Customer Reviews

Delta SA446 Shopmaster 4-Inch Belt x 6-Inch Disc Bench Sander

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

This is an excellent tool for anything short of production woodwork. One friend uses his in a full-time luthier's shop, making and repairing violins and other stringed instruments, and he's as happy with it as he's been with any tool.

I've only found one small sander I like better- a slightly more expensive Ryobi with a belt that tilts vertically. But other than that there's not much to choose from between the two. An excellent value, and of course Delta's warranty and service in first rate.

Easy to slow belt when sanding - aka low power. Motor burned up with 3 years of very infrequent light duty work - wooden bird houses and boxes. Motor began emmiting smoke with no load as soon as it was turned on with ambient temp of 40F. Delta Shopmaster products are thier low cost lines. I thought a simple Delta product for $90 would last longer.

It is an ok machine for the light use home shop. However it is under powered and under built for anything besides sanding the edge of a 1x3. I was sanding some paint off a 1x3 piece of pine, with 50 grit very corase paper. To much pressure and the machine would bog down. Careful as I was to keep the pressure light, let the motion and paper do the work, the drive belt fell apart. I decided to write the review while I was herelooking for a new belt (or perhaps a 6 pack). Note purchased at local hardware store, for a few dollar more then Amazon price.

I recently purchased this product. I found the manual to be well thought out and easy to follow. Assembly was straight forward and easy. The unit seems to be fairly well constructed for its size and intended purpose. My only complaint is with the belt which has an overlap seam and can cause considerable thumping in some applications. I would definately reccommend this product for small projects. However, be sure to check everyone's price, as I found one seller to have a price considerably below everyone elses.

to the point, this machine has a plastic drive wheel. I got a small piece of wood jerked out of my fingers (my fault) and it wedged the belt and stopped it (safety built in). However, that stripped the plastic drive wheel. After that, anything above slight pressure on the sanding piece and the belt/disc stopped. I didn't want to go through the hassle of begging Delta for an exchange, so I fixed it with JB Weld. Now it works fine. The discovery of the flimsy construction has kept me from considering Delta anything.

This is definitely NOT an industrial sander and is fine for use with small material and moderate useage, which is what I do, so its fine for me. Grinding paint off of wood? Don't think that's what it was intended to do. PROS: Small footprint, belts track and adjust well, replace easily, it is quite quiet, dust collection fairly good. Contrary to above review, the belt table does tilt up. Price is hard to beat. CONS: This is not a heavy duty machine and it does bog down easily. The ribbed aluminum disc table really sucks as workpieces get hung up in the grooves. I bolted a thin piece of plywood to it to resolve this problem. The worst thing is that there is no metal/cork platten under the belt like on a portable belt sander. Every time the belt seam goes by the workpiece, it causes a thumping sound which is annoying.

Altogether it is a solid machine and good value for the money, better than a hobbyest machine like that hideous plastic Ryobi that costs more. This is a sander, not a grinder.

Purchased this sander and used it for light sanding only on small parts. Not many hours of use in two years when the warranty ran out. But so did the motor. It costs more for a motor than the whole sander so be aware that this is what I would consider a throw away tool.

I've owned this sander for four months now and it has been down waiting for parts for two of those months. The driven pulley is made of cheap plastic with plastic splines on a metal shaft. The plastic pulley wore out after only light use, it began to get off center and destroyed the drive belt. Both parts have been on order for over a month. The motor on this unit is under-powered, you can easily stop the belt with almost any sanding operation. The overall guality of this sander is poor, but I must say, I should have known based on the price. You get what you pay for with tools. Poor quality, underpowered, parts???

Cheaply made to say the least.

I have had this sander for less than a month and the plastic gear pulley is stripped. Even the slightest pressure bogs it down. I am only using it at home on small pieces and expected much more from this machine. The platen is very uneven, I didn't expect it to be precision ground but this is ridiculous. Save your money and buy a Jet or something.

I definitely agree with some of the other reviews that this sander is a great value and that its excellent for small projects or as a hobby. I have my own shop and it fits perfectly in for doing the job. Shop around though for the best price. The sander is a great value based on its functionality. And that the belt can be used either vertically or horizantally is definitely a plus. Also replacement belts and disks are well stocked everywhere. Its much esier than some brand that uses a special size or type thats unique to that particular machine. A+++++