Thread: Spindle Sander

Have a look at Stuart's Video

I reckon I'll be getting one of these

I bought the lowend LEDA a couple of weeks before Stuart made his video. From what I can tell:

Triton:
Pros: Cast Iron Top, Name Brand. 4" Dust adapter.
Cons: Smaller Top, No Tilt facility, Bodgy nut on Stuart's example.

LEDA:
Pros: Larger top, cheaper.
Cons: Insert needs tuning to make it flush with the (melamine) top, [edit] No Tilt facility.

From the short time I've used mine, and Stuart's video, I'd say that they are functionally the same. I guess they might even be the same mechanicals underneath. I have found it very usefull, especially for inside curves...

woodbe.

Thanks djstimber and woodbe for you info I will look at these
les

Oh yea, I forgot to say the LEDA doesn't tilt either.

Like Stuart, I'm not sure how much of a handicap that is, but thought I'd mention it so as to not lead you astray.

Unlike Zenwood's belt and disk sander from LEDA, their bobbin sander has not tripped my electrical circuit yet.

The LEDA model I have is the MM-16:



http://ledamachinery.com.au/catalogu...products_id=80

woodbe.

I suppose this machine would be good for repetitive work where keeping straight edges is important. For the odd job of this kind the good old drill press would do just fine and for everything else the machine does not have the versatility that can be obtained with the age old system of a spindle chucked on a flexible shaft.

Among hobbyists, it looks like it would appeal mostly to scrollers, IMHO. Can't see it having a huge market. Does anybody remember the B&D Workwheel? I was one of the suckers when it came out, I found it still in its box when moving stuff in the new shed...

Hi Frank,

I think it's one of those tools that you can avoid buying by pressing something else into service to do the same job. I have seen some really neat drillpress sanders and almost bought one before I saw this.

The advantages of the bobbin sander is that the shaft oscillates so you get maximum use of the sandpaper, it has inbuilt and effective dust collection, and there is little or no setup.

I wasn't sure how useful it would be, but currently, I seem to be using it a lot, especially for finishing the insides of bandsawn pieces. It's also pretty handy on outside curves where I previously used the disc sander to get things sorted - disc is quicker, but it takes a long time to sand out the effects of cross-grain sanding for final finishing.

My guess is it depends what you make. If you're using a lot of straight timber, this might not be that useful. Although in the latest Aus. Woodsmith there is a picture of a jig to turn a bobbin sander into a jointer! (see my point in paragraph 1)

woodbe.

Yes, it looks like we are basically saying the same thing. Nice coincidence I just noticed: we are both in Adelaide and have the same number of posts. Now I am one up! Your turn.

Ah yes, so you are.

You're a noisy coot though, you've gotten to 626 posts in 9 months, I've been at it 23 months.

So we're even again

Hey Les, I'm interested in what you finally bought (and why)...

Rob

When I was teaching we had some heavy duty machines at our disposal, But being retired and limited on income and space, I selected a simplier model from our local Hearbor Freight co. Central Machinery cost about $90 on sale, and is impressive in the duties it can do. Had it a week now and have used the heck out of it.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=95088

Originally Posted by Hickory

When I was teaching we had some heavy duty machines at our disposal, But being retired and limited on income and space, I selected a simplier model from our local Hearbor Freight co. Central Machinery cost about $90 on sale, and is impressive in the duties it can do. Had it a week now and have used the heck out of it.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=95088

Do you have it hooked to a dust extractor and if so is there effective removal of dust?

Zelk

I own and have been using the Sherwood OS-100 for a few years now. Works well, runs true and has done all I need.
I also wrote a full review of it here > http://www.onlinetoolreviews.com/rev...woodOS-100.htm

Note though that the current unit they are selling now comes with its own stand and extra sanding drums, hence the $439 price tag as opposed to the $349 mentioned in my review.

Worth looking at.

Originally Posted by Hickory

W..........

. Had it a week now and have used the heck out of it.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=95088

Well, you better hurry up and put it back before someone finds out

FWIW, I have the drill press versions - both the direct spindle mounted in the chuck, as well as the WASP.

I have found having a dedicated benchtop unit absolutely invaluable - in hindsight, I'd definitely recommend having one, and no, I'm not a scrollsawer (although I have been known to make the occasional dinosaur, and the spindle sander is awesome for that!

Can't speak of the different brands - I'm very happy with the Triton, but haven't used another to know how it compares. I still don't miss the ability to tilt the table.