A very good friend of mine has a father that is an avid woodworker. He chip carves, and makes many other things such as wooden spoons and the like on his drawhorse. He’s a very talented man. Anyway, he decided that he wanted a new stationary belt sander, and bought one. The older stationary sander was a Craftsman, and it had a few years under its belt. The sander sat in the corner of the barn near the tractors, and one day my friend asked his dad if he wanted to get rid of it. He said, “You’re not using that thing, why don’t you give it to Steve?” “Well, OK” was his reply.
Sooo, I hurried up there to his house today and latched onto it. It’s a gem. It’s in really good shape, and has a 1/2 hp motor on it. Even the belt is in good shape. It has all of its original attachments, including the disk sander. The best thing about it is that the only place there is any plastic is on the electrical cord to the motor, it’s all cast iron and steel. It’s heavy.
Now, backtrack about 5 years. I went to a farm auction one day and bought a box of stuff that came with some old wooden bar clamps that I wanted really bad. I didn’t know what was in the box, but it didn’t matter because I paid well under what the clamps were worth. I got the box home and inside were some large belts for a belt sander. However, at the time, they didn’t fit anything I had.
Now, back to present day. I cleaned my shop out about a month ago and I found those belts again. I thought, “These are in really good shape, so I’m not going to throw them away. I can always cut them up and use them on my orbital sander.”
Well, I got the sander home today and remembererd that I had the belts. They fit the stationary sander perfectly!!! So, now I’m set. I’ve been out in the shop for the last few hours fine tuning the sander and removing some of the rust from the tabletops. The startup was a little slow, but after some polishing, the belt runs across the table with minimal friction. The sander works fantastic. AND, the best part was it was FREE!!! I oiled some bearings that sounded like they had a little squeal in them. They don’t make noise anymore after the oil. When I get around to taking it apart and giving it a good cleaning, then I’ll probably replace them.
I can’t express enough thanks to my friends father for allowing me to have it. I’ll have to go up to his place this fall and cut wood for him, or something. Here are some pics:
The Front- 
The Back- 
The Front with the belt sander vertical and the disk sander table at 45 degrees- 
The top and side- 
Thanks for looking…
-Steve
-- As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17) †

















23 comments so far
Patrick Jaromin
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346 posts in 2004 days
#1 posted 1750 days ago
Score! The only thing better than a good tool is a good FREE tool!.
-- Patrick, Chicago, IL http://www.TenonAndSpline.com/blog
Brad_Nailor
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2450 posts in 2129 days
#2 posted 1750 days ago
Free is good! TWO goldens? Awesome! I have been thinking about getting another one..I love my golden, they are the best breed!
-- http://www.facebook.com/pages/DSO-Designs/297237806954248
trifern
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8131 posts in 1939 days
#3 posted 1750 days ago
You are a lucky dog. Please seek professional help if you find yourself in the shop sanding, just to be sanding, no project, just sanding. Congratulations Steve.
-- My favorite piece is my last one, my best piece is my next one.
TedM
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2002 posts in 1904 days
#4 posted 1750 days ago
Congrats!
-- I'm a wood magician... I can turn fine lumber into firewood before your very eyes! - Please visit http://www.woodworkersguide.com and sign up for my project updates!
Jimthecarver
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1049 posts in 1957 days
#5 posted 1750 days ago
NICE! a little TLC and she will look great.
-- Can't never could do anything, to try is to advance.
Lee A. Jesberger
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6501 posts in 2151 days
#6 posted 1750 days ago
Hi Steve;
Some guys have all the luck.
Be careful around the exposed belt! You might consider making a shroud for it.
Lee
-- by Lee A. Jesberger http://www.prowoodworkingtips.com http://www.ezee-feed.com
SteveKorz
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2119 posts in 1886 days
#7 posted 1750 days ago
Brad Nailer- We have four goldens and lots of timber and a pond for their playground… hilarious to watch’em play.
I think that once I’ll put some TLC into it, some paint… a new bearing sometime later… it’ll run for years and years….
Lee- I’m in the middle of thinking about how I want to attach a belt cover… You’re abosolutely right, I don’t want to get myself or, Lord forbid, a dog tail caught in that belt.
-- As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17) †
Joe Lyddon
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6397 posts in 2224 days
#8 posted 1750 days ago
Hey Steve,
That sure looks alot better than my Modern similar Delta… everything is out in the open… easy to get at…
I’ll bet it works great!
Are you going to put a Hook & Loop face on the disk?
I did that on a disk sander… it works pretty well… easier than those PSA types.
Congratulations… Nice SCORE!
-- Have Fun! Joe Lyddon - Alta Loma, CA USA - Home: http://www.WoodworkStuff.net ... My Small Gallery: http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/showgallery.php?ppuser=1389&cat=500"
gizmodyne
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1762 posts in 2262 days
#9 posted 1750 days ago
Awesome.
I got a very similar one at a garage sale three years ago..
Yours looks to be in better condition. They work great. But man they are loud! (And spew dust). I want to try a different belt and a dust shroud thingy.
Watch the fingers.
-- -John "Do I have to keep typing a smiley? Just assume it's a joke." www.flickr.com/photos/gizmodyne
Michael Brailsford
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241 posts in 1765 days
#10 posted 1750 days ago
Good score. There is nothing like a free tool, especially a power tool.
-- Michael A. Brailsford
SteveKorz
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2119 posts in 1886 days
#11 posted 1750 days ago
Joe- Hook and Loop, huh?... I hadn’t thought of that. That sounds a little easier than cleaning adhesive on the wheel all the time.
John- They do look similar. I’m going to fashion a belt guard for mine so that I don’t get caught up in it.
Mike- My grandfather used to say, “Heck, I’ll take anything that’s free…. ” lol
I just got back from the hardware store with some electrical components to give it a quick upgrade, and some paint. I’m going to clean it up the best I can and get it where I won’t have to maintanence it for a while. Depending on how easy the bearings and bushings are to replace, I may do all them too- whether they need it or not. The bearings in this machine are not self sealed. It would probably run a little more quiet too.
-- As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17) †
lightweightladylefty
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2068 posts in 1884 days
#12 posted 1750 days ago
I’m envious. They don’t make tools like they used to. I replaced my stationary sander a couple years back with a 6×48 “made in China” version since no one offered me a FREE replacement and “China” was what I could afford. What a mistake . . . absolutely impossible to get the belt to track correctly. It cuts into the dust collection (which is plastic). The fence (or whatever you call that thingamagig) is not square to the belt surface . . . and cannot be made square since the holes are misaligned. The table for the disk cannot be made level since the parts were machined crooked. The miter gauge looks like a toy part. The dust collection has a “grate” inside it that clogs whenever I sand aspen (poplar). The most frustrating part is that it has to be almost totally disassembled with a toolbox full of tools just to replace the belt! That doesn’t give a person any desire to sand to different grits—just put a belt on and leave it until it falls apart!
Anyone interested in a cheap stationary sander?!? :>)!
-- Jesus is the ONLY reason for ANY season.
SteveKorz
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2119 posts in 1886 days
#13 posted 1749 days ago
WOW, that sounds terribly frustrtating… I’m lucky enough on this one because it’s simple. I can adjust by finger pressure all the parts that move except putting the large belt vertical. I don’t need any tools to change a belt or pad, I can do that with my hand. It takes about 20 seconds. The parts that do require a wrench are only two sizes, and I have the wrench that came with the machine.
I think once I put a little time and effort into it, this machine is going to last me a very long time.
-- As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17) †
Grumpy
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17849 posts in 2023 days
#14 posted 1748 days ago
On ya Steve. Some people get all the luck.
-- Grumpy - "Always look on the bright side of life"- Monty Python
ryno101
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367 posts in 1836 days
#15 posted 1740 days ago
Wow, that is a sweet tool… and FREE!!! Nice.
I’m always on the lookout for older tools like that. Not only do they “not make ‘em like they used to”, but I actually enjoy the process of taking an old tool and making it work. Liberal WD-40 utilization is key, and by the fact that 75% of the photos you’ve put here have that familiar blue and yellow can, I can see you are no stranger to that!
-- Ryno
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