WENWEN 6510T 3.5 Amp Oscillating Spindle Sander,Black

A power tool with a cast iron table top at this price is practically unbeatable. That said, I wish the tabletop surface were a bit smoother. The cast iron has a directional grain of sorts. A flat, level, polished surface would most likely require expensive machining, which would significantly increase price, and this table is perfectly serviceable. Anyhow, this is a nit-picky comment. The machine works great. It's stable as a slice of granite. The dust removal works fine attached to my shop vac. The onboard storage is helpful. The manual is helpful overall; however, I think my tool's supply of metal washers differs slightly from those indicated in the instruction manual section on tool operation. It's by no means a problem. Actually, the supplied washers are an improvement over the washers described in that section of the manual. There's an extra large steel washer included that holds the rubber sanding drum very securely on the post/ shaft that's attached to the motor. I ended up using that washer on all the largest rubber cylinders because it worked so well. This little discrepancy from the manual is easy to figure out. Also, I found some zirconium sanding cylinders at the big orange box store that turned out to be a helpful accessory for sanding high carbon steel. The manual warns against sanding anything but wood, probably because of the risk associated with the possibility of a spark igniting any sawdust inside the machine or inside your dust collection system. For the price I paid for this unit, that's a risk I was willing to take: for better or worse. So far, no harm done. I've sanded steel and bog oak on this machine, and it performed well on both accounts. The sanding drum moves up and down while spinning in order to maximize the sanding surface and to give a smooth finish on the workpiece. If you're sanding thinner material, then the upper part of your sandpaper will remain unaffected by the sanding action of the machine. I will probably end up trimming the sandpaper tubes to remove the used portion, and get more life out of them. I kinda wish the little removable plastic parts that fit around the sanding drums were a thicker plastic or - better yet - made of metal. However, the oblong shape of the cast iron table provides adequate support for many different-sized workpieces. The short end of the table is good for sanding small workpieces. Anyhow, if you're still reading this review, then what are you waiting for? If you've thought about buying a drum sander, then you've probably thought about using drum-sanding bits in your drill press. I decided against it because the bearings in the drill press are not designed for horizontal stresses. Believe me, you'll be putting horizontal pressure on your workpieces whenever you need to hog off a lot of material. Save your drill press, and buy a drum sander. If you want one that's a great value, get this little number while the gettin's good. The price has already gone up by $20 since I bought mine. I'm so pleased with it, now I'm looking at the whole WEN lineup for other tools I need. BTW - I wish I had considered a WEN drill press rather than the press I ended up buying from the other big box store.

I had wanted an oscillating spindle sander for a long time and a good deal of research before selecting this one. It has a 1/2 HP motor and plenty of power, compared to many competitors that have only 1/5 HP motors. It comes with a full set of different size rubber drums to fit different size sanding cylinders, also included. As a nut is tightened on top of the cylinder, the rubber cylinder explains slightly to tightly hold the sanding drum to prevent slippage. This system works very well. And the cast iron top surface just speaks quality. The sander is compact, yet powerful and does what it is intended to do very well. The tool is very solid, and stays firmly planted without any wobble when in use.I have not hooked up a vacuum to it yet because I need to find the proper size hose adapter, so I can’t judge how efficiently the vacuum will suck up all the dust. But after use, holding my shop vac hose next to the dust port quickly empties any dust still inside the machine, so I gave little doubt that it will work well.I built a dedicated stand with locking casters for it, so that I can easily move it around my shop when not in use. This also keeps it at a comfortable working height. Later I will add drawers to the stand to store extra sanding belts, etc.I am very satisfied with this purchase and I am convinced that I made the right choice. This sander did not cost much more than knockoff competitors, and actually cost less than some lesser equipped machines. Highly recommended.

This is definitely worth buying. Very easy to set up and use. Surprisingly not loud, runs very smooth, and very stable. Light enough to pick up and move around, but heavy enough to stay in place. I also like that I can flip the sanding pad and the spindle to utilize the entire sandpaper. The alignment is straight out of the box and the surface is level. Most importantly, my projects are sanded smooth and straight. This is why I gave it 5 stars. It does what I need it to. I cleaned the cast iron surface with Kerosene and then applied paste wax to keep its finish from rusting. Although the surface isn’t exactly smooth afterward, I have yet to see any scratches on my stock. I also like that there a place for all the spindles.My only cons are the dust collector doesn’t fit the hose to my shop vac and that there’s no tool storage. But these are no reasons to downgrade the machine. Dust collector sizes are always a problem depending on the tools. Although the hose doesn’t fit, it does manage to stay on and in place without a clamp (may be a different result for you). Buying shop vac adapters at Depot doesn’t fit. I recommend buying a fitting from the plumbing department or purchase an adapter online.