Dan Posted June 21, 2011 Report Share Posted June 21, 2011 I'm thinking of getting an oscillating spindle sander from Harbor Freight. If anyone has or had one, what are your thoughts on it? I like the price and it wouldn't be used much. My wife has been bugging me to do more intarsia. I told her I didn't have all the right tools so she said, "You have a birthday coming up?" Any comments would be appreciated. Thanks. Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clayton717 Posted June 21, 2011 Report Share Posted June 21, 2011 Dan I have one I bought three + years ago from Menards. It's not a major brand name but it works great and I give it a workout when I'm doing my intarsia. It looks similar to the one harbor freight has. I think I paid about the same when I bought mine. If your going to do more intarsia I would get one. I didn't have a lot to spend when I bought it but it works great. And it gets used alot. I don't know how I got by without it. I buy the sanding drums from harbor freight too. They sell it in a set(one for each drum size), and it works great. once you have one you'll be surprised at how much you'll use it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
don in brooklin on Posted June 21, 2011 Report Share Posted June 21, 2011 I don't have the Harbor Freight sander but I have the combination belt and spindle sander from Rigid. (Homedepot) It is more money ($199 not on sale). I find I use the belt a lot and usually have that on more than the spindles. I do a lot of pens and I use the belt to square the ends. It also does edges very well. The other minus is that the largest spindle is 2 inches but you can use the end of the belt. The warranty is 3 years versus 90 days/one year (what ever that means). My original machine had the lifetime warranty and when I moved recently the movers stripped the thread. I took it back, confessed my sins and since the part was not available they replaced the machine with a refurbished model and it works great. Just a my thoughts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PawPawRay Posted June 21, 2011 Report Share Posted June 21, 2011 I've had mine from HF for over a year. Use it all the time. Well worth the price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travis Posted June 21, 2011 Report Share Posted June 21, 2011 I have the Rigid from Home Depot and love it. I really like having the option of both the belt and spindle sander. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edward Posted June 21, 2011 Report Share Posted June 21, 2011 I bought one from Harbor Frieght last year the name is General Machinery, sometimes they run a sale on them, I got mine for less then $100. So far I like it no problems, would make a nice birthday present. Edward Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Posted June 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 22, 2011 Thanks guys. Since I have a belt/disc sander, I'll probably go with the HF sander. I would like to get a better one but no way do I want to fork over $400, $200 would be pushing the limit. All the intarsia I've done (not really a lot) was done without one and I always had troubles getting a good fit. I think the sander will help a lot. Does anyone use it for anything besides intarsia? Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clayton717 Posted June 22, 2011 Report Share Posted June 22, 2011 I use it alot, besides intarsia. I use it a lot to take saw marks off pieces cut on tablesaw or bandsaw, and squre up my segmented pen blanks, among other things. to me it is very handy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travis Posted June 22, 2011 Report Share Posted June 22, 2011 I find I use mine a fair amount too for smoothing curved ends. I use the belt sander attachment a lot too, especially when leveling shelf-sitters. The spindle sander will be very valuable if you ever decided to do scroll saw bowls. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Posted June 23, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 23, 2011 Oh yea! Thanks for reminding me Travis. I finished some bowls using a drum sander on a drill press. The spindle sander will be much better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Posted June 24, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 24, 2011 Well, I did it. I met my wife for lunch and she took me to Harbor Freight. The original price of the sander is now $159. The sale price is $129. The local store was giving another 20% off so I took it. My wife bought the two year warranty and the total cost was about $129. With the warranty, I can just take it back to the store and get a replacement, no questions asked (so they say). I hope I never have to use the warranty, but plan on giving it a go this weekend. Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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