which 4" belt sander ???

[mel]

ive been studying the spec on various belt sanders for some time now
and was thinking of buying the makita 9404 , which axminster have in their special catalogue this month, inc 50 free sanding belts
all well and good so far
my problem is that they are fitted with a graphite cloth underneath instead of a steel plate , and i cant understand why . even the technical bloke at axminster didn't know why .my first thoughts, maybe to reduce friction . however he knew how much they cost £3.54 . no shock their
now ive had a 3" makita fitted with a steel plate and its had some proper work and shows no sign of deterioration . so why would they change it and is it a change for the better ???
has anyone got the ryobi 4" and what is it like ???
does it have the steel base plate ???
and its 2/3rds the price of the makita
any help welcome
mel

 

[Anonymous]

Mel

As with all power tools of this type, how often will you use it? Makita is pro quality kit that can be used all day every day for years - will you use it that much?

If not, then by the ryobi, it will be fine - it only need to spin a belt after all

I use a B&Q Performance power pro belt sander occassionally, it has not fauiled me once, cost about £50 and comes witha 3 year warranty

 

[George_N]

There were a couple of belt sanders tested head-to head in last months Good Woodworking. From memory one was a Draper, can't remember the other one off hand. Both around £50 and both performed very well on test. As Tony says, it depends on the amount of use you put it to.

George

 

[mel]

thanks for the replys guys
settled for the ryobi in the end
as the brushes went on the 3" makita yesterday
a very nice tool

 

[Scrit]

My problem is that they are fitted with a graphite cloth underneath instead of a steel plate , and I cant understand why . Even the technical bloke at axminster didn't know why. My first thoughts, maybe to reduce friction, however he knew how much they cost £3.54 .

They're to stop the belt from wearing out the plate BENEATH the graphite pad, and they're very much a consumable. Great technical service APTC, really inspires confidence!

Scrit

 

[mel]

thanks scrit
confirmed my thoughts
will have to look for another 3" makita when i get time
the 4" ryobi is very good but it made me ache after a couple of hours of using it

 

[Christian A.]

Hi Mel,

may are ask why you are considering a new belt sander anyway? Do you want to upgrade from your 3" to a 4" model?
If you're satisfied with you current Makita why not only replace the brushes?

As far as I know, most of the better belt sanders are equipped with a graphite plate. I think a graphite plate is more likely to stay flat over time.
You might want to have a look at this article from FWW.

Personally, I bought a Makita 9404 about two months ago. I haven't put it to heavy use yet but my first impression is good: Nice overall quality, good balance, enough power, variable speed and the dust collection is quite effective too. Not to forget that the 9404's price is pretty resonable compared to some other sanders.

Hope this helps,

Christian

 

[Colin C]

If you do want a 4" sander with 3" weight try using a 4" belt on a 3" sander :wink: . I have a few friends that do this and say it works fine.
one of the Makita's will do it but cant remember which one, I will get back to you on it

 

[mel]

thanks for the replys guys
colin c , im sure that youll still only get 3" wide sanding area , because 1" of the belt will not be pressing down on the work piece , so dont try this at home comes to mind
christian , a very well written and presented , with pictures and links , piece , you should consider working for the mags . joking aside , thank you for taking the time.
the reason i needed a larger belt sander is im building three tv units at the moment , two from american oak and one in american ash
all the boards have been jointed and are ready for sanding
now my poor old 3"makita is not up to the task .
so after extensive research i decided to go for the ryobi , my reasons were based on price ,build quality and weight
the ryobi i purchased was from b+q for a mere £119 the makita equivellent was £197 . if i were using it all day everyday then i would have opted for the makita , but im not .
the range of ryobi power tools has come a long way in the last few years
and they havnt done that by supplying poor quality tools
also this has the largest motor at 1350w
hence it is the heaviest , which has got to mean quicker sanding
again thanks for all the replys guys
regards
mel

 

[Scrit]

.....so after extensive research I decided to go for the Ryobi. My reasons were based on price, build quality and weight. The Ryobi I purchased was from B&Q for a mere £119 - the Makita equivalent was £197. If I were using it all day everyday then I would have opted for the Makita, but I'm not.....

And quite rightly so - the Makita 4in belt sander is just about the site joiner's standard machine in the UK. My old 4 x 24in Wolf (re-badged Makita) is now over 20 years old, came with dust extraction and seems unkillable. All it needs is replacement brushes, cork pads and graphite pads from time to time. Maybe I'll have to replace it - in another 10 years time......

Scrit

 

[Colin C]

The idea is not mine but the 1" that is not on the machine will still sand just not as well ( my friend that uses this method has done lots of sanding and is a good maker )
I have the same ryobi as you, not that i would not have used the 3" sander but got it before we had talked about it
No harm no foul :wink:

 

[mel]

scrit
ill let you know how the ryobi lasts in about 10yrs time or sooner as the case may be :shock:
most site joiners i know would expect a finish straight off the tool that did the cutting and most don't carry a sander of any description, planers, yes.
however ,the older , better built machines very rarely come up for sale and particulaly when you need one in a rush
out of interest is your wolf 110v ??
regards
mel

 

[Scrit]

Most site joiners i know would expect a finish straight off the tool that did the cutting and most don't carry a sander of any description, planers, yes.

You're hanging around with the wrong guys, there! Surely they can't be doing hardwood or flooring? I must know 3 or 4 guys in the trade (including one of my relatives, a builder) with old crusty Wolfs or Makitas. Mine's a 240volt - but then it's been used on a combination of site and bench work. Still amazed that it's going.

Scrit

 

[mel]

hi scrit
your right . i work as a joiner , 6 weeks ago i was working on the wetherspoons at chelmsford and while i cleaned the windows at the front
a floor layer put a solid oak floor from the main entrance to the bar area
gutted was not the word :evil:
all the good jobs seem to get farmed out
however i ripped up all the old floor and provided the sub base for him to lay the finished floor ,
this is the way that the company that i work for have gone recently
maybe time for a change
incidently , i always have my belt sander with me .
regards
mel

 

[mel]

hands up . confession time
the ryobi had to go back to B+Q as the plate which gives you a nice smooth sanding surface got twisted with the heat
so i ordered a new 4" makita from axminster and it came with 50 free sanding belts
so it is true
yer get wot yer pay for
mel