BucktoolDirect Drive Bench Belt Sander, 4x36 in Belt and 8 in Disc Sander, 3/4HP Belt Sander for Woodworking, 5.0A Benchtop

I bought this sander to replace my 20 year old Craftsman. It is a much better machine, with much less internal friction. It coasts to a stop after several revolutions. The Craftsman stopped in one turn. I'm giving it a "5" in spite of a couple of small manufacturing issues I encountered during setup.One of the holes for mounting the machine to the rotating base was blocked from the casting process, but easily drilled out with a 5/16 bit.The rotating base, although heavy and substantial, wobbles while in use. I wasn't expecting this, but I don't think this will hurt the sanding performance. Also the base has a spring loaded stop pin that easily pulls up to allow it to rotate. The pin is a little too long to retract fully from the locking hole below. So they added a flat nut (jamb nut) to the shoulder, to keep it from screwing in so far (my theory). But that keeps it too high, so the spring loaded pin does not fully engage the locking hole. My fix was to replace the jamb nut with a 1/4" washer that I drilled out to close tolerance so the threads on the 5/16" (or maybe 8mm?) pin would jam tightly into it. It works better.The only other thing I will mention is I added a small bushing cut from 11/64" x .014 brass tubing to the worktable adjustment screws to fill the semicircular slot more fully. Not really necessary, but it makes a closer fit and less wiggle.Other nice features......-The adjustment levers for the adjustable platforms are levers, not knobs and easier to tighten, but also can be disengaged after tightening to spin them out of the way.- Dust extraction is better than my old one and the dust cover has slotted holes for the mounting screws, making it easier to remove for belt replacement.

I needed a bench sander and saw many positive reviews for a cheaper sander on Amazon from a competitor. If money is the key factor in your decision, you can get a useful sander for almost half the price of this Bucktool. But when I received that cheaper sander and turned it on for the first time, I immediately knew it was not of the quality that I wanted and returned it without ever sanding one board. The only decent option for roughly $200 was this Bucktool. After setting it up and turning it on, I knew this was going to work well for me and should last a long time. The added power and build quality is easily worth the extra money that I paid for it. I'd rather spend a little more and have a tool that is up to the task than save a few bucks and always be disappointed. This sander does still have some issues but for $200, I can live with them. The foot post that supports the belt seems like an after thought but does add rigidity when pressing down on the belt. Really annoying that you have to remove that to put on a new belt. The cast aluminum guide on the disc side does not automatically align to 90 degrees and actually changes from what you set if you tighten it down. Despite those issues, I like the powerful motor. Based on just specs, it doesn't look like a huge upgrade from the cheaper 4.3 amp options for half the price, but after just turning on both, I can say it make a huge difference. I assume the direct drive and elimination of the belt on the cheaper units does also have a big impact. I noticed that when you turn this on and off, the belt spins up without any out of balance issues or vibrations that I immediately saw on the cheaper unit. The Bucktool really does sound and feel like a serious tool. If you plan to use a bench sander on a regular basis, then you'll be happy you stepped up to this one.

Good price and it does set up quickly. It is not the top end but it still keeps the sanding processes square with the tables and miter gauge. Dropped the table to 45 degrees and it worked great to knock the edge off a small project I was working on.

I replaced my Robai combo disk/belt bench sander with this Bucktool B4801 combo sander. I was attracted by the direct drive to both disk and belt sander as it was the separate shaft bearings and drive belt of the Robai that ultimately failed.The BD4801 motor with it’s direct drive to the disk and belt sanders is pretty solid. It has plenty of power for woodworking and light metal work and there is no perceptible play or vibration with either sander.The two work tables are lacking. The disk sander table is cast aluminum and fairly solid with attachment on both sides. Unfortunately, the miter groove in the table is cut way too wide which causes a very sloppy fit with the miter. The belt sander table is constructed of light extruded aluminum and plastic and is attached only on one side. This makes it a bit flimsy. Both tables have a loose fit to the unit and it takes some fiddly trial and error to get them set perfectly square or to a precise angle (the table angles tend to change as you tighten the bolts).One QC issue: The threaded hole that is used to attach the belt sander work table to the unit had not been tapped all the way through. Fortunately, I had the correct metric tap on hand and was able to correct the problem.Overall, not bad for the money, but just a little more effort on the tables could have made it great.

I haven't used it yet other than to turn it on and test it but it went together easily and is a quality sander. I had aHarbor Frt one that lacked power and was "wasted money"; I will donate it to the Goodwill. This sander is impressive.I don't write many reviews anymore...I purchase too much and too frequently to write them, but I occasionally write them if extremely impressed or else disappointed with the purchase. In this case, I am thrilled. I wholeheartedly recommendthis sander.

Good machine great value.

Very nice machine. Works well, has plenty of power and does a great job. Very happy with the purchased of this sander.