Official Luthiers Forum!

Brad, to answer your question, or at least attempt an answer, I think it depends on what you are building.  The spindle shaper really comes in handy for building forms, working on compound curves, headstocks that have more complex shapes etc.  If you are building guitars that are more traditional, you probably won't find yourself using the spindle shaper as much as the good 8 inch belt sander.  I use that thing every day.  But when you do need the spindle shaper, it really does the trick.  My suggestion might be to get the smaller one that Dave got.  It will handle most average jobs very nicely and it's quite compact.  My big Grizzly version is great but overkill for what I use it for. 

Bruce

 

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Bruce Herrmann
"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us."

What about the edge sander that Grizzley puts out with a oscillating belt. I am seriously looking at getting one and wondering about its service. What do you guys think?

John

You guys are a bunch of enablers.........

I have never seen a spindle sander in operation until now - good thing we can't show movies on this forum............

Filippo looking great my friend!!!!

I also figured that someone would pick up on the hypocrisy of my "enabler" remark.........

Hesh, there's nary a speck of dust on that sander!

I'm still torn between a belt/disc sander and an edge sander.  While I like the edge sander a lot, I've gotten accustomed to having the disc available.  Sigh.  I still have time to think about this for awhile, it will take some time before its urgent and I've saved up enough pennies.


I"m pretty sure that I'll being buying General.  I have their bandsaw and its great. Everything I've seen of their product has been solid.

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Expectation is the source of all misery; comparison the thief of joy.
http://redrivercanoe.ca/

I {had} a 12" Delta disc sander for a while but it never got much use. The paper would load up VERY easily, dust control was a problem because half of the disc would send dust down and the other half would send it in your face. I have two 6" x 48" sanders (1 vertical & 1 horizontal) now and they have extended abrasive life, dust control is better and they get a lot more use. My next purchase will be a longer edge belt sander, probably a Grizzly.

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tim...
http://www.mcknightguitars.com

Tim...if which would you have purchased first if you started over....the 6 X 48 or a "longer" edge belt sander? I don't have either but in the coming months will be purchasing something.

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Brad
Avon, OH

What about that grizzley oscillating edge sander. Does anyone have any experience with oscillating edge sanders of that size and if so, can they recommend a brand, and what about that Grizzley?

You'll enjoy having that, Hesh. I bought the Shop Fox drill press because
it can be set to oscillate when you want to use it with a sanding drum. A
nice feature.

You'll find a number of uses for that.    

I just got the Rikon 6x48 a couple of weeks ago and I like it pretty well. It's heavy and the motor has a soft start that's much quieter than my old Ryobi. Plenty of power for my needs. I think Woodcraft has them on sale now.

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Jimmy Caldwell
http://www.caldwellguitars.com

[QUOTE=Brad Way] Tim...if which would you have purchased first if you started over....the 6 X 48 or a "longer" edge belt sander? I don't have either but in the coming months will be purchasing something.[/QUOTE]

I would have a tough time going without a 6" x 48" so that would be my first choice. A longer belt sander is on my [wish] list but not my [have to have] list. I'll own one some day though. I don't have any experience using one so take my opinion with a grain of salt. Maybe once I own one I will have a totally different opinion. I would imagine that the belt life is much better on the longer belt though. You will also want to consider your floor space as the longer sander will eat up more real estate.

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tim...
http://www.mcknightguitars.com

Got TAS Brad?

Vince

[Quote=vinman]Got TAS Brad?[/QUOTE]

I think I was born with it.

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Brad
Avon, OH

I have to chime in here, while just getting into this luthiery stuff I have been conflicted about what brands and types of tools I need to get a functioning shop set up. I finished my first guitar this past September at a week long class with an experianced luthier, which was great since he had all the goodies at his shop that were needed. Of course I can't afford anything like the Grizzly thickness sander that he had unless that was the only tool I needed.

What I did buy I think will be good because I have the exact stuff in Hesh's photo. I picked up the Ryobi band saw this past spring and used it to cut some pretty hefty 2x6 cedar brakcets for my wifes window boxes, it really seems like a great tool for the price. Then, after getting home from my guitar making venture, I knew I would need a sander so I bought the Rigid belt/spindle sander, cause it had two different things on one tool. I did'nt know it had been rated so well nor did I know my shop would look like Hesh's so I must be going in the right direction, must be beginners luck.

By the way the tap tone on my wife's cedar flower boxes is really nice.

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Kurt Thomas

"There's a first time for everything even if you do it by mistake."