Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Around the Campfire => Topic started by: HoBow on July 25, 2010, 10:40:41 am
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I want to get a new one and want recommendations. David Knight had a nice one at the Classic, so I hope he pitches in if it is still going strong or if he still likes it. I buy mostly Craftsman hand tools, but have not had as much luck with electric tools. Anyone like Ryobi? Lowes has a "PORTER-CABLE 4" x 8" Bench Belt/Disc Sander" for $179, which is less than what I was wanting to spend ($200 or so). Thanks for any tips!
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If you have room and can turn loose more cash I would abandon the 6X36 idea and go with a 6X48. I had a Delta 4X36 that got the job done but had plastic drive components and needed repair often. My delta was under powered and I could bog it down quite easily.
If you want a real workhorse (I have one) this is the sander I would buy.
grizzly.com/products/Combination-Sander-6-x-48-Belt-9-Disc-Z-Series/G1014Z
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I agree with Eric, Grizzly is the way to go.
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I've been running my Grizzly 6x48 for over 20 years. 40 grit belts make short work of tapering lams and shaping tips.
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I was a power tool repairman for 10 years. One thing I can tell you: Don't buy any Craftsman power tools. If it needs repair, you won't find a tool repair shop that will touch them. Too hard to get parts. They're also homeowner-grade stuff for building birdhouses once ina while. Won't stand up to heavy use. Delta used to be a good tool, but their quality took a major nosedive. Those stationary belt sanders they sell are chock full of plastic parts. Ryobi is basically a homeowner-grade tool, in the same league with Craftsman power tools. Porter Cable used to have a good line-up of portable power tools, but I think they get their stationary line from Delta, as they were both owned by the same company back in the late 1990s when I was repairing them. Most "American" brand power tools are made in China and all coming from the same factory. They just ask what color they want the plastic housing (and have slight differences in the plastic housing between brands.)
Grizzly is, indeed, the best you're going to find. Yes, many of them are Chinese made but guess what? So is just about everything Milwaukee makes now including their Sawzalls, Portabands, Hole Hawgs, and everything else that used to be American made. I can guarantee Delta and Porter Cable are made in China, and made fairly cheaply at that. The advantage of Grizzly is their factories copied U.S. made industrial tools from the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. If I had to buy a stationary power tool, based on what I know repairing them, I'd buy a Grizzly. There's some top-notch stationary power tools coming out of Germany, too, but you're going to pay top-notch prices for those----and rightfully so, as they're worth that kind of money.
If Grizzly is beyond your price range, the Porter Cable would be ok for a while. But pay attention to it. At the first squeel or howl or funny noise, shut it down and check your pulleys and see if they're loose (tighten the nut and might be left-hand threads) and check the bearings on the pulley shafts. The cheaper power tools are notorious for using bearings that are too small and, hence, wear faster. (Smaller bearings are cheaper.) Provided it uses ball bearings and not bronze bushings. If it uses bronze bushings, you must keep those oiled well. You have to baby it. Don't push it or bog it down. Bogging it is what will eventually burn up your motor (armature and field and those two parts are a couple hundred dollar repair.) The switches on these are weak links and like to break. Don't be shutting it on and off; get your work staged and do it all at one shot without turning it on/off/on/off. The switches are not expensive to replace, though. Never use a thin extension cord on these. Use a nice, thick extension cord. Thin extension cords are what burns up motors on tools drawing a lot of amps. Right off the bat, download and print a parts diagram and learn what parts are where and what the part numbers are. Learn how to fix the thing yourself. And many of them have funny little tricks invoved in disassembly, so pay attention to every detail as you take it apart. I can't count how many times I got in "tool-in-a-box" that someone took apart to fix and didn't remember how to put it back together. If you have a local tool repair shop with an older guy running it, it's better to use that shop for repairs and pay the guy what he asks. The newer power tool repairmen I've been seeing, well, to be honest, if I was not a power tool repairman, I'd still try doing it myself rather than going to them. I learned from "old timers" and a lot of the new guys haven't even heard of half the things I learned.
Good luck.
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My craftsman 6 x 48 is going strong, purchased in 1980. Once i had Sears come out, take it apart and haul the cast iron bed back to the factory to be milled flat, then return and re-assemble it the tool has run real well, that was bout 1984......the dang bed just WARPED.....
But, overall, it has been a good tool. It can move lots of wood with a 40 grit belt on it and does fast and efficient finishing work with a fine belt.
I'd never go smaller if i had to replace it. And, by the way, i use it commercially, so it gets more hours of run time than most home owner tools do.
piper
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Yes, a Craftsman stationary tool made in 1980 is probably a good one. Back then, Craftsman was getting them in from probably Delta or a couple other stationary power tool companies that are long-since out of business. American-made. Like they were getting "Ted Williams" brand firearms from Marlin/Glenfield or Remington back in the day.
But a Craftsman power tool today is a far cry from those days. Some things in power tools have gotten better. Cordless tools today are better than they were when they first came out. But the quality of American brand stationary power tools has gone down drastically. Craftsman stationary power tools today, well, they say you get what you pay for---and sometimes you don't even get that much.
American power tools "brands" really don't mean anything anymore. Right now, there's a company marketing "Rockwell" brand power tools. This to cash in on the fact Rockwell International used to own the Porter Cable line, back in the 1960s and 1970s. So, people have seen those industrial grade tools from back in the day and now think they're getting that today with the "Rockwell" brand coming out. Well, no. It's only a name. Rockwell International ceased to exist in the early 1990s. It's not the same thing. The same with DeWalt. DeWalt used to make radial arm saws. Black and Decker then owned it and just used the name trying to get people to think that old company that made radial arm saws was now making those yellow tools that are exactly the same as Black and Deckers. Now Black&Decker/DeWalt also owns Porter Cable. American companies use famous names to market product and you pay for that name---not for the quality that was once associated with that brand name back decades ago.
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Hi, My name is Howie Hill and I build longbows...wanna buy one for um, lemme see $1,000?
Thanks for sharing your expertise and experience with us Tsalagi. Nothing worse than a cheap tool when you are pouring your heart into a project.
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That is a sad commentary on where we are today.
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You don't need a durn $1,000 sander to make a few bows. I have a Ryobi that I got at Lowe's several years ago for about $150 and I've ground a helluva lot of wood, antler, horn, metal, and everything else on it. Never had a bit of a problem and it'll grind a piece of wood just as good as the expensive one. If it don't last thirty years, so what- I can buy five more for what one top-end one would cost. If you're setting up a professional woodworking shop where you're going to be using it ten hours a day, that's one thing. But for what most of us do, you don't have to have a pro-grade tool to flatten some bow tips, grind a piece of bamboo flat, or shape a knife handle.
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You don't need a durn $1,000 sander to make a few bows. I have a Ryobi that I got at Lowe's several years ago for about $150 and I've ground a helluva lot of wood, antler, horn, metal, and everything else on it. Never had a bit of a problem and it'll grind a piece of wood just as good as the expensive one. If it don't last thirty years, so what- I can buy five more for what one top-end one would cost. If you're setting up a professional woodworking shop where you're going to be using it ten hours a day, that's one thing. But for what most of us do, you don't have to have a pro-grade tool to flatten some bow tips, grind a piece of bamboo flat, or shape a knife handle.
Yes sir....
Ryobi is what I have been using for the last 6 years. I grind laminations and boo backings with it all the time, not to mention horn and everything else like Hillbilly said. I have finally started to get some slippage on the drive belt, but I ordered a new one for $7 and I have a new sander.
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I have bought most of my power tools off of craigslist.com. I have bought older craftsman and ryobi band saws and sanders. They seem to be well made and I got them at a great price. I make maybe 4-6 bows a year with them. I would rather own a 10 or 15 year old Craftsman tool than a new one.
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A Ryobi in hand is worth two Grizzlies on a "wish list". ;D
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I have a Craftsman 2" X 42" Belt/6" Disc Sander Combo...and a Ryobi Occillating Drum Sander....and both have been making Bows and Knives for Years so far....without w Peep...but the first time one dies....I will buy another Cheapo...without the Extended Warranty they try to push you to get...I am with Hillbilly here....you can buy a lifetime of Cheapo Grinders that last 6-10 year .....for the price of one Grizzly
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I have a craftsman rescued from dumpster diving ;D Works fine, and if it breaks, all it cost me was about 2 minutes of my time. Wish I could run across those 'deals' more often lol
As far as craftsman goes...You may be right about the grade, but I bought a 19.2V set that had a drill, corner sander, circular sw, jig saw, fluorescent light (MY FAVORITE PIECE!!) and a little dust devil type vaccum for $80 on the clearance aisle at Sears. Shoot Ive got $85 of use just out of the light.
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Thanks everyone! Not sure I know what I want though ;D I may end up getting a cheaper one to start of with and if it lasts good, if not, I'll end up getting the grizzly.
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I build my bows with a cheap $70 4" from harbor freight.Can be a pain though. After seeing what can be done with one I would get a big industrial edge sander that does not oscillate. You can do everything with one of those.
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Correction-I was using mine Saturday and noticed that it's a Hitachi, not a Ryobi. Good little sander for the money.
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Hillbilly, I have been eyeballing the Hitachi, it seems to be better built than others in the same class. The display model at the store had safety shrouds, did you remove them on yours to expose the entire belt?
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Hitachi makes outstanding tools.
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I think I've decided on the 1/3 hp 4"X36" Grizzly w/ a 6" disk sander....any thoughts? It is only $130 delivered. Will I regret not waiting for the 3/4 hp 6"X48" w/ a 9" disk? It is significantly more at $419 delivered. The Ryobi cost about the same with 1/2 hp.....
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Jef...what is the Main reason for this Sander? The reason I ask....There is nothing wrong with Grizzly Equipment...but what you have to look for is the Diameter of the Idler Pulley...if you are going to be building Knives and such....other than that...a 1/3 Horse is light but will be just fine for Woodwork and such....JMO
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Just stopped by the pawn shop near my office and they had a 6" Craftsman for $99. I thought long and hard about it, but I just don't know if I've got enough room for that thing.
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Ok, a question for you mechanical types. I've got a Craftsman belt/disk combo, 2" slack belt and 6" disk with a 1 h.p. motor. I rarely (meaning pretty much never) use the disk sander, it's just too small. I'd love to have one of those inflatable drum sanders for shaping, but can't afford a new toy, I mean tool. How difficult would it be to take the disk off this sander and install a drum on the spindle?
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The hard part will be finding the right size drum-to-spindle fit. You need to measure your Craftsman spindle and find out if that drum spindle will fit. And how is it attached? Set screw and woodruff key? Might not hold a drum as it lays longer on the spindle and the spindle might be too short. For that matter, the drum might be too long to fit on the spindle anyway. But the most important thing you need to pay attention to is RPMs. The rated RPM of the drum cannot be lower than the rated RPM the disc turns at. Otherwise, you can have a serious problem that could result in a trip to the hospital. I know of a guy who "succeeded" in attaching a circular saw blade to a router. It cost him a hand. You can tweek RPMs with a different motor and/or different pulleys, but once you start getting into shadetree mechanicking power tools, you often end up paying more to do that than the cost of buying a used or new one.
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Thanks for the info Tsalagi. Sounds like it's more trouble (and danger) than it's worth.
Eh well, I've made it this long without one.