Customer Reviews

Review from Permaculture Magazine 64 Review by John Adams

Review

The first power tool I ever bought was a B&D electric drill which came with a free rotary sanding disk attachment. I struggled on for years with this and its successors because it seemed easier than sanding by hand. I suppose it was if you could stand the wrist strain and didn’t mind the swirl marks and occasional gouge in the work piece.

Over the years sanders have improved greatly and I now have a portable belt sander and a shuffle sander, both of which work very well for things like sanding down boats but I would never try to use either of them for anything that needed to end up perfectly square.

Having found two other Sheppach workshop tools – the DMT450 Woodturning Lathe and the Tiger 2000s Grinder – a joy to use, I thought I would try their bts 900x Sander. This is a bench sander with a velcro attached sanding disc at the front and a sanding belt on top, adjustable through 90º. It is solidly made with a cast iron body and substantial fittings. The only bit which I felt was a bit flimsy was the mitre attachment for the sanding table.

For safety reasons it is supposed to be bolted down, but I had no trouble using it as a portable machine just plonked on the work bench. In fact, one of its great features is that it is big enough for serious work but small enough to be put away when not needed.

I used to shape the components for my DIY Pallet Chair (see Permaculture Magazine 64, page7), which it did admirably. The adjustable sanding table allowed angles to be produced accurately along the length of the timber and it was a real joy to be able to squarely sand end grain, something I have never ever achieved before.

This is a well made and highly adaptable machine which will be a welcome addition to any small woodworking shop.

http://www.permaculture.co.uk (Posted on 14/05/2010)