Fox vise from Grizzly that was an absolute piece of junk that was broken when I received it, but others seem to like that model a lot. If the OP is as unlucky as you, then most likely it will be easy to run down to HD and return it. It is not so easy with Grizzly unless you live close to the warehouse showroom.

Peter makes a good point about the applicability of this unit. I would not purchase one for high volume heavy use work.

[Gary Muto]

I have the Ridgid and like it. The table has an tilt feature that's nice.
It's not heavy duty, but it comes with a lifetime guarantee.

[jason mowery]

I was really wanting a spindle sander for quite a while, but with all the projects around the house needing attention, and only so much money, I created a workable alternative for about $8. Provided you have a drill press, you can buy a rubber drum sanding gizmo at a good hardware store that you can chuck right into your drill press. Buy the corresponding sized sandpaper sleeves, and build a box out of plywood scraps that sits over the table of your drill press, with wooded cleats inside it to keep it from sliding to far down. Use a hole saw just larger than the diameter of your sanding drum, and lower and lock your drill press with the sanding drum into the whole in your homemade "sanding station" at the height that works for whatever you need sanded. No, it doesn't oscillate, but I've found it removes material plenty fast on pine, oak, walnut, and cherry. Just a thought...

[Gordon Harner]

Have you considered the pc 121 which is a portable sander? I built a table for mine for stationary use. The maximum sleeve size is 2" tho. I like the portability since I have a small shop. I also have sleeves up to 4" for my drill press and a belt/disc sander. I like the options since I don't have to break down a machine setup in mid project. The 121 is a strong tool.