Top VALUE ► Best Wide Belt Sander for Your Workshop

What’s the best Wide Belt Sander? In this article we review 4 top models that I think are worth your money. Let’s compare these two models:

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For the professional woodworker, there’s no better way to finish your boards than with a wide belt sander. The quality finish they provide and the speed at which they work make them worth buying, even though they’re expensive machines. If you’re serious about your work, it’s money well spent.

37″ Wide ►Ideal for Cabinets & Doors : SHOP FOX W1738

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Best Wide Belt Sander

We’re going to be reviewing 3 of the best wide belt sanders made for serious professional woodworkers. Because of their size, price and power requirements, many woodworking hobbyists may have to forgo the luxury of owning one of these magnificent machines and you may find yourself settling for a drum sander. After reviewing our choice of great wide belt sanders, we’ll look at the pros and cons of wide belt sanders vs drum sanders. This should help you decide whether it’s worth the extra investment if you’re planning to buy a wide belt sander.

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Powermatic 1632 (1791250)

Features:

• Combination head promotes a more consistent finish
• Pneumatic sanding belt tracking keeps belt centered
• Conveniently mounted load meter maintains constant check during operation
• Limiters will stop sander instantly if belt breakage occurs
• Side access door for easy belt changes
• 5HP motor
• Emergency rail stop
• Emergency stop button
• 4″ Dust collection port
• 17″ x 54″ sanding belt

✓ View or download the MANUAL or the SPEC SHEET for the Powermatic 1632.

Overview

This is one of the smaller belt sanders and that makes it a possibility for small home shops. When I say small, this is must be taken in the context of the type of machine we’re talking about. As far as wide belt sanders go, this one is reasonably small and uses a single phase motor – most others require three-phase power. You will, however, need to have compressed air for the machine to operate – this means having an air compressor. To use the dust extraction ports (which I’m sure you will), you’ll need a powerful dust extraction system, capable of 800 CFM suction. So this may not be within reach of all home shops, but it’s one of the few that doesn’t require 3-phase power and it measures 40” X 29” X 66”. You will need to have a 230V circuit with a 40A current rating.

The Powermatic 1632 is an open-ended 16” wide belt sander. This means that it can accommodate boards up to 32” in width by turning the board around and for a second pass. This is also a combination sander, giving you the advantages of both a wide belt sander with a platen and that of a drum sander. Later in the article, after reviewing the wide belt sanders, I’ll go into more detail about this topic.

The sander is powered by a 5 HP, 230V single phase motor and the feed system uses a 0.25 HP motor. This gives you a 2200 FPM speed on the sanding belt and a variable feed rate of 15-32.5 FPM. You’ll be able to work with boards up to 5” in thickness with a minimum length of 13¾”. The Powermatic 1632 has a control panel positioned right in front of you and is really easy to use with clearly marked switches and an emergency off switch for added safety. It also has a load meter directly in your line of sight.

A pneumatic system tracks the sanding belt and keeps it centered. Of course, this means that you need to connect the machine to an air compressor to use it. Metal-tipped limiters will detect when the belt breaks and the motor will shut off automatically as soon as this happens. It also has an emergency stop rail. Changing the belts is made really easy through a door at the side of the unit, giving you quick access. It has a 4” dust collection port that needs 800 CFM of suction to extract the dust.

There’s no denying that the Powermatic 1632 is an industrial grade wide belt sander. It may not be the biggest but it’s as tough and reliable as the best of them. You get an outstanding 5-year warranty on this machine.

Tech Specs:

• Style (Type) : Open End Belt
• Maximum Board Width (In.) : 16 (32)
• Maximum Board Thickness (In.) : 5
• Minimum Board Length (In.) : 13-3/4
• Feed Rate (FPM) : 15/32.5
• Sanding Belt Speed (FPM) : 2,200
• Sanding Belt Size (In.) : 17 x 54
• Air Required : yes
• Dust Collection Minimum CFM Required (CFM) : 800
• Dust Port Outside Diameter (In.) : 4
• Feed Motor Power (HP) : 1/4
• Motor Power (HP) : 5
• Motor Phase : 1
• Motor Voltage (V.) : 230 only
• Recommended Circuit Size (Amps.) : 40

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SHOP FOX W1756

Best wide belt sander for tables and doors.

Features:

• Variable feed speeds
• Pneumatic sanding belt oscillation control
• Double in feed and out feed pressure rollers
• Amplifier meter load sensing system
• Convenient control panel with separate switches for each motor
• Micro adjustable graphic/felt
• Convenient control panel with separate switches for each motor
• Amp meter load sensing system
• Sanding belt size: 43″ x 60″
  
• Maximum board dimensions: 43″ W x 6″ H
• Disc brake system for emergency stops
• Fast belt changes (takes less than 30 seconds!)
• Digital readout to within 0.005″

Overview

Professionals everywhere swear by Shop Fox equipment, they’re among the best heavy-duty tools that you can get. It goes without saying that the Shop Fox W1756 wide belt sander is going to cost you quite a sum. High-end professional grade equipment doesn’t come cheap, but you get what you pay for. Not only is the Shop Fox W1756 built to last, it has every feature that you can think of to make your life easier, allowing you to work safer, more accurately and as fast as one can expect to when using the best wide belt sander.

This is a huge machine and is designed for the consummate professional woodworker, who does not compromise on performance and quality. It weighs a whopping 2537 LBS, measuring 72” X 64.5” X 52”. It has the option of a 3-phase 440V or 220V power supply. The Shop Fox W1756 uses a 25 HP, 220V/440V (64/32A) motor to drive the sanding belt and a 2 HP 6/3A motor running the belt feed motor. The table elevation is also set by the use of an electric motor (0.25 HP – 1.2/0.6A). This gives you a sanding speed of 2200 FPM and a conveyor speed of 14-60 FPM, you can set your conveyor speed to suit your working speed. It’s a closed-ended wide belt sander with a width of 43” and a maximum board height of 6” with double pressure rollers and a spiral grooved rubber infeed drum.

The outfeed drum is steel. It uses a micro-adjustable graphite/felt type platen, for both feather and hard sanding. There are 5 X 4” dust extraction ports at the top of the machine. There are no specs for what kind of CFM you’ll need for the dust extraction system, but you can be sure it’s going to be pretty high. Then again, the type of shop that will be using a wide belt sander like this should already have a large and powerful dust extraction system.

The Shop Fox W1756 has a comprehensive control panel with individual switches for each motor as well as a digital readout calibrated to 0.005”. It also has an ammeter load sensing system. The emergency stop uses disc brakes for the best safety. The belt remains centered by means of a pneumatic oscillating control system. This must be one for the best belt sanders when it comes changing the belts and you should easily be able to do this in under 30-seconds.

In a professional shop where you need a heavy-duty wide belt sander that improves your productivity, the Shop Fox W1756 is just about as good as it gets and it comes with a 2-year warranty, as well as a 30-day satisfaction guarantee.

Tech Specs (Shop Fox W1756):

• Sanding belt motor: 25 HP, 220V/440V*, 3-phase, 48A/24A
• Belt feed motor: 2 HP, 220V/440V*, 3-phase, 6A/3A
• Table elevation motor: 1/4 HP, 220V/440V*, 3-phase, 1.2A/0.6A
• *440V operation requires purchase of additional components
• Pressure roller type (double): rubber
• Infeed drum: spiral grooved rubber
• Outfeed drum: steel
• Sanding drum diameter (each): 4″
• Platen: Micro-adjustable graphite/felt
• Sanding belt size: 43″ x 60″
• Max. board dimensions: 43″W x 6″H
• Min. board length: 14″
• Conveyor speeds: Variable, 14-60 FPM
• Surface speed of drums: 2200 FPM
• Convenient control panel with separate switches for each motor
• Amp meter load sensing system
• Disc brake system for emergency stops
• Double infeed and outfeed pressure rollers
• Fast belt changes (takes less than 30 seconds!)
• Digital readout accurate to within 0.005″
• Variable feed speeds
• Five 4″ dust ports
• CSA certified meeting CSA C22.2 #105-1953 and UL 987-7 standards
• Approximate shipping weight: 2574 lbs

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Safety Speed Cut 3760

Features:

• Photo electric belt tracking.
• 2.5″ removable platen.
• 2 height adjustment indicators.
• 5 emergency stops.
• 2 rubber-covered pinch rollers 1 1/2″ OD.
• Rubber-covered contact roller 4 1/4″ OD with 13/8″ drive bearing.
• 2 machined idler rollers 2 3/16″ OD with 3/4″ bearings.
• Conveyor table set on four 3/4″ acme-threaded jackscrews
• Pneumatic belt tensioning.
• 3 year warranty.
• 6″ internal dust chute.
• 3/4 Hp conveyor motor

Not quite in the same league as the Shop Fox W1756, the Safety Speed Cut 3760 comes as a much cheaper alternative for small to medium shops. It offers many of the same specs and features that you’ll find on high-end professional wide belt sanders without some of the bells and whistles. You are, none the less, getting a well-made durable machine with a high level of precision accuracy.

The Speed Cut 3760 is a 36” close-ended wide belt sander with the option of a 10 HP, single phase motor or a 15 HP, three phase motor. It has a 2½” removable platen with a rubber covered contact roller (diameter – 4¼”). It also has two 1½” diameter rubber covered pinch rollers and two machined idler rollers. It uses a 0.75 HP conveyor motor with variable speed settings between 0 and 18 FPM. The conveyor table is adjusted by means of four acme-threaded jack screws and it has two well-marked height adjustment indicators. You have a maximum working thickness of 7¼”.

VIDEO |  Safety Speed Cut 3760

The Safety Speed Cut 3760 has photoelectric belt tracking – this uses electronic “eyes” to monitor the belt and it has a pneumatic belt tensioning system. It also has 5 emergency stops. Dust extraction is by means of a 6” internal dust chute and this requires a suction of 1000 CFM. The control panel is perfectly laid out and easy to understand, it includes a load meter and an hour meter. You also have the option of buying a digital readout as an extra item. The Safety Speed Cut 3760 weighs 1789 LBS and measures 60” X 60” X 71”.

You’re getting everything that you need for a professional shop in the form of the Safety Speed Cut 3760. For its size and capabilities, this wide belt sander is not expensive and it comes with a 3-year warranty.

Tech Specs (Safety Speed Cut 3760):

• Max. Working Length : Unlimited
• Min. Working Length : 12″/305mm
• Main Motor Options : 10 Hp, 1~ 220V, 15 Hp, 3~ 208V
• Max. Working Width : 36″/915mm
• Max. Working Thickness : 7 1/4″/184mm
• Min. Working Thickness : 1/8″/3mm
• Vacuum Requirement : 1000 CFM
• Conveyor Speed : 0-18 FPM
• Durometer of Contact Roller : 60
• Sanding Belt Size : 37″ x 60″

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VIDEO | Wide Belt Sander Safety

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Wide Belt Sander vs Drum Sander

Ask anyone who knows and they’ll tell you that a wide belt sander is way better than a drum sander in almost every aspect. Where the woodworking hobbyist with a home shop is concerned, however, a drum sander may be your only option. I say this because they are much cheaper than wide belt sanders and they’re smaller. Drum sanders don’t usually need three-phase or 240V power, whereas most wide belt sanders do. Generally, wide belt sanders also use pneumatics as part of their operation and this requires an air compressor. Not all home shops have this luxury. Despite all this, there are serious non-professional woodworkers who are prepared to pay for a wide belt sander and there are smaller models available – as you’ve seen in this review.

So, what makes a wide belt sander the superior machine?

First off, a wide belt sander uses a platen, this is really a technical way of describing a flat surface and something is pressed against it to achieve a result. A sanding belt is rotated by rollers and the wood is pressed against the platen to give an even sanding finish. By using a platen, you’re not going to get the scallop that can happen when the wood comes into contact with the rounded surface of a drum sander.

A drum sander can be more effective for rough grit paper and most high-end wide belt sanders will use a combination of a platen and drum to give you perfect results. Like a drum sander, a belt sander also uses a conveyor system to feed the wood through. The conveyor system is controlled by a separate motor to the one that drives the sander and can be adjusted for your working speed.

The main advantage to using wide belt sander is the speed at which they work. This makes them the preferred option for professional shops where productivity is key. They use very powerful motors, anything from 10 HP to 25 HP or more. This means that they’re able to work about twice as fast as drum sanders. The platen has a reasonable length and this means that quite a long section of wood is sanded as you pass the wood through.

A wide belt sander can come in a variety of widths and, like drum sanders can be either open-ended or closed-ended. An open-ended wide belt sander is preferable for smaller shops where space can be an issue. These machines only have the bulkhead supported one side, leaving the other side open. This means that you are able to feed wood through that is wider than sanding belt. You can then rotate the wood and pass it through a second time, doubling the width that you’re able to sand.

VIDEO | Sanding Doors with a Wide Belt Sander

Closed-ended wide belt sanders are preferred by professionals who work with low tolerances and, therefore, require a greater level of accuracy. A closed-ended wide belt sander is supported on both sides and this gives the top of the machine a better structural integrity. There’s no chance of any movement of the overhead components. This obviously means that an open-ended wide belt sander can only accommodate wood that can fit through the machine in one pass. The entire piece has to fit through the width of the machine. For this reason, closed-ended wide belt sanders are generally much wider than open-ended machines.

Another benefit to using a wide belt sander is the speed with which you’re able to change the sandpaper. Your sandpaper comes in a continuous belt that slides over the rollers, these rollers are then tensioned to hold the belt in position. A drum sander uses sanding sheets that have to be clipped into position and pulled tight over the drum. This makes fitting the grit to the drum a much more tedious process when compared to a wide belt sander. So when decreasing your grit with a belt sander as you progress to a smoother finish, things go a lot quicker and you’re less likely to skip a grit to save time.