WASP SANDER REVIEW

Gee, Don, it looks like a mini-beltsander?

-- Thos. Angle

Hi Don;

Looks to me like it will cause a lot of stress to your drill press bearings. I supose on smaller parts, it would be fine.

Lee

-- by Lee A. Jesberger http://www.prowoodworkingtips.com http://www.ezee-feed.com

Lee, I think you are right about bearing stress. I never leave it on for long and only use it for shaping small parts.

-- CanuckDon "I just love small wooden boxes!" http://www.hilsbiblechurch.org/

I think it’s a neat idea that comes from good basic premises but can be easily improved. By providing the main drum with an extended axle that would fit into a bearing-equipped base-plate you could relieve the tensions in the drill press bearings.

Anyway, the kit with accessories sells averaing AUD 150 (USD 125) so I can only see its utility if you are lacking real state in your shop because, for slightly more (USD 199), you can have the Ridgid Oscillating Spindle Sander station -the famous orange one-.

In any case, it’s good to see the inventive of the OZ woodworkers Don, even the adopted ones! ;o)

-- Jojo, shopless in Kyoto · http://twitter.com/kagushokunin

Jojo…I was thinking the same thing. Even with limited real estate, the Ridgid sander only weighs about 30 lbs allowing for easy storage under a bench or even on an overhead shelf.

-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)

Don, what happened to your picture? Thanks for the information.

-- Jesus is Lord!

Mark, just trying something different.

-- CanuckDon "I just love small wooden boxes!" http://www.hilsbiblechurch.org/

Don

What is the answer to the WASP dust creation / management?

-- Bandsaw Box Plans

Tony, I hang the hose from my shop vac directly behind the revolving belt and it seems to take most of it away.

-- CanuckDon "I just love small wooden boxes!" http://www.hilsbiblechurch.org/

Jojo has a great idea, I bet you could modify that tool with just a little work.

-- "so much to learn and so little time"..

from the homepage at the link that you provided for us …..thank you , seems like a useful tool : )

Will the WASP sander damage the bearings in my pedestal drill? Drills aren’t designed to take side thrust are they?

No – this is a common and intuitive question we get all the time, and its a sensible one to consider.

The answer is two-fold:-

1. When you think about it, the bearings in the headstock are ball bearings. Ball bearings are designed to take thrust across the rotation axis. It is surprising that drill bearings stand up so well to the axial thrust we subject them to when drilling – so you see the reverse position that you raised is in fact the case.

2. More importantly, we have yet to hear a negative complaint in this regard in the 6 years the WASP has been used (many hundreds sold). Also, the inventor has been using drum sanders of all descriptions, sometimes very heavily, for about 30 years and has never damaged drill bearings (not that we know of anyway). Terry’s woodwork classes have also been using normal drum sanders, and the WASP, and you had better believe how students are cruel on machinery.
The other issue some users appear to have is with the drill chuck falling off morse taper spindles. Terry from Piric Design also highlights this in the user manual, and offers a solution. Basically, it is not any real fault of the WASP itself, but rather an incorrectly or inadequately seated chuck on the tapered spindle. When I purchased and set up my drill press, this was one thing I made sure was secure, and hence I have not had any such issue using the WASP sander on my drill press.

-- You know you're getting old when you know the difference between you're (you are) and your (belonging to you) AND how to use them in a sentence .

Interesting accessory, thanks Don.

-- Grumpy - "Always look on the bright side of life"- Monty Python