Spindle Sanders

[sp_343]

Was looking at getting a spindle sander.  Just wondering how many of you have one, what kind, and what do you use it for?  Do you get alot of use out of it?

Thanks!

[dgman]

Hey sp, Yeah I have one. I have the Delta Boss. I use it alot for general wood working. It's great for sanding contours and curves. But I don't use it for shaping Intarsia pieces because the spindles are to hard. I use a 3" x 9" inflatable spindle sander mounted in my midi lathe for shaping Intatsia pieces.

[BilltheDiver]

Instead of a dedicated spindle sander, I use sanders in my drill press.  I have several types and sizes, but my favorites are in different sizes and have a rubber lining on the drum and you use regular sheet sandpaper cut to fit instead of having to buy expensive sleeves.  Woodcraft carries them.  The drill press also gives me more control over the speed.

[julief]

I also prefer the ones mounted in my drill press - however, I have a Ridgid belt/oscillating spindle sander.  I've had it about 5 years and it has been a pretty good one.

[ufgator]

I have the ones you put in the drill press.  5 different sizes and use sleeves.  Got it at The Woodcraft store. They work well.

Happy Scrolling
     Bill

[Rapid Roger]

I have the Ridgid osculating spindle/belt sander. I love it! I have had it for almost a year and use it alot on my heavier wood projects mostly.
However if you make vases and bowls on the scrollsaw, it is a real time saver for cutting things down fast and smooth. I still have to finish sand with finer grit paper using other sanding methods.

Rog

[dunk]

I also have the ridgid and really like it.  Quick to change over from the belt to the various sizes of spindles.  I've had mine for about 7-8 years i think.

[Intarsia92]

It?s overkill, but I?m currently using four Spindle Sanders every day. Three are OSS and one is homemade, using a 1/3hp motor I bought from Sears Outlet with a chuck on it. I keep a 1/4? steel cutting tool on it all the time for small areas.  The Enlon, with the 9? spindles, is the one I use most for Intarsia work.  It is my main workhorse. 

I also use the two Foredom Flex Shaft Rotary tools, with various size drums for shaping small pieces. One handpiece has the standard 5/32? capacity and the other has the 1/4?.

(I recently replaced a Ryobi OSS, which was more like a toy, with a new Ridgid Sander so I haven?t had much of a chance to try it out yet.)

[kp91]

For the longest time I used sanding rolls (I could get old ones from work that had a lot of life left in them) and a die grinder in place of a spindle sander.  They worked, but the speed of the tool and the small length of the rolls meant you could mess things up in a hurry.

About 3 years ago I picked up the ridgid belt/spindle sander because I needed the belt feature for a specific project.  I wanted to kick myself for waiting so long.  The tool get's a lot more use than I thought it would.

One of the things I like most about it is how easy it is to set up and put away.  The table folding down over the drums keeps things from getting lost, and helps it to take up less space on the shelf.  It's light enough I don't mind picking it up and moving it when I need the workspace (or to work outside), yet heavy enough that it doesn't need to be bolted down.

[Marcellarius]

that's a lot of sanders there!
you don't make it easy for us to choose one