BUCKTOOL 500W Bench Belt Sander for Woodworking, 100x914 mm Belt and 150 mm Disc Sander, Belt Sander for Wood with Direct-Drive Motor, BD4603

This arrived 2 days ago so no long term report but I have been fettling it so hopefully these tips will be useful. To start with, this is a good bit of kit. It is relatively heavy (always an indication of quality) which should stop it from wandering, and not too noisy in operation, given what type of machine it is. The belt speed feels about right and it’s accurate when properly set up, but see below. So here are some tips/issues that I have found: * The disc sanding pads are the stick-on rather than hook-and-loop type, if you want to order some spares at the same time - this isn’t mentioned in the description. * The belt sander table was set up reasonably accurately, measured at 90.3° with a digital protractor. There is a set screw at the back of the table which allows for the setting of an angle stop, so that it always comes back to 90° after angle changes. This needed significant adjustment but works well, particularly because otherwise the table shifts when when you tighten the lock bolt. There is also forward and backward adjustment of the table so that you can get to almost zero-clearance. * The belt backing plate was accurately set - the photo below shows that it has a uniform gap of about 0.5 mm and is exactly parallel. There is forward and backward adjustment. * The strut under the belt sanding table is just a bolt screwed into the framework but it works fine. When adjusted so that it is just taking some of the weight off the other feet, it makes the unit very stable. * The allen keys fit into little clips on the side of the belt cover, which is helpful. Note that they slide in from the side rather than pressing from the top. (Some people might assume that it was shoddy manufacture when they don’t snap in and then try to enlarge the slots. Ahem.) * I very much like the self-locking belt tensioner. It makes changing the belts fast and easy. *My only real gripe with the machine is with the disk sanding mitre fence: the angle scale is printed in dark red on black and the pointer is painted black with a stubby end. So there is no way of setting an accurate mitre as it stands. However it is only 5 mins work to file the pointer to a proper point, remove the paint and polish the metal. Can’t do anything about the scale however, other than maybe printing out a new one, black on white and sticking it on. * The disc table angle scale is much more readable but the pointer is set too far from the scale and again has a blunt tip. I plan to bend it into an S shape to reduce the parallax and refile it, so it’s fixable. +The tables are robust enough for general use but don’t be tempted to use them to pick up or carry the unit. The disc table in particular has only a small area of attachment and, being cast alloy, would likely break rather than bend. * The mitre gauge slide is a loose fit in the slot but I measured the slack from one extreme to the other as 0.6° so it’s not really an issue apart from fine work. If you keep the slide pressed against the back edge of the slot while you sand it eliminates the problem, or you could make a replacement out of HDPE or similar - the slot is accurately machined. TL;DR This is an excellent machine in almost every respect, and the niggles are easily remedied. An absolute bargain at the price and an easy 5 stars.

Really pleased with this sander. Nice and stead with no need to clamp it to a table. Possibly the table on the side of the circular sander could be a bit longer as the slide falls out before you reach the edge of disk. An irritation but not a big problem. Well worth the money.

The sander arrived on time but was damaged. The dust extract port on the belt sander side was badly broken. I didn't return or complain because it wasn't really required for my application which is metal working. The machine itself is powerful and extremely good for material removal. The only downside is the tables.... they are incredibly weak and if you apply to much pressure to the belt with the work piece, they flex and distort and an oscillation is created in the table. I was well aware of this from previous reviews and watching videos. Even though the tables are weak and the damage to the machine, I am thoroughly happy with the machine. It is far superior to similar machines on the market and is very capable. I will make new tables from steel and disregard the cast aluminium ones. Bucktools could have a major contender if they resolve the table issue! With regard to the broken dust extract, it wasn't worth the hassle requesting a replacement. All in all, I would recommend this machine even though it does have a weak point.

POWERFULL, RELIABLE, VALUE FOR MONEY.

I have owned the Bucktool sander for about 15 months, I think it's the best disc / belt sander, and owned a few 9 out of 10 is my score.

What a cracking bit of kit this is, pretty quiet not to much vibration, looks and feels a good quality item.i have to admit I had never heard of them before but would recommend this for bench work

Been looking for a belt sander for a while now but the 2x72’s are expensive. Found this one on Amazon and glad I gave it a try. It says it’s a wood working sander, but I am using it for metal. Copper working it is spot on even at 3mm thick, both on the belt and the pad. I have also used it with 5mm x 25mm flat bar mild steel and it handles it no problem. Noise level is better than what I was expecting, and the level of vibration from the machine isn’t excessive. I have a small belt sander that is variable speed and I am told it can be heard in the house from the garage (garage is joint to the house), no complaints with this one yet.

Well built and functional for the most part. Except .... You will want at some point to change the belt - this is unavoidable. In which case, turn to pages 14 & 15 of the instructions and you will find the information on how to disassemble the covers to get at the belt begins at paragraph 8: paras 1-7 are missing. Which is not a help, since the screws you need to undo are not simple to locate. Some thumb-screws would be much more user-friendly, and better engineering. As it is, the existing belt access system is poor and obscure and the screw heads once you locate them will cam-out before many belt changes have been carried out. In fact, the top screw holding the plastic end-cover on the machine I received was glued in by paint, and the screw sheared off on first (exploratory, since the machine is new) attempt to undo it. This level of careless design and manufacture is inexcusable - just a little more attention to detail would make a world of difference. If you're happy to do some basic mods to the machine at the outset, it's not a bad piece of kit, but changing the belt has been made an absolute hassle requiring initial detective work and long-term alteration to the machine. The seller seriously needs to look at this - until then, if you want a trouble-free purchase, my advice: avoid.

J'ai renvoyé cette ponceuse sans l'essayer, pour 2 raisons : la première est que la prise électrique est de type américaine, ce qui pouvait éventuellement se corriger en coupant le fil et en la remplaçant par une prise Française; mais surtout parce que le disque de ponçage est directement collé sur son plateau, ce qui rend son remplacement très difficile ! Sur le modèle que j'ai acheté en remplacement, le disque est fixé par du velcro et se remplace facilement, comme sur les ponceuses excentriques par exemple. Sinon la qualité de fabrication et la finition semblaient très bonnes sur la Bucktool, je l'aurai gardée sans ce problème de disque collé sur le plateau.