What's On Your Workbench?

[RichterScale]

I belt sand almost every flat piece of wood I make

hmmm,.....I made up a sled for the router, so I usually plane everything flat with that. I also have a 5" orbital disc sander, but I don't really like it. Not sure how people sand everything with those. Feels awkward to me. I usually plane a piece with the router, then block sand by hand.
I know the combo sander would definitely be better for smaller pieces and metal work for sure.
I guess I'm mostly thinking about getting around the edge of the body and the inside curves of the horns.
If I could do that on the drill press without stressing it out too much, the combo sander definitely has more uses.

 

[Matt Liebenau]

I love my Rigid oscillating spindle sander but I’ve been thinking about getting a belt/disc sander, mostly for metal work though. My suggestion would be to look for used and, if possible, non Harbor Freight. I got good deals on the spindle sander at a pawn shop and my floor standing drill press by watching the local version of Craigslist and being patient.

I know, I know… patient’s no fun but it can have rewards.

 

[TerribleTim68]

I love my oscillating spindle sander. Mine is a Craftsman, and it only does the round sleeve, no belt, but I love it.

 

[RichterScale]

if possible, non Harbor Freight

There are certain things I definitely wouldn't buy there.
We have the 8" HF drill press in the shop at work and I've put quite a few miles on it. It's held up well. So, I figure it will do okay for me with anything I would use it for at home.
I checked out their large band saws last time I was there and yeah,...no.
I'm also not a fan of their handheld power tools.
Honestly, at this point, everything is made in China, so half the stuff in HF is going to be on par with the name brand stuff in the big box stores.
I feel like, for a noticeable difference in quality tools, we'd be stepping up into a price bracket that I'm not in yet.
I've built up a nice collection of Ryobi corded and cordless tools. I just don't have any larger benchtop stuff, like a drill press, etc.

 

[Jeff Siddall]

hmmm,.....I made up a sled for the router, so I usually plane everything flat with that. I also have a 5" orbital disc sander, but I don't really like it. Not sure how people sand everything with those. Feels awkward to me. I usually plane a piece with the router, then block sand by hand.
I know the combo sander would definitely be better for smaller pieces and metal work for sure.
I guess I'm mostly thinking about getting around the edge of the body and the inside curves of the horns.
If I could do that on the drill press without stressing it out too much, the combo sander definitely has more uses.

I also have a router sled. But the belt sander will sand out the router marks.

Think of it as an upside-down foot long by 4" wide super fast block sander.

Edges of the body are mostly fine too, since the end of the belt sander can do rounds also, up to about a 2" radius. Smaller than that you need a spindle sander on the drill press (basically things like cutaways).

 

[TerribleTim68]

FWIW:
Our race shop has a TON of HF "stuff" in it. Pretty much anything that we take to the track is from HF, because during a long race day, tools have a way of walking out of your pit without you noticing. I'd like to say that the racing community and your fellow racers have respect for other racers and their stuff, but let's be honest, we just don't live in that world any longer.
We're also a very small family team with a VERY limited budget, so a lot of our larger machines inside the shop that never leave are also from HF. We have the drill press, we have the horizontal band saw, we have the sheet metal brake, we have several different cordless drills and impacts, we have many air tools from there. None of it is outright "junk", you just have to understand that it is disposable and has a life span. When it dies, you toss it and go buy another one. As to "when" it dies, you just never know. Maybe it lasts for years (our drill press has been used for probably 15 years and no problems yet), maybe it lasts for 6 months (welding helmets tend to be trash, some cordless guns won't hold a charge any more). You just never know.

 

[Gilmourisgod]

Yeah, im still figuring out whats worth buying at HF, it used to be "nothing with a cord", but i bought an HF electric buffer to polish up my boat and if i get 10 more uses out of it, it will more than pay for itself. Anybody tried the drill bits? I temd to break them, so maybe something more disposable makes sense. Ive re-purposed a fair bit of stuff from HF into Luthiery tools, but its.definitely hit or miss. The clamps alone are a damn good deal. At something like $5 each, hard to beat.

 

[TerribleTim68]

... The clamps alone are a damn good deal. At something like $5 each, hard to beat.

I use the "Bonehead Guitars" method, Scott has said it a few times on his videos. Every time I go to HF I toss a couple clamps in the cart. You really don't notice the difference on the bill, and in a few trips you start to compile a pretty good clamp collection.

 

[dwizum]

The "drill press as a spindle sander" will kill a cheaper drill press pretty quick. I have a Craftsman drill press that's about the same size as the one you linked that's now useless for actual drilling because the shaft is so sloppy after using it as a makeshift spindle sander for a couple years. If you want a makeshift spindle sander, I think a better option is to get the same sanding drums but use them in a super cheap handheld drill - one you don't mind killing bearings in. So with that in mind I'd vote drill press and belt/disc sander.

Or get that combo oscillating spindle/belt sander that seems popular with hobbyists - I think that's my next purchase since it seems pretty usable for a wide range of stuff. Rigid, WEN, Triton, Grizzly, and probably a few other brands are selling this same unit:

https://www.amazon.com/WEN-6524-Oscillating-Spindle-Sander/dp/B07MJ7X6D6

 

[the baint]

There are certain things I definitely wouldn't buy there.
We have the 8" HF drill press in the shop at work and I've put quite a few miles on it. It's held up well. So, I figure it will do okay for me with anything I would use it for at home.
I checked out their large band saws last time I was there and yeah,...no.
I'm also not a fan of their handheld power tools.
Honestly, at this point, everything is made in China, so half the stuff in HF is going to be on par with the name brand stuff in the big box stores.
I feel like, for a noticeable difference in quality tools, we'd be stepping up into a price bracket that I'm not in yet.
I've built up a nice collection of Ryobi corded and cordless tools. I just don't have any larger benchtop stuff, like a drill press, etc.

As an employee of TTI (we make RYOBI, RIDGID, Milwaukee, and others) I can tell you that a LOT more goes into the quality of tools than simply the country of origin.

As a value and quality conscious hobbyist, I can personally recommend that you check out Direct Tools Factory Outlet, where you can find great deals on reconditioned or factory blemished units, including RIDGID bench top tools. Without trying to sound like a company shill, that is how I’ve acquired much of my tools and for when friends and family have had needs.

 

[Matt Liebenau]

Yes, I’ll admit I have Harbor Freight tools but typically not for the tools I use on the job every day and, if they fail, I’ll look like an ass in a doctor’s office because I can’t fix their equipment, you know, do what they called me to do and are paying my company very well for me to do. Like @TerribleTim68 said, they have a lifespan. How long? Who knows…

I’ll also echo @dwizum statement. I have a Central Machinery bench top drill press that was used with a RoboSander and some similar duties that the quill is noticeably wobbly on. My “don’t know how old it is but old” Craftsman that I’m pretty sure was used hard before I got it? Still solid. I put a new chuck on it last year mostly because I didn’t want to take the time to clean and fix the old one but I’d bet a clean and fix would have that working normally again.

 

[RichterScale]

The "drill press as a spindle sander" will kill a cheaper drill press pretty quick. I have a Craftsman drill press that's about the same size as the one you linked that's now useless for actual drilling because the shaft is so sloppy after using it as a makeshift spindle sander for a couple years. If you want a makeshift spindle sander, I think a better option is to get the same sanding drums but use them in a super cheap handheld drill - one you don't mind killing bearings in. So with that in mind I'd vote drill press and belt/disc sander.

Or get that combo oscillating spindle/belt sander that seems popular with hobbyists - I think that's my next purchase since it seems pretty usable for a wide range of stuff. Rigid, WEN, Triton, Grizzly, and probably a few other brands are selling this same unit:

https://www.amazon.com/WEN-6524-Oscillating-Spindle-Sander/dp/B07MJ7X6D6

Oh wow, I didn't realize it could also be used with the different sized drums.
That would be a great tool to have.

 

[RichterScale]

As an employee of TTI (we make RYOBI, RIDGID, Milwaukee, and others) I can tell you that a LOT more goes into the quality of tools than sim

Understood. I'll reword it.
Manufacturing processes have gotten better, everywhere.
So, a lot of the stuff that used to be dismissed as cheap HF Chinese junk, is pretty close to on par with a lot of the brands sold in box stores.
Not all of it. They do still sell a lot of junk. But the quality of a lot of their products has gotten better.

Anybody tried the drill bits?

HF drill bits are junk.
I usually buy Milwaukee bit sets from HD for daily use. The gold ones for general use and the cobalt alloys for metal. They're a little better in quality and affordable. Not exactly top of the line either, buy way better than HF stuff.

 

[Beej]

I use the "Bonehead Guitars" method, Scott has said it a few times on his videos. Every time I go to HF I toss a couple clamps in the cart. You really don't notice the difference on the bill, and in a few trips you start to compile a pretty good clamp collection.

I've seriously considered getting Magis Fibulatis tattoed on me. It's latin for "more clamps"

 

[dwizum]

Which HF clamps are you guys buying?

I tried an armful of their trigger clamps a couple years ago and threw them out. It was the ones with black plastic frames, black steel bars, and gray pads. The gray rubber pads on the jaws were so full of some sort of oily substance that you couldn't clamp anything without resulting in an oily square stain on whatever you clamped.

 

[Matt Liebenau]

I haven’t tried the trigger clamps in a while but they were pretty awful. I’ve used the bar clamps and a handful of C-clamps. The deep reach C-clamps can be pretty handy. The spring clamps work and last pretty well too.

 

[RichterScale]

Which HF clamps are you guys buying?

I tried an armful of their trigger clamps a couple years ago and threw them out. It was the ones with black plastic frames, black steel bars, and gray pads. The gray rubber pads on the jaws were so full of some sort of oily substance that you couldn't clamp anything without resulting in an oily square stain on whatever you clamped.

Same.
And I get the same oil spots.
The clamps work fine for me and at $5 ea, I can't complain. I think the basically same clamps at Rockler were $20-$25.
I just use a piece of parchment paper under the pad if it's something I don't want the the oil to get on.
I do notice that a lot of HF products are still gassing/curing.

 

[TerribleTim68]

I've had no problems at all with these -

 

[RichterScale]

Wow, the Wen and HF Bauer look awfully similar.
$200 and I can pick it up tomorrow.
The reviews were pretty good. One review said it worked better than the Ridgid.
I like the fold down table. I wonder if that would work for a belly carve.
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[JIO]

View attachment 4468527 View attachment 4468528
Wow, the Wen and HF Bauer look awfully similar.
$200 and I can pick it up tomorrow.
The reviews were pretty good. One review said it worked better than the Ridgid.
I like the fold down table. I wonder if that would work for a belly carve.
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Different branding - same machine. Could be my next shop-tool.