Best Spindle Sanders to Make Your Sanding Jobs Easier

What is a Spindle Sander?

A spindle sander is a handy power tool that is designed to help you in sanding wooden workpieces to achieve smoothness and a refined texture. Not only can you use it on flat surfaces, but you can also use it on curved edges or irregular shapes. It also helps you carry out the sanding operation faster, and eliminates the need for using a sandpaper and sanding it manually.

The spindle sander has a compact construction with a large, flat surface. It has a cylindrical drum on top of it, which is spun at a very high speed using a powerful motor. The drum has a sandpaper with a certain level of grit on it, and it enables you to work on all types of edges and holes. As you hold the material against it, the drum moves up and down and helps in preventing friction that causes burn or band marks.

You can find spindle sander in various sizes, such as standing floor machines, tabletop sanders, and also handheld spindle sanders. The size also determines their price and ease of use. You can easily choose between the types according to your usage, i.e. whether you need for DIY or home-based projects, or you need it for professional purposes.

Spindle sanders are highly useful tools and they mostly come with various attachments and accessories that help you in sanding for different projects.

Why Do You Need a Spindle Sander?

A spindle sander is a highly useful and powerful tool that makes your sanding jobs very easy and precise. Moreover, it doesn’t require any learning or practice, and you can master its usage in no time at all. The best part about it is that you don’t have to use sandpaper and keep sanding the wood yourself, which can even take hours and still won’t be able to produce the desired results.

Plus, spindle sanders aren’t too costly and they also provide great value for money, since they cut down on your project time significantly, allowing you to get more work done in a shorter amount of time. The finish and texture that a spindle sander can deliver is hard to find with any other tool.

How to Use a Spindle Sander?

The spindle sander has a fairly simple operation. Depending on whether it is a floor machine, tabletop machine, or a handheld device, its usage would vary slightly. The first two types would require you placing the wooden workpiece on top of the surface, whereas the handheld sander is moved towards the workpiece.

To set up the spindle sander, you would need to choose a sanding drum and place the suitable sanding sleeve on it. Next, you would need to locate the right throat plate for the drum you have selected, and install it on the spindle. Once this is done, you will have to loosen the spindle nut and slide the drum onto the spindle bolt. Tighten the nut and your sander is ready for operation. You need to ensure that the right throat plate has been used.

If you need to sand curves, you have to place the workpiece flat on the surface of the sander, away from the drum. Turn on the motor and as the drum starts to pick up speed, slowly bring the workpiece close to the drum, sliding it in the opposite direction of the rotation. Keep moving the board in long strokes until you achieve the desired results.

When it comes to straight edges, you can find or build a fence jig, which is made from a 2-by-4 board with a 2¼” diameter hole in it. The jig is clamped onto the table in a way that the sanding drum lies just above its long edge. You will place the wood piece that has to be sanded on top of the jig and slowly move it towards the rotating drum.

Apart from this, nearly all the spindle sanders you would come across have dust extraction ports at the back, which prevent the dust from accumulating inside the machine. You can attach any dust collector with it to ensure that sawdust doesn’t keep flying around.

Things to Consider Before Buying a Spindle Sander

There are certain factors which come into play whenever you are considering buying a spindle sander. The following factors apply to each and every model of spindle sander that you would come across.

Horsepower

The horsepower rating of the motor inside the spindle sander determines how powerful its operation will be, and you can expect to find quality spindle sanders with a horsepower between ¼ to 1 HP. The higher this value will be, the smoother and faster its operation would be, and you would also be able to work with larger and heavier workpieces with more ease. 

Amperes

The motor’s power is also displayed in amperes, and it is closely tied in with the horsepower. Typically, a 3 or 3.5 Amp motor works well with different types of wooden workpieces and also allows for a smooth and fast sanding operation. Anything lower than this can only be used for smaller and lighter projects.

Noise Level

Since the spindle sander contains a motor that rotates the spindle at a high speed, this creates quite a lot of noise, and it isn’t possible to find a noiseless machine. Different sanders have varying noise levels, and the best you can do is to find a machine that produces less noise than others. Ideally, the noise rating should be less than 95 decibels.

Worktable

The worktable of a spindle sander plays a major role in the way you can use it, as well as the quality of work you can expect. When it comes to choosing a good worktable, there are certain features that you must keep in mind. Most importantly, see which material it is made from. Cast iron is normally used for constructing worktables, and it is not only durable but also vibration resistant.

Secondly, you also have to consider the size of the worktable, which should ideally lie between 18” and 21”, and provide a sufficient area for you to perform sanding on larger workpieces and objects.

Dust Collection

It is very important to find a spindle sander that also has dust extraction capabilities, so that the sawdust doesn’t fly around or go inside the motor. Look for a model that has a dust extraction port at the back, where you can attach a dust collector for easy cleaning.