treesner Posted July 10, 2017 Report Share Posted July 10, 2017 hey guys wondering what would be the best hand held belt sander to get? current project that made me want to have one is leveling some plywood end grain of a weird shaped cabinet i made, i tried a power planer but it wasn't working well in the miter joint area.. Seems like the recommended one is porter cable 4x24. Looking on eBay and seeing one has a bag and one doesn't.. Although i have a trend air shield guessing you'd still want a bag for this thing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mat60 Posted July 10, 2017 Report Share Posted July 10, 2017 I have PC 4/24 with bag and like it. It is a bit top heavy but not a problem for me. It tracks good and it is easy to change paper also. You do want the bag. I cant comment on any other sanders. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted July 10, 2017 Report Share Posted July 10, 2017 https://www.amazon.com/Festool-571810-RO-150-FEQ/dp/B004R18WP8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1499715572&sr=8-1&keywords=rotex+RO150 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Immortan D Posted July 10, 2017 Report Share Posted July 10, 2017 I have this Makita and it's great, but I agree with Eric, for edges a good ROS will be easier to manage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bleedinblue Posted July 10, 2017 Report Share Posted July 10, 2017 It's a big bite, but the Rotex can be used for other tasks, the belt sander IMO is a one trick pony and won't be used much. I burned mine up a couple years ago haven't missed it. For less than half price, you can get the Bosch 1250, IMO it's the equivalent to the Rotex. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted July 10, 2017 Report Share Posted July 10, 2017 If I remember correctly treesner does a lot of sculpting in plywood. A Rotex would be an incredibly useful tool for that. It can hog some meat, and can handle a lot more shapes than a belt sander. It can also be used as a finish sander. Much much more versatile than any belt. Obviously with a giant price tag. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted July 10, 2017 Report Share Posted July 10, 2017 I have a 4x24 Rockwell that I probably haven't used in 30 years. The 3x21 Bosch gets pulled out once in a while, but the last job I remember for that was leveling down some brick to fit a theshold over, and that's been a good while ago too. About the only one I use to amount to anything is the one handed PC that turns out to be the ideal tool for trimming horses' feet. They were something everyone needed before random orbit sanders came out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treesner Posted July 10, 2017 Author Report Share Posted July 10, 2017 18 minutes ago, Eric. said: If I remember correctly treesner does a lot of sculpting in plywood. A Rotex would be an incredibly useful tool for that. It can hog some meat, and can handle a lot more shapes than a belt sander. It can also be used as a finish sander. Much much more versatile than any belt. Obviously with a giant price tag. Yeah i've looked into and tried a rotex for my work but i don't like that in rotex mode while it spins theres a slight orbital action, I prefer the makita 90* drill with sanding disc. I have tried the drill sander on the edge which worked ok but i can't help to think the larger surface area of the belt sander would be easier to keep square. The other belt sander task I believe i need it for is flattening a plywood table top glue up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drzaius Posted July 11, 2017 Report Share Posted July 11, 2017 That Makita is a tough tool. I've had one for about 35 years & has seen some very hard use. Mostly to do with reno work. Same one as the current model. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyJack Posted July 11, 2017 Report Share Posted July 11, 2017 Prefer 4x24 Bosch with DC, but I believe the PC 4x24 sander with DC would be a second best... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pwk5017 Posted July 11, 2017 Report Share Posted July 11, 2017 The ro150 isn't that manageable in rotex mode, imo. I've had it spin out of my grip and go gallavanting across my work surface a few times leaving gouges. I also think the belt sander removes material faster. What my PC belt sander lacked was DC, and that meant using it outside only. One of the few reasons it went to some guy on Craigslist. If I had the choice, I'd get the festool model with a sanding frame. I would actually buy that thing new if they had it in NA. My second choice would be the Bosch because the dust port is positioned better. The PC had it sticking out of the top of the housing like a blow hole. Oh, and it was 3/4" port or something equally odd. My third choice and what I would probably do tomorrow if I needed a belt sander is buy whatever was cheap on Craigslist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treesner Posted July 11, 2017 Author Report Share Posted July 11, 2017 14 hours ago, Pwk5017 said: The ro150 isn't that manageable in rotex mode, imo. I've had it spin out of my grip and go gallavanting across my work surface a few times leaving gouges. I also think the belt sander removes material faster. What my PC belt sander lacked was DC, and that meant using it outside only. One of the few reasons it went to some guy on Craigslist. If I had the choice, I'd get the festool model with a sanding frame. I would actually buy that thing new if they had it in NA. My second choice would be the Bosch because the dust port is positioned better. The PC had it sticking out of the top of the housing like a blow hole. Oh, and it was 3/4" port or something equally odd. My third choice and what I would probably do tomorrow if I needed a belt sander is buy whatever was cheap on Craigslist. I haven't seen the festool belt sander for sale guessing it's ~600 tho. Good call out on the dust port, the PC did look like an odd place and takes up more storage space with the vertical height of the tube. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pwk5017 Posted July 11, 2017 Report Share Posted July 11, 2017 6 minutes ago, treesner said: I haven't seen the festool belt sander for sale guessing it's ~600 tho. Good call out on the dust port, the PC did look like an odd place and takes up more storage space with the vertical height of the tube. They have different sizes, but the big boy is $750-1000, i think. its only available in a 220v version in europe. With the sanding frame, its supposed to be the bee's knees for large flat surface sanding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treesner Posted July 11, 2017 Author Report Share Posted July 11, 2017 17 hours ago, drzaius said: That Makita is a tough tool. I've had one for about 35 years & has seen some very hard use. Mostly to do with reno work. Same one as the current model. makita looks pretty nice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted July 11, 2017 Report Share Posted July 11, 2017 If you're going to use belt sanders much, you're probably going to want both a 4x24, and a 3x21. The 4x is better for large flat areas, and the 3x is much lighter, and better handling for anything other than large flat areas. I have a half sheet AEG sander, that I'm pretty sure hasn't been made in a long time, that is almost as fast in removing material as a RO sander. It has a larger orbit than a 1/4 sheet finish sander, as well as a much higher RPM. It's, of course, not as fast at removal as a belt sander, but great for following one. It has a sanding frame, and a shop vac turned it into a decent clean air machine. I think they stopped making it when RO's came out. Fortunately, I do almost no sanding any more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick Posted July 16, 2017 Report Share Posted July 16, 2017 For what this is worth, if you're looking for a 4" belt sander that won't be used frequently- https://t.harborfreight.com/10-amp-4-in-x-24-in-variable-speed-professional-belt-sander-69820.html Its $70 (without the 20% off coupon). I purchased mine 5 yrs ago when I had several hundred bf of reclaimed barn wood flor joists to clean before miling. To this day I use it exclusively for the 60 grit jobs and it's never let me down. A belt sander in my shop has one small purpose and the $55 or so that I paid was money well spent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BonPacific Posted July 16, 2017 Report Share Posted July 16, 2017 I have an old PC 4x24, and frankly I hate the thing. Much prefer using my little (green) Ryobi 3x21, even for bigger tasks. Of course I don't use either much in woodworking, they're really construction/renovation tools. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treesner Posted July 17, 2017 Author Report Share Posted July 17, 2017 think i'm going to go with the makita 3x21 used off eBay. seems like the consensus is 3x21 gets used the most and 4x24 is for really large works Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treesner Posted August 7, 2017 Author Report Share Posted August 7, 2017 I got the makita 3x21. I'm maneuvering it around more than i thought on semi round things so it's nice to have the lighter weight. however I wish it would hog off more material! i'm used to using the kutzall on the die grinder that rips through the wood. Is there anything lower than a 36 grit paper? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted August 8, 2017 Report Share Posted August 8, 2017 Is there anything lower than a 36 grit paper? A rasp? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardA Posted August 8, 2017 Report Share Posted August 8, 2017 36 minutes ago, wtnhighlander said: A rasp? Chain saw. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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