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I have finally decided it is time to buy myself a belt and disc sander. I do have the Rigid oscillating sander and it has worked well for me. At times, I have wished the belt was longer but I have also found it worked well when working with small parts.

So I am not thinking, while keeping the Rigid sanding about adding a bigger belt sander. I go back and forth between buying the 4 inch belt sander or the 6 inch belt sander. When I look at size in my garage/shop I think the 4 inch wins. When I think about a friend who says his 4 inch sander doesn't have enough power and he wishes he would have bought the 6 inch model because it has greater HP and will sand larger pieces like his necks better. Then I think well maybe I should go with the 6 inch belt sander.

If I get the 4 inch I will most likely just lift it around and put it on a shelf when I don't use it. If I get the 6 inch belt sander I will build a cart with drawers in it so I can move it around.

So I would like to hear from folks as to what they have and what they think of each. I did do a search and found some information but not exactly what I was looking for so I decided to try asking the question.

Thanks for any thoughts you may wish to share.
Chuck

Don't waste your $$$. Get a 6x89. You will never regret it. Buy a separate 12" disc.

I've got a 4x36" combo.
Either the belt or the disk is always in the way.
I often forget the disk is running when using the belt.
Good thing I wear pants.

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wah
Wah-wah-wah-wah
Wah

I agree with the concern about the combo. I have one but I have taken the disk sandpaper off. I burned my hand at least one too many times on the disk while using the belt.

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http://www.Harvestmoonguitars.com

The 4x36 is ok for saddles, nuts, brace ends etc, but not very powerful or useful for much else. I'd vote 6x48.

I use a 6 by 48 but mine is a commercial model . The disk sander is out of the way of the plane of the belt sander.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/JET-J-4210K-Bel ... Sw42JWDphL
this is a similar unit. The belt will lay flat.
Get the biggest and best you can afford A good tool is an investment a cheap tool is a cost.

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John Hall
blues creek guitars
Authorized CF Martin Repair
Co President of ASIA
You Don't know what you don't know until you know it

Never a fan of combo machines -- but they can work.

Our largest belt sander is only 36" (mainly used to surface head stocks front and back) and we have a 24" oscillator also a 30" x 1" so in our experience there has not been a need for anything larger or a disk sander.

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Ken Cierp

http://www.kennethmichaelguitars.com/

Well, once you have it, you'll find more and more things to do with it.

I miss having a little disc sander for nuts and saddles, as I turned mine into an edge sander, and the disc spindle is beneath the bench.

Not to be argumentative but we did have a 48" and it was sold years ago. If the question is purely size (and you have the floor space) -- I'd say get the biggest and best you can afford.

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Ken Cierp

http://www.kennethmichaelguitars.com/

Not to be argumentative either.... and not intending to confuse the matter any more but we've got a 4" a 6" and a 6' long bed sander.... the kind f*ctories use for shaping necks.

The 4" is great for nuts and saddles and small stuff and I keep 120 paper on it to cut down on the depth of the scratches in my nuts.... and saddles as I approach final thickness. The 6" has 80 grit and is great for larger stuff, making bridges, brace stock, having the piece ripped from your hand as you burn your fingers and then sucked into the General dust collector...etc. Don't ya love going though a dust bag to find that customer's bridge.....

The long bed sander although a coveted thing we have used so very few times that we don't even want it and would like to sell it. These things are pretty large and take up a LOT of space and when only used once in a while the space is more important to us than the convenience of being able to play guitar f*ctory worker with necks. Anyone want a long bed sander, you haul and the price is cheap...

Anyway the point of my post is that I think that there are great uses for either a 4" or 6" and if you keep different paper on them both it's great to have something that can sneak up on a final thickness or hog off material like there is no tomorrow.

Some of the long standing members will recall that I started building guitars in a spare bathroom and a Residence Inn in Sunnyvale California that I stayed at during the week for a year.... Business travel never kept me from building stinkin guitars.... The maids tended to hate my guts though....

If I had to go back into the bathroom shop or just a simple basement shop building guitars I would keep the 4" and nix the 6". It's amazing how much value you can learn to get out of a tool if it's all you have and thinking back I think that I had more fun building back then too when the instruments were the goal not a woodworking shop....

But, as always, to each their own.

Ouch....

(Sorry, bored and feeling childish at work...)

Yes, minimizing the depth of scratches on one's nuts is an important goal. In fact, one could move to wet sanding with a lubricant and be very satisfied.

I feel childish at work ALL the time.

I started with a 4" combo and then upgraded to a 6" version, which I liked better.

Now, though, I have a 6" belt only and leave it in the upright position with an adjustable table. I am very happy with it- If I was to get anything else it would be the same thing permanently mounted horizontally. I don't miss having a disc sander.

I sold the 6" combo but I still have the 4" version. It runs a completely worn out 320 belt that puts a nice polish on things It lives on the shelf, though.

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Burton
http://www.legeytinstruments.com
Brookline, MA.

LOL! I'm bored at work too and just glued the back back on a Martin that got pitched against a wall last Saturday in the final play of the Michigan vs. Michigan State game.....

I liked Don's post too and think that some of us are masters of of that ole Italian suppository thing..... innuendo.....

I built guitars in a bathroom as well... only had a drill press, a jig saw, and a really small lam trimmer.

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Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
http://www.typhoon-guitars.com

Love goes out the door when money comes innuendo - Groucho Marx

Ed

Love Groucho!!! He also said when the stock market crashed and he lost all of his money "I would have lost more but that was all I had...." Then there is the true story of when royalty was visiting the US and one of the royals asked to meet Groucho....

He was known to say what ever was on his mind and likely as un-pc as one could be. US authorities even threatened him with jail time if he embarrassed them and said what was on his mind....

That's exactly what he is reported to have done too and I can't write the details here because it's X rated..... but funny as can be!!!

I bought this one a decade ago and its done everything I have ever needed.



Delta Power Equipment Corp 31-140 Disc Sander, 1/2 Horse Power, 12-Inch

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