disc sander recommendations

[Kary Karahadian]

I recently sold my Jet disc/belt combo sander (didn't use the belt that much, wanted a bigger disc). Looking for a 12" disc sander, good reviews for the Jet and Grizzly. Any recommendations?

[David King]

I think they are all pretty similar in design and manufacture but the prices vary wildly. We looked over a bunch on another forum and decided Harbor Fright was hard to beat at $99 (back then) but you had to add your own dust collection. The price now is $139 but subtract a 25% off coupon.
The nice one at the upper end seemed to be a Rikon for $225.

There's a neat trick you may already know about where you slit two discs of different grits to be concentric. You can have 80 grit on the outside and 220 on the inside or vis versa.

[Bob Gramann]

I had the Harbor Freight disk sander many years ago. It looked enticing, but in practice I didn't like it. It had coarse threads for the table angle adjuster and a bit of flex in the supports, so it was very hard to get the table set at 90 degrees to the disk and to get it to stay. And, it was then very difficult to change the angle. Generally, as the price of the tool increases, the ease of use does, too. Things like fine threads on the adjusters make a big difference.

[Craig Bumgarner]

I recently bought a Jet and it is a very good solid piece of gear. Massive base, disc spins true, the table is solid, and adjustments remain accurate.

We have a Grizzly at work here and it is not in the same league. Light base, table is flimsy and bends under pressure. Not nearly as good. The Grizzly sander seems to the same sander sold under a variety of brand names. Looking at them, I'd say Grizzly, Harbor Freight, Dayton, Klutch, etc. are all the same. The Jet costs twice as much but worth it.

One problem in buying the Jet is they are not well packed for shipping. Comes in a light cardboard box with light molded Styrofoam packing. The sander itself weight ~ 80 lbs. If the box is dropped, damage is likely. My first one came with considerable serious damage. I had ordered through Amazon and they were great about it, took full responsibility, got a new one right out, took care of picking up the damaged one. Second one arrived without damage, but the Styrofoam packing was all busted up inside. Researching this a little suggests lots of people have experience shipping damage. Consider this when choosing who to order from.

Also, Jet makes a floor stand w/ dust filter attachment. They offer the sander by itself, or packaged with the stand & filter. If you buy the package deal it is only another ~ $50 or so. If you order it separate it is ~ $200.

[Kary Karahadian]

I have had the same experience with Jet/Amazon regarding damage. Fortunately for me, the damage was only cosmetic.

The Jet appears very substantial. Grizzly makes two models. The cheaper one looks, well, cheaper. The more expensive model looks very robust. In the past, Grizzly didn't have the greatest reputation, but i understand that has changed. The Jet has a 4" dust port, the Grizzly has a 2.5". it (the Grizzly) is about a $100 cheaper however.

[Dave Stewart]

FWIW, I made a 12" disc sander years ago, after seeing an article in FWW, attaching the disc to the lower wheel shaft of my 14" bandsaw & adding an adjustable table. Pretty straightforward project if configuration is right. Great for small shop. Just a thought.

[Clay Schaeffer]

I cobbled one together from a disc that a fellow luthier ( Simon Fay) graciously gave me. I mounted the disc direct drive to an old motor I had. I didn't make it as nice as the commercial units but it is a very handy tool. A friend of mine made a belt driven one with a plywood disc which also worked fine.
A tilting table and miter gauge slot are two things I may eventually add to what I built. If I were to buy a commercial unit I would want those features built in.

[David King]

I was wrong about the HF model not having a dust port. It does now have that. I consider HF machines to be "kits" if you put a little time into them you can come out with something pretty terrific but your time may be worth more.
The Jet one I saw was over $500, you can pick up a used, USA made 15, 18 or 20 inch for that price.