~$200 range disk sander

R

running bird

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Sep 29, 2015
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I’m considering snagging a stand-alone disk sander. I left my old HF 4x36/disc sander back at home when I moved, my dad uses it occasionally so just left it for him.

Would just be used to making stuff like handle material and tangs nice and square. I don’t have a ton to spend on something amazing but could do in the ~$200 range.

I see some cheap ones on Amazon but I’m not sure about size. Is a 5” disk going to be limiting? Would a 10” or 12” be better even if I’m not using it for grinding main bevels and such?

I think I’m mostly concerned with getting one with a sturdy work rest. Anyone have any recommendations?

My garage is only wired to 120v

Thanks,
Kevin
 
I used a harbor freight one for years. Just need to be aware of its limitations.
 
Most are 9"

many vfd have 120v in three phase out, so you should be fine.
 
Crag the Brewer said:
Most are 9"

many vfd have 120v in three phase out, so you should be fine.
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I didn’t even consider variable speed because I assumed it would increase the price a ton, but I see there are a few options in that range.

Do you think the variable speed would be more important than having a larger disc size?

I’m looking in my price range and I see a few 5” variable speeds that don’t seem too outrageously priced. They also look like they would fit on my bench without having to rearrange/unbolt too much. Larger ones seem to increase in price a lot from there.
 
I would not want a 12" one.

their is a recent disk thread here in the Shop Talk area, make sure to read it over
 
I’d stay away from a 5” disc I think you’ll just find the size limiting, a 9” disc lets you use standard sheets of sandpaper and cut your own disc which is far cheaper than buying precut psa discs which you would have to do for a 10-12” disc. A good vfd will add $400-$600 to your cost, if I wanted to get a disc grinder cheap I’d heat a 9” disc and a cheap single speed motor or possibly a treadmill motor if I could find one in a good size. You don’t need more than a 1/2hp motor for a disc sander in the sizes we use. Do you already have a 2x72? If so some brands make disc sanding attachments, I have one for my brodbeck grinder and it was much cheaper than buying a motor and vfd to make a variable speed disc sander. Being able to run slow makes a big difference in my opinion.
 
Joshua Fisher said:
I’d stay away from a 5” disc I think you’ll just find the size limiting, a 9” disc lets you use standard sheets of sandpaper and cut your own disc which is far cheaper than buying precut psa discs which you would have to do for a 10-12” disc. A good vfd will add $400-$600 to your cost, if I wanted to get a disc grinder cheap I’d heat a 9” disc and a cheap single speed motor or possibly a treadmill motor if I could find one in a good size. You don’t need more than a 1/2hp motor for a disc sander in the sizes we use. Do you already have a 2x72? If so some brands make disc sanding attachments, I have one for my brodbeck grinder and it was much cheaper than buying a motor and vfd to make a variable speed disc sander. Being able to run slow makes a big difference in my opinion.
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I have a 2x42. As for motor i do have this old 1x30 that came from the guy I bought my tool cart from. I never use the thing and the disk sander would be taking its spot. I’ll check it’s spec plate later and see if it’s worth just hooking up a disk sander to that.

The drive shaft ( I think that’s the right term?) is very strange looking. I’ll upload a pic later. Not sure if it’s going to be a problem
 
https://imgur.com/a/cbWqlC2

Here the extra motor I have. I’m planning on taking the 1x30 frame off anyways since I never use it. Do you all think this motor would be serviceable for a disk sander? Or should I just hold onto it for some other use? I would just have to unbolt it and turn it 90° for it to face the end of the table.


The guy who set up this bench has the 2 motors on it wired to switches, then a box with 4 outlets, which then goes into a single plug. I know absolutely nothing about electronics (and wiring scares me).
https://imgur.com/a/UMRuYOo
 
That motor's plenty of hp, but it's single phase so doesn't take to a VFD very well. A 3 ph motor is needed for VFD use. Look around for as cheap a 3 ph motor as you can find, put a Chinese VFD for less than $100 and you're good to go with variable speed. Some says you MUST have a $400 VFD that's NEMA 4 rated for dust protection. That is nice, but with an air filter velcro'd over the air inlets on the Chinese VFD it will last several yrs in a hobby use. If a commercial use is required where the shop is working 5 to 6 days/week, but the extra cost "might" be worthwhile.
 
I mounted a 9" disc to a single phase 1750rpm motor and it's not good.
 
That motor is a CAH 544 frame size from the 1920's. The shaft size should be 1/2". Getting a disc to fit the shaft may be an issue. You really want a 56 series frame motor.
At 1/6HP it is too small for a disc grinder. 1/4HP is about the smallest, and 1/3 would be a better choice. Most of us use 1/2HP to 1HP.

Let me look in my stash of motors and parts and pick out a 3-phase motor and maybe a disc for you. Send me an email with your shipping address. That way you only need to get a cheap VFD to run it at variable speed. I may even have one of those laying around, too.
sapelt@cox.net
 
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith said:
That motor is a CAH 544 frame size from the 1920's. The shaft size should be 1/2". Getting a disc to fit the shaft may be an issue. You really want a 56 series frame motor.
At 1/6HP it is too small for a disc grinder. 1/4HP is about the smallest, and 1/3 would be a better choice. Most of us use 1/2HP to 1HP.

Let me look in my stash of motors and parts and pick out a 3-phase motor and maybe a disc for you. Send me an email with your shipping address. That way you only need to get a cheap VFD to run it at variable speed. I may even have one of those laying around, too.
sapelt@cox.net
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Thank you very much Stacy! I’ll shoot you an email. You’re the best!
 
I sent you an email Stacy. Thanks again, you’re the man.

Does anyone know what would be a good thing to hold onto the 1/6hp motor for? I do have a small grind stone and wire wheel mounted to be driven by a belt and motor. Would that motor be ok for a small buffing wheel?
 
I think 1/6HP is too small to drive much more than a small blower fan. That 100-year-old antique should be hung on the wall for future generations to look at and say, "What the heck is it???"
 
OK, I pulled out a new 1/2HP 3Ph motor, a 9" disc, and a 1/2HP VFD. With a little Googlefu you can pull up the manual and easily hook up the VFD. I'll toss a few other things in the box, too. I'm heading to the Outer Banks on Saturday for a week, so it might not ship until Oct.
 
I can’t thank you enough Stacy, you’re a saint! I am beyond grateful for you and everyone else here in shop talk

I’ll post some picture on here when I get it all set up.
 
Thank you again! I’ll post here once I get it and set it all up. And thank you for the extras too. I’ll send you a thank you present when I get the chance.

Everyone here in shop talk has been a huge help over the years, thank you all!

Kevin
 
My first desire to upgrade my knife building would be a variable speed 2" by 72" grinder. THEN using the same variable speed controller could easily run a disc grinder. IMHO disc grinders need to be ran SLOW and 9" so standard sand paper can be used..
 
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