If you’ve tried to sand a curve with a handheld sander, or attempted the task with a dust-clogged sanding drum in your drill press, you know why oscillating spindle sanders have become popular. Even though you can buy stationary machines with larger motors, tables, and sanding drums, a benchtop model handles most of the same workload. So we set out to find the best among the benchtop group, testing 14 spindle sanders, including three machines that combine spindle- and belt-sanding functions into one unit. “Three machines in our test quickly convert from a spindle to an oscillating 4×24” belt sander and excel at such tasks as sanding tapered legs, shaping convex curves, and shaping and smoothing small parts.
Spindle sanders provide you with a power tool option that lets you reproduce great finishes on components that other sanders struggle with. A rotating cylinder addresses the curve naturally and will make contact with the wood grain without damaging it, something that even the best belt sanders or random orbital sanders simply cannot do. With that being said, I felt that the WEN 6524 Oscillating Belt and Spindle Sander stands out as the best spindle sander on the list.
The Ridgid EB4424, $199, serves as an oscillating spindle sander, and with a quick changeover, doubles as an oscillating edge belt sander. Decent spindle sanders start at about $150, and oscillating belt sanders don’t even exist in the hobbyist market aside from this one, so needless to say I was skeptical that this product would deliver any respectable level of performance or durability for $199. The package includes everything you need to get started, including abrasives for both belt and spindle sanding operations. Part of the process of changing over from belt sanding to spindle sanding requires the installation of an insert to cover the opening left when the sanding belt assembly is removed and replaced with the smaller spindle sanding drum.
spindle belt sander reviews Related Question:
Is a spindle sander worth it?
It does a good job sanding off the bandsaw cut marks. Obviously, it’s not the best tool for sanding a straight edge, but it can do a passable job on small toys, crafts, etc.
What are spindle sanders good for?
A spindle sander is a tool used for smoothing curved edges on wood. We often make curved cuts on wood with a band saw and then spend hours meticulously sanding those curved edges or circular cutouts by hand.
Are Wen and Triton the same?
They are all the same motor, but with different power switches.