On 24 Feb 2004 09:04:31 -0800, (Ken Carlson) wrote:

:"James Nipper" wrote in message ...
: Anyone have a recommendation on a fairly low-cost small sander for small
: items around the house? Are belt sanders still in use today, or are
: there better alternatives ?
:
: I am talking about items like sanding off a rough edge of something (wood)
: or shortening a scraping door, and stuff like that around the house.
:
: Would Craftsman be a good brand to look at for this ?
:
: Thanks for any tips.
:
: --James--
:
:
:IMO, avoid the comparatively cheap power tools from Craftsman, Black &
ecker, Ryobi.
:
:Some good brands are Milwaukee, Porter-Cable, Makita, DeWalt (although
:they are owned by B&D, so watch out).
:
:I have a belt sander and a 1/4 sheet palm sander, and each one has
:it's use. For little things, you are better off with a small palm
:sander. For removing lots of material quickly, the belt sander is
:good for that. And not for just wood. I use the belt sander to
:flatten the botom of my skis, and I used it recently to flatten the
:bottom of a brass candle holder that wobbled and annoyed my wife.
:
:Ken

I've had a Makita 1/4 sheet finishing sander for around 25 years. Very
good for light finishing. Couple years ago got the Porter Cable 21" (the
smaller) belt sander, went down to HD and got an assortment of belts and
it's come in extremely handy a few times. When you have to tool and you
realize what power it gives you it gives you a good feeling that you
made a good buying decision. Personally, I stay away from the cheaper
electric tools UNLESS I get a gold plated recommendation from a source I
totally trust. For instance, I did buy a B&D electric screwdriver (with
clutch) because I read a post by a guy who said he had a couple of
different top quality expensive electric screwdrivers but reached but
the B&D 90% of the time. That tells you a lot.