In this guide, we will pick out the best spindle sanders you can get. Possibly, you are short of time. Our best overall pick is the WEN AT6535 3.5-Amp Oscillating Spindle Sander with Extra Large Beveling Table Top. Why do we like it? It is versatile, handling several spindle sizes, it is effortless changing the drum, and a spacious table.
It is not easy picking the befitting spindle sander for your task. This is owing to the multitude of spindle sanders abound in the market. The spindle sanders we identified in this review are some of the best you can get in the market. They distinguish themselves for their superior build, motor power, work table design, and dust collection.
9 Best Spindle Sanders Reviews
1. WEN AT6535 3.5-Amp Oscillating Spindle Sander with Extra Large Beveling Table Top
If you have a light sanding project on your hand, you may want to consider the WEN AT6535 3.5-Amp Oscillating Spindle Sander. A ½ hp motor powers this spindle sander. This gives it an oscillation of 58 opm (oscillations per minute), delivering up to 2,000 rpm.
This ensures you enjoy smoother sanding with no stress. You have five unique size spindle sleeves with this spindle sander. It is effortless changing them, reducing downtimes in operation. Such an extensive number of spindle sleeves gives you valuable versatility to work on more projects.
This spindle sander comes with onboard storage, so you don’t scatter your accessories about your workshop. It is also outfitted with a dust port. This way, the dust doesn’t make a mess.
It is worth noting that the dust port may not be compatible with your vacuum hose. However, an adapter can fix this quickly.
This spindle sander is also furnished with rubber sanding drums, throat plates, and 80-grit sanding sleeves. Such facilities ensure you can use this spindle sander right away.
Pros
- It has a powerful motor
- It is versatile with several spindle sleeves
- The worktable is amply spacious and beveling
- It is effortless changing drums
Cons
- The dust port may be incompatible with your vacuum hose
- It is significantly loud
2. Shop Fox W1831 1/2 HP Single Phase Oscillating Spindle Sander
You will struggle to mention the best oscillating spindle sander manufacturers and omit Shop Fox. A 3.5-amp motor powers the Shop Fox W1831. It has an easy setup, requiring little to no technical expertise.
It is very portable, thanks to a lightweight design, weighing 30 pounds. This product has 6 spindle sizes, which is the hallmark of premium oscillating spindle sanders. This spindle sander features onboard storage as well, so you can keep your stuff.
The worktable has ample size, allowing you to work on bigger projects comfortably. It also has one vital security feature: a disabling safety key.
This gives you peace of mind from unwanted startups. Its compact size allows it to sit on your benchtop comfortably.
Pros
- Smooth and fast operation
- Sizable worktable
- It features a safety disabling key
- It lightweight and portable
Cons
- It is noisy when in operation
3. Triton TSPS450 450W / 3.5 Amp Oscillating Spindle Sander
The Triton TSPS450 runs on a 3.5-amp motor. It has a maximum spin of 2000 rpm and can record 58 opm (oscillations per minute). Despite this, you would be amazed by the tranquility of this spindle sander.
It is portable and easy to move around and highly efficient. This spindle sander is supplied with an integrated dust port for easy dust collection while in operation. It is worth mentioning that this spindle sander has a reasonably big push-button power control.
Similarly, this spindle sander is equipped with 6 unique spindle sizes. While other brands just have paper going with these spindle sleeves, the manufacturer goes ahead to provide them each with washers. Isn’t this exciting?
Woodworkers agree that significant downtime is lost changing tools. Therefore it is relieving to learn that this spindle sander has a wrench tool, which is very quick and easy to change. This – you will agree –speeds up your job. Also, this spindle sander features a removable lock-out safety key.
Pros
- Easy and fast assembly
- It has onboard storage for accessories.
- It runs quietly
- Push-button power control is pretty big
Cons
- The dust port may not fit your vacuum hose
4. Ridgid EB4424 Sander, Oscillating/Edge Belt
The Ridgid EB4424 stands out for its spectacular combination of a spindle sander and an edge belt. This is different from what you readily see in the market.
You don’t have to battle through switching between the spindle sander and belt. More interestingly, no tools are needed for this switch.
You will also like the adjustability of the surface. You can leave it flat or set it at an angle of 45 degrees for bevels. This flexibility is valuable, making this sander very reliable.
This spindle sander spins within a range of 1650-1725 rpm. Indeed, this speed is determined by the sander you are working with. The spindle can record 60 opm. This spindle sander also comes with onboard storage and an integrated dust port.
Despite these marvelous features, it is regrettable that the Ridgid EB4424 doesn’t give you many spindle size options. Nonetheless, this spindle sander comes with lubricated ball bearings, which makes maintenance far more straightforward.
Pros
- It combines a spindle and a belt
- You can adjust the surface when you want to bevel
- It has a robust build
- It features an integrated dust port for quick cleanup
- Comes with lubricated ball bearings
Cons
- There could be cases of unprovoked shutdowns
- It is notably heavy compared to most bench models
5. JET 708404 JBOS-5 5-1/2 Inch 1/2 Horsepower Benchtop Oscillating Spindle Sander with Spindle Assortment, 110-Volt 1 Phase
This spindle sander runs a ½ horsepower motor. It also sports an adjustable table. It gives you the flexibility of tilting, lifting or lowering it as need be. This ensures you get so much done painlessly.
The JET 708404 spindle sander features non-skid rubber feet, making it more stable when in operation. You don’t need to worry much about cleaning the dust as this spindle sander is supplied with a dust port. Also, maintenance is far easier, thanks to it being outfitted precision ball bearings.
This spindle sander also comes with five spindles, accompanied by washers, drums, and paper. Overall, while we admire the stability and wealth of features that come with this spindle sander, we were not very marveled by its general performance.
Pros
- It has a durable and robust build
- Adjustable table
- Non-skid rubber feet give it more steadinesses when working
- It features an on/off switch which is dust-sealed
Cons
- Not very portable
- There are cases where the spindles get stuck while on the job
6. WEN 6510T 3.5 Amp Oscillating Spindle Sander
This spindle sander runs on a 3.5-amp motor (of 0.5 horsepower). We admire its compactness, making it pretty portable. Its versatility, power, and efficiency make it a darling among woodworkers, bearing in mind its affordability.
It comes with several spindle sleeves and drums. We can’t forget to mention the adaptability of this spindle sander. It is flexible and can get an extensive range of jobs done well.
If you are new to woodworking and are skeptical about investing big in equipment, you may want to start out with this spindle sander.
It weighs just 35 lbs, making it easy to move around. This blessing could also prove a disadvantage as the lightweight design makes it less steady when working.
Its compactness ensures that you can easily store this spindle sander away when not in use. However, we will admit that this sander is not very suited to big jobs.
Pros
- Very affordable, yet not sacrificing quality
- It is compact and portable
- It is versatile
Cons
- It will struggle with bigger projects
- It moves when in operation
7. ShopSeries RK9011 3.5-Amp Oscillating Spindle Sander Kit
The ShopSeries RK9011 delivers excellent power, running on a 3.5-amp motor. It can reliably handle jobs like sanding irregular shapes, including arcs, contours, and curves. This spindle sander can produce up to 58 oscillations per minute.
It also features 6 spindle sleeves making it very versatile. It also features 5 rubber sanding drums, 6 table inserts, and 5 drum washers. Doesn’t this excite you?
This spindle sander is supplied with onboard storage for your accessories like your throat plates and sanding drums. This spindle sander is equipped with an inbuilt exhaust port that easily fits into your vacuum hose to make your cleaning duties less challenging.
Nonetheless, we will admit that the quality control needs to be improved. The quality of the internal gears needs improvement with proneness to smoking.
It also doesn’t help that the instruction manual is not explanatory enough, making the spindle sander unnecessarily hard to assemble.
Pros
- It has a powerful motor
- Amply supplied with 6 spindles
- It is pretty versatile
Cons
- Overall quality control needs to be upgraded
- Prone to smoking
- Assembly guide needs to be improved
8. POWERTEC OS1000 2.6 Amp Benchtop Oscillating Spindle Sander
This spindle sander comes with a sizable collection of sanding sleeves and drums, outfitted with a prominent work surface. Compared to a typical rectangular or square table, this work table enables you to work uniformly of all sides of your sander.
It runs with a 2.6-amp motor with a ⅖ HP engine. Yes, we agree, this spindle sander is definitely not the most powerful sander on our list.
It is, however, befitting for lighter jobs (small to medium projects). This makes it a great addition to the workshop of every DIY enthusiast.
It has a robust design; the table inserts are made from steel. We must point that this spindle sander is notably heavy. Thus, it is obvious portability is not necessarily a selling point of this spindle sander. It is effortless to change the sleeves as well.
This spindle sander comes with onboard storage, which allows you to have all your accessories within easy reach.
Pros
- Very durable table inserts made from steel
- Allows you to work evenly from all sides of the sander
- Not challenging to change sleeves
Cons
- The power is not enough for heavy-duty projects
- The durability of plastic gear needs to be improved
9. Delta Woodworking 31-483 Heavy-Duty Oscillating Bench Spindle Sander, 1/2-HP, 115-volt
The Delta Woodworking 31-483 Heavy-Duty Oscillating Bench is another spindle sander with admirable adjustability, saving you from the rigidity of those spindle sanders with single flat setting. This way, you can angle the table, working on bevels and other angled pieces.
We were impressed with the way the table moves straight up at a nice angle. You no longer have to switch to another machine when working on a wide variety of pieces.
This steadiness of this sander is also impressive, thanks to the bevel system sporting two locking mechanisms. This keeps your jobs well in place.
We agree this spindle sander isn’t necessarily the most powerful in the market given its ½ motor can only muster 29 oscillations per minute and 1725 rpm. Yet if you are working on smaller projects and are keen on versatility, you will love this sander.
We were thrilled with other features on this spindle sander like an integrated dust port, onboard storage, and five drum sizes. It also has a sturdy build, featuring a robust cast iron construction.
Nonetheless, we were not very impressed with the weight. It is pretty heavy, almost three times heavier than the average benchtop spindle sander you would see. This handicaps its portability.
Pros
- Adjustable table
- It has a locking switch mechanism
- It comes with an integrated dust port which makes cleaning easier
Cons
- It is significantly heavy
Thing to Consider Before Buy
There are some core parameters that should guide your choice of a spindle sander. Let us explore them, should we?
Motor Power
When buying spindle sanders, you dare not ignore the motor power. In fact, checking the motor power is the first thing you should do. The power of the motor directly affects the speed at which the spindle sander would get your job done.
You will see that motors come in different horsepower ratings. It would be great if you can get a spindle sander with an engine in the range of ⅖-½ hp. The type of projects you will we handling will eventually decide the motor power you go for.
If you want to work on thicker wood materials, you may be best suited to motor powers with higher power ratings. This reduces the possibility of the ugly scenario of your spindle sander getting clogged.
As you would suppose, smaller jobs and thinner wood materials will require motors with lesser horsepower ratings.
Typically, many woodworkers prefer spindle sanders with 3.5-amp motors for their woodworking jobs.
Although there are still a few other options, the 3.5-Amp motors seem to be sufficient for most woodworkers, and they are also the most common.
Dust Collection
Cleaning up dust as a woodworker isn’t an entirely enjoyable process. This is why your spindle sander should have an efficient means to collect the dust as you sand.
It will help if your spindle sander is equipped with dust collection apparatus like a dust port. More importantly, this should work well with your workshop’s dust collector.
You can tell if the dust port would fit with your workshop’s dust collector from the dust port’s size. Most times, it is better to go with spindle sanders with dust ports in the region of 1.5 inches.
Work Table
The size and nature of your work table determine how efficiently and conveniently you sand. The size of your work table is most times determined by the size of the project you are working on.
Obviously, larger projects are better executed on bigger tables, while smaller projects can be done with more modest tables. More than the size, it is also essential to consider the construction of your work table.
You agree the build (or sturdiness) of the work table will eventually determine how long and functional it lasts. If you are enthusiastic about durability, you may want to consider worktables made from cast iron.
Noise
Power tools tend to be noisy. Spindle sanders are not much different. However, it is ideal going for those with the least sound capacity. Some spindle sanders are much louder than others.
When buying spindle sanders, always check the sound rating or noise level. This is regardless of you wearing ear protection or not when working.
We recommend that you go for spindle sanders with noise levels lesser than 95 decibels. This type will not rattle you nor the surrounding with sound.
Spindle Sizes
There are several sizes of spindles. Such versatility in size is important to work on objects with varying irregular shapes. For your everyday woodwork, the least spindle size you will frequently use is that with a diameter of ¼ inches.
If you are working on bigger projects, you may want to go with spindles of 2 or 3 inches.
In total, when it comes to spindles, more is always better. It would be great if the manufacturer includes 5 or 6 different spindle sizes.
Safety
The safety of the spindle sander shouldn’t be sacrificed for functionality. Despite how wonderfully your spindle works, it should yet pose minimal risk of damage to you and your loved ones.
It would be great if your spindle sander comes with a safety disabling key which avoids scenarios of unwanted startups. This is typical when you have kids sneaking into your workshop, and you don’t want them to harm themselves by starting the spindle sanders, possibly when you are away.
It is even more fantastic if the lock-out safety key can be taken off to avoid such unwanted startups.
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Mike Zhang. Founder of FamilyLifeShare