I was down at HF last weekend to buy one of their (cough, cough...)
"5-horsepower" (must be those short Chinese horses) electric motor for
the home-made 2-stage Bill Pentz DC I'm going to make.

In line to check out, I looked at the sale flier.... 3x21" portable
belt sander for $25 bucks!

I was finishing up building a workbench, and I needed something which
could hog off a lot of material. I had been looking at reviews in FWW,
et. al. where the editor's choice would be some $200 unit like the
DeWalt or something. This thing was almost a TENTH of that price.

"Jeez," I said to myself, "even if it craps out after a couple of
hours, it's still almost cheaper than renting one for that long".

So, I got it....

.... and it crapped out after a couple of SECONDS!

One pull on the trigger and it started spinning and I saw a blue flash
from inside the housing and the thing went dead.

The only thing that they package along with the sander (besides the
instructions and dust bag) are replacement motor brushes... so I had a
hunch about where to start looking for the problem. The brushes were
easy (as in... trivial) to get to. Sure enough, the brushes had
fractured and there were little brush fragments in there that I was
able to shake out. I put in the replacement brushes and it worked like
a charm.

After that initial hiccup, it ran pretty well. I was able to hog off a
lot of material and I got it fairly hot (to the point where I figured
that a tool this cheap would surely quit) but it kept going.

After about a 20-30 minutes worth of total sanding time, I started
seeing some blue flashes again and the sander started sputtering. So,
I stopped it, and noticed that the dust bag was about 1/4 - 1/3 full.
So, I emptied the bag, pulled out the brushes (which were still intact
this time), and blew it all out with the air compressor. I put the
brushes back in and I was back in business.

So, all-in-all, this thing needs a little more care-n-feeding that I'd
expect to have to put into a top-brand tool like DeWalt or PC.
However, the top brands cost 4-8 times as much... and this thing, in
my opinion is *way* better than 1/4 - 1/8 as good as they are. So, the
bang-for-the-buck ratio is much higher with this HF sander, I'd say.

And, keep in mind that I'm one of thsoe who normally turns his nose up
at HF as well as the rest of us. My bandsaw and jointer are Delta, my
air cleaner is Jet, my biscuit joiner, jigsaw, and cordless drills are
DeWalt and my router and sanders are PC. So, I usually lean toward the
"good stuff". But I really can't find any way to convince myself that
my money would have been better spent on a premier sander when
compared to this one which costs me less than a tank of gas.

My two cents, anyway...

- Joe

In article ,
(Joe Emenaker) wrote:

I really can't find any way to convince myself that
my money would have been better spent on a premier sander when
compared to this one which costs me less than a tank of gas.


Where do you buy your gas?

HF had a grand opening in Laurel MD today and I got a flyer for 10% off so I
went. I am a firm believer that they have some things that are just a darn
good deal and many things that are down right garbage. I don't think I'll
ever get anything from them that plugs in but today I got:

The famous $14 brad nailer for $12
10,000 brads at 1" and 1&3/16" $12
An imitation workmate for $9. Yup it's **** but it will do what I need it to
do for a long time and that is really what it's all about.
Some pitt 6" clamps for less than 2 bucks a piece. There good to have laying
around.
Some tie down straps for the truck a 2 bucks a peice.
A couple of cheap saw horses for 6 bucks a peice. Yup I can bang them
together from 2X4 but I use these in my back yard to cut sheet goods before
they go into the basement. The 2x4 horses warp like crazy outside under my
deck where I keep them and these plastic ones will not.

10% off of those prices. with the coupon.

I got some other crap too. the bottom line is you may get what you pay for
at HF but some things are well worth the little cash you shell out for it.
Other stuff is not. Myself, I'm glad they are in town but I will still buy
most tools elsewhere. The things I get there though are worth it.



"Joe Emenaker" wrote in message
om...
I was down at HF last weekend to buy one of their (cough, cough...)
"5-horsepower" (must be those short Chinese horses) electric motor for
the home-made 2-stage Bill Pentz DC I'm going to make.

In line to check out, I looked at the sale flier.... 3x21" portable
belt sander for $25 bucks!

I was finishing up building a workbench, and I needed something which
could hog off a lot of material. I had been looking at reviews in FWW,
et. al. where the editor's choice would be some $200 unit like the
DeWalt or something. This thing was almost a TENTH of that price.

"Jeez," I said to myself, "even if it craps out after a couple of
hours, it's still almost cheaper than renting one for that long".

So, I got it....

... and it crapped out after a couple of SECONDS!

One pull on the trigger and it started spinning and I saw a blue flash
from inside the housing and the thing went dead.

The only thing that they package along with the sander (besides the
instructions and dust bag) are replacement motor brushes... so I had a
hunch about where to start looking for the problem. The brushes were
easy (as in... trivial) to get to. Sure enough, the brushes had
fractured and there were little brush fragments in there that I was
able to shake out. I put in the replacement brushes and it worked like
a charm.

After that initial hiccup, it ran pretty well. I was able to hog off a
lot of material and I got it fairly hot (to the point where I figured
that a tool this cheap would surely quit) but it kept going.

After about a 20-30 minutes worth of total sanding time, I started
seeing some blue flashes again and the sander started sputtering. So,
I stopped it, and noticed that the dust bag was about 1/4 - 1/3 full.
So, I emptied the bag, pulled out the brushes (which were still intact
this time), and blew it all out with the air compressor. I put the
brushes back in and I was back in business.

So, all-in-all, this thing needs a little more care-n-feeding that I'd
expect to have to put into a top-brand tool like DeWalt or PC.
However, the top brands cost 4-8 times as much... and this thing, in
my opinion is *way* better than 1/4 - 1/8 as good as they are. So, the
bang-for-the-buck ratio is much higher with this HF sander, I'd say.

And, keep in mind that I'm one of thsoe who normally turns his nose up
at HF as well as the rest of us. My bandsaw and jointer are Delta, my
air cleaner is Jet, my biscuit joiner, jigsaw, and cordless drills are
DeWalt and my router and sanders are PC. So, I usually lean toward the
"good stuff". But I really can't find any way to convince myself that
my money would have been better spent on a premier sander when
compared to this one which costs me less than a tank of gas.

My two cents, anyway...

- Joe

John wrote:
HF had a grand opening in Laurel MD today

I knew one was opening but the HF web site didn't say when. I even drove
through Laurel twice today, would have stopped if I'd known. ;-)

-- Mark

I bought one, about three months ago. Flawless operation. Second only to
my chain saw in effectiveness. Been through four 80 grit belts sanding down
twisted treated SYP. Never faltered. Be sure to pick up the sandpaper
eraser that's about 30% the price of elsewhere, and it cleans the belts just
fine.

OTOH, the 1/4 sheet finish sander, for $9.99, went back broken the next day.
Full credit, no hassle, no questions.

My grown son wants a belt sander for his birthday after using mine to shape
up some old warped dresser drawers. I'll buy him a Makita, that'll last his
lifetime. But for me, the $25 HF is just fine. When you look at the deck
rail that was twisted, you might think I used a $250 PC to grind it down.

--
Jim Murphy

The place was packed. They seemed to have everything thay advertised though
and had all of the registers running so the only hassle was all the people
clogging the ails.
"Mark Jerde" wrote in message
...
John wrote:
HF had a grand opening in Laurel MD today

I knew one was opening but the HF web site didn't say when. I even drove
through Laurel twice today, would have stopped if I'd known. ;-)

-- Mark

"Joe Emenaker" wrote in message
om...


And, keep in mind that I'm one of thsoe who normally turns his nose up
at HF as well as the rest of us. My bandsaw and jointer are Delta, my
air cleaner is Jet, my biscuit joiner, jigsaw, and cordless drills are
DeWalt and my router and sanders are PC. So, I usually lean toward the
"good stuff". But I really can't find any way to convince myself that
my money would have been better spent on a premier sander when
compared to this one which costs me less than a tank of gas.

My two cents, anyway...

I'm there. I've got about six doors, in the basement that need planing. To
keep the time investment down, I'm looking at a powered approach: a small
power planer. I need to be done with all six in about an hour. Not skilled
enough to use a plane. Don't want the fine dust from a belt sander hanging
around.

Can't see how I'd ever use this machine after I'm done with the doors. No
way I'll pop for the Makita, DeWalt, PC, etc. Black and Decker for $50 -
mebbe. HF for $20 and I'm there. It's worth the gamble, to me.

patrick conroy wrote:
I'm there. I've got about six doors, in the basement that need planing. To
keep the time investment down, I'm looking at a powered approach: a small
power planer. I need to be done with all six in about an hour. Not skilled
enough to use a plane. Don't want the fine dust from a belt sander hanging
around.

You may find that a hand planer leaves a groove at the edge of the
cut on one side or the other. Overlapping maynot remove the
problem. A #7 or #8 will the job without the groove.
YMMV
Dave in Fairfax
--
Dave Leader
reply-to doesn't work
use:
daveldr at att dot net
American Association of Woodturners
http://www.woodturner.org
Capital Area Woodturners
http://www.capwoodturners.org/

I've bought several items from HF and had the same problems but after the
initial crash, they kept on running and running. I have their cheapie drill
press ( $49) which is fine for woodworking. Been running for two years. Had
a 4x36 belt sander that died in the first few minutes also, replaced a bad
switch and ran fine for a few years. Finally sold it for almost what I paid
for it.

Sometimes you can get lucky at HF - as long as you don't expect top drawer
quality.


Vic

"Joe Emenaker" wrote in message
om...
I was down at HF last weekend to buy one of their (cough, cough...)
"5-horsepower" (must be those short Chinese horses) electric motor for
the home-made 2-stage Bill Pentz DC I'm going to make.

In line to check out, I looked at the sale flier.... 3x21" portable
belt sander for $25 bucks!

I was finishing up building a workbench, and I needed something which
could hog off a lot of material. I had been looking at reviews in FWW,
et. al. where the editor's choice would be some $200 unit like the
DeWalt or something. This thing was almost a TENTH of that price.

"Jeez," I said to myself, "even if it craps out after a couple of
hours, it's still almost cheaper than renting one for that long".

So, I got it....

... and it crapped out after a couple of SECONDS!

One pull on the trigger and it started spinning and I saw a blue flash
from inside the housing and the thing went dead.

The only thing that they package along with the sander (besides the
instructions and dust bag) are replacement motor brushes... so I had a
hunch about where to start looking for the problem. The brushes were
easy (as in... trivial) to get to. Sure enough, the brushes had
fractured and there were little brush fragments in there that I was
able to shake out. I put in the replacement brushes and it worked like
a charm.

After that initial hiccup, it ran pretty well. I was able to hog off a
lot of material and I got it fairly hot (to the point where I figured
that a tool this cheap would surely quit) but it kept going.

After about a 20-30 minutes worth of total sanding time, I started
seeing some blue flashes again and the sander started sputtering. So,
I stopped it, and noticed that the dust bag was about 1/4 - 1/3 full.
So, I emptied the bag, pulled out the brushes (which were still intact
this time), and blew it all out with the air compressor. I put the
brushes back in and I was back in business.

So, all-in-all, this thing needs a little more care-n-feeding that I'd
expect to have to put into a top-brand tool like DeWalt or PC.
However, the top brands cost 4-8 times as much... and this thing, in
my opinion is *way* better than 1/4 - 1/8 as good as they are. So, the
bang-for-the-buck ratio is much higher with this HF sander, I'd say.

And, keep in mind that I'm one of thsoe who normally turns his nose up
at HF as well as the rest of us. My bandsaw and jointer are Delta, my
air cleaner is Jet, my biscuit joiner, jigsaw, and cordless drills are
DeWalt and my router and sanders are PC. So, I usually lean toward the
"good stuff". But I really can't find any way to convince myself that
my money would have been better spent on a premier sander when
compared to this one which costs me less than a tank of gas.

My two cents, anyway...

- Joe

In article , Wolf Lahti
wrote:

In article ,
(Joe Emenaker) wrote:

I really can't find any way to convince myself that
my money would have been better spent on a premier sander when
compared to this one which costs me less than a tank of gas.


Where do you buy your gas?

Maybe he drives a moped. ;-)

Kevin

On 27 Jul 2004 19:11:58 -0700, (Joe Emenaker) wrote:

But I really can't find any way to convince myself that
my money would have been better spent on a premier sander when
compared to this one which costs me less than a tank of gas.

With what I drive I could practically buy the good one for less than a
tank of gas.

Tim Douglass

http://www.DouglassClan.com

I can't say I'm a big HF fan but a couple of years ago they ran an ad for a
$99 mortiser. I ended up bringing one home and have been fairly pleased (I
didn't say "delighted", "overjoyed" or "elated"). The machine has plenty of
power, the chisels that came with it are decent, it cuts square holes and
the hold down hardware sucks. While the lever is long enough, it has a
small problem contacting the table or work at full extension.

I figure what the heck:

- It cost $99
- The hold down hardware can be improved
- The handle can be improved by reshaping
- It cuts square holes
- If it smokes, I'l get a better one someday
- If it doesn't smoke, I might get a better one anyway but this one works
for now.


"Wolf Lahti" wrote in message
...
In article ,
(Joe Emenaker) wrote:

I really can't find any way to convince myself that
my money would have been better spent on a premier sander when
compared to this one which costs me less than a tank of gas.


Where do you buy your gas?

With what I drive I could practically buy the good one for less than a
tank of gas.

Tim Douglass

http://www.DouglassClan.com

Hear, hear. The 30-gallon tank on my pickup is quite a hit when I
fill it up. The day I bought it (my first ever brand new
vehicle--actually, the first vehicle that had less than 100k miles) I
had to fill the tank. Dodge quit doing that for people, so I pull
into the gas station and start filling. After a while, I looked under
the truck to see where the gas was pouring out because the pump was
still running. Turns out it was just a big friggin gas tank.

Long story short, a fillup costs me about $55.

-Phil Crow