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.
oscillating belt sander reviews Related Question:
What is a oscillating belt sander used for?
An oscillating spindle sander solves the problem by moving the sanding drum up and down, exposing more of the surface of the drum to the workpiece. The result is a smoother edge on your workpiece, free of burn marks. Oscillating spindle sanders have been in use in production shops for years.
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.
Are Wen and Triton the same?
They are all the same motor, but with different power switches.