cadman Posted September 7, 2008 Report Share Posted September 7, 2008 (edited) Has anyone used a Performax oscillating spindle sander from Menards? They are about $100, however every Menards brand power tool I buy from them I have had problems with. My second choice would be a Craftsman, money is not an issue here. Also I'm purchasing a Craftsman 12" band saw Model 224000 and a Craftsman 6" X 9" Model 21757 sander. I know this has been covered. Just curious about Sears brand tools, in regards to durability and longevity. Thanks for any and all help...............Ted Edited September 7, 2008 by cadman added items Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travis Posted September 7, 2008 Report Share Posted September 7, 2008 A lot will just depend on amount of use. Most of my stuff is Craftsman. Is it the best not at all but Sears still have very generous return policy and when it comes to gifts easy for everyone to use. I have used all my craftsman stuff between 8 to 10 years. I also have a delta planer and bandsaw. No problems at all with either and went with them because of reviews for the planer (best bang for your buck deal) and had Lowes cards get so many dollar off on your'e next purchase. Join the craftsment club (free) and you end up getting additional discounts at times. I figure Craftsman is hard to beat up to a certain price point. Once past a certain dollar figure the money is almost always better spent on other brands but they aren't usually carried by the big box stores. I am not a fan of Menard's at all. I hate their return policy and unfortunatley have had to use it too many times. I don't buy much from them anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yankee jigger Posted September 8, 2008 Report Share Posted September 8, 2008 Gonna start making crankbaits?????? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cadman Posted September 8, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 8, 2008 Travis: Thanks for the info. I'm actually buying all of these tools to start making crankbaits, so I am not going to use this for professional use. However I can see some good use of a band saw, other than cutting wood. YJ: Yep I'm going to jump in and try my hand at making crankbaits. (I finally got a new job that I don't have to work a zillion hours overtime. That's fine with me I'd rather spend time fishing and making baits.) Best case scenario I make crankbaits and they actually work. Worse case scenario, I make a lot of junk, have a lot of firewood, get p:censored:d off and give up. But I'll still have some new tools. You can never have enough tools. Even if you have some doubles. In reality, I am very motivated and driven to succeed at this. It will be a slow process, but I do see a light at the end of the tunnel..................Ted Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjmmusser Posted September 8, 2008 Report Share Posted September 8, 2008 (edited) I have the 12 inch Craftsman bandsaw. The saw runs good but STAY AWAY from the craftsman blades and watch the roller bearings (took one back because the bearing fell apart after the first use). The one that came with the saw had about a 30 degree drift to it which makes it extremely fun to try to fine tune it. I ended up running a sharpening stone over the edges to cut down on the drift and make it somewhat useable on softwoods. Then I went to a timberwolf blade (you can custom order by calling them and they will ask what your needs will be, I chose a 4 tpi resawing blade), the drift is less than 5 degrees on the one I got and it spits out the chips with less pitch build up. The saw also runs a lot smoother. Edited September 8, 2008 by mjmmusser Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duck1968 Posted September 8, 2008 Report Share Posted September 8, 2008 On the spindle sander take a look at Home Depots RIDGID Oscillating Edge/belt Spindle Sander. For $199 you get a belt and spindle sander. Have had mine for 6 years and still happy with it. Brian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted September 8, 2008 Report Share Posted September 8, 2008 On the spindle sander take a look at Home Depots RIDGID Oscillating Edge/belt Spindle Sander. For $199 you get a belt and spindle sander. Have had mine for 6 years and still happy with it.Brian Brian's right. I've used one for years, both at home and on the jobsite. Uses 4X24 belts, which are readily available anywhere, and standard spindle sleeves. I use it for rough and finish sanding lure blanks, before any carving and final sanding, and it is great. I did hook it up to my dust collector. It puts out a lot of sanding dust, but that's because it really works. I think a dust collector, or at least a shop vac, is a must. It has a port in the back for a dust connection. And wear cheap dust masks. The amount of fine dust that doesn't get sucked up is incredible, even with a collector. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captsully18 Posted September 8, 2008 Report Share Posted September 8, 2008 You may consider a Grizzly G0538. I bought one last year and have not been sorry. It has done everything I wanted and more. It is a bit more pricey than some, but not as pricey as others ( 150.00 ). Just a suggesstion. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
excaliber551 Posted September 8, 2008 Report Share Posted September 8, 2008 I bought a used Rigid oscillating belt sander a couple months ago and it does an incredible job of shaping Balsa and harder wood like Poplar. I'd buy another one without hesitation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Moreau Posted September 8, 2008 Report Share Posted September 8, 2008 Brian's right. I've used one for years, both at home and on the jobsite. Uses 4X24 belts, which are readily available anywhere, and standard spindle sleeves. I use it for rough and finish sanding lure blanks, before any carving and final sanding, and it is great. I did hook it up to my dust collector. It puts out a lot of sanding dust, but that's because it really works. I think a dust collector, or at least a shop vac, is a must. It has a port in the back for a dust connection. And wear cheap dust masks. The amount of fine dust that doesn't get sucked up is incredible, even with a collector. This is what i have been using for a year and love it... This machine is awesome!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
parrothead127 Posted September 11, 2008 Report Share Posted September 11, 2008 Grizzly:yay: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbkindle Posted September 13, 2008 Report Share Posted September 13, 2008 I bought a used Rigid oscillating belt sander a couple months ago and it does an incredible job of shaping Balsa and harder wood like Poplar.I'd buy another one without hesitation. kb here i woukd like to see a pic of a oscillating belt sander i have never seen one. i dont have a clue how that would work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cadman Posted September 14, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 14, 2008 kb here i woukd like to see a pic of a oscillating belt sander i have never seen one. i dont have a clue how that would work KB here is what I'm interested in, this happens to be a Craftsman (Sears Model). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duck1968 Posted September 14, 2008 Report Share Posted September 14, 2008 kb here i woukd like to see a pic of a oscillating belt sander i have never seen one. i dont have a clue how that would work 3 Days Ago 06:16 PM You can swap the belt sander off for the spindles in the rack in the front. Brian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbkindle Posted September 14, 2008 Report Share Posted September 14, 2008 (edited) man is that a great idea never gave that a thought you can eliminate one tool with that set up. could not get the idea of the belt oscaliting. but i see how the put on the spindles on sander i have a spindle sander from roybi and its going bad that tool would be the one to buy thank you ken kindle Edited September 14, 2008 by kbkindle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly Posted September 14, 2008 Report Share Posted September 14, 2008 Cadman I just started to drift over and start making hard baits and plastics. I purchased the craftsman 214000 band saw and like it quit a bit. Its the 10 in. but mjmmusser is correct the craftsman blades do dull fast, so do home depo brand (Vermont American). I have not found a good place for blades yet so if any has one let us know. I have to say I like that ridged sander but if you have a sears close I would use them. I have Had them fix tools for me and purchased parts from them fast and easy to fix. No sending it off to get it fixed in the mail. Just remember no tool is perfect. All will fail sooner or later just hope for later. And go with customer service. I need to find a job like that I'm jellos Cadman. Hey at least that heat tape saves me time when I get a chance to make jigs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted September 15, 2008 Report Share Posted September 15, 2008 Generally speaking, the larger the wheels on a bandsaw, the longer the blade, and the longer it will last. But bigger saws are more expensive. So it's a tradeoff. Any saw will do the job if the blade is sharp, but smaller saws will labor under a load with a dull blade, and the blade will wander (drift) all over, making following a line difficult, and, at a certain point, burning both the wood, and the saw motor. If you're going to make a lot of baits, and use it a lot, invest in a minimum 14" floor model bandsaw. The blades are very common, and are long enough to last a while. Blade length is function of both wheel diameter, and the distance between the wheels. The small table top bandsaws available nowadays have such short blades they dull quickly, and their motors are very small. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
