Harbor Freight Combination belt and 5" disc sander.

[Dr PR]

I have a need for a small disc and belt sander. Now that the Burns machines are no longer available I looked around and found the Harbor Freight #69033 sander.

 

 

The two advantages of this machine are the cost ($70) and it uses common 5" sanding discs and a 30" x 1" sanding belt. There was quite a variety of replacement sanding discs and belts in stock at Harbor Freight and Home Depot. It is pretty quiet when running without sanding anything, and there is little vibration. It has a belt tensioner for the sanding belt. The tables to support the work piece tilt down for both the belt and disc sanders to allow angled work. It has two ports to attach vacuum holes to.

 

 

It came out of the box partially disassembled in eight pieces, and there were no assembly instructions. This is not for someone who has trouble screwing the top back on a milk bottle! The instructions do tell how to replace the disc and belt, but there are a few pieces that need to be assembled in a specific order to put the thing together, and it isn't always obvious what to do first. And the clearances to get tools to some of the screws are pretty tight. But through trial and error I got it together in less than an hour. You need a set of metric Allen wrenches, a Phillips screwdriver, and about a 12 mm open end wrench.

 

But there was one serious problem.

 

 

The table for the disk sander is a separate piece, as are the two locking handles and the miter guide bar. To install the table you have to slip two pins (one on each end of the table) into slots in the metal disc guard. Then you screw the locking handles into the disc guard. However one pin (shown) would not fit into the slot in the guard. My calipers showed that the pin was about 0.020 inch (0.5 mm) wider than the slot. This was a casting issue, and there were several obvious blemishes in the cast metal guard. I used a square file to clear out the flash from the slot and then the pin did fit the slot. But, the table still wouldn't slide into place. Inspection showed that the pin had been pressed too far into the table, and the gap between the two pins was narrower than the distance between the slots! I used a jeweler's hammer to tap the pin back out a bit and the table finally slid into place.

 

The sanding discs are the stick-on type. The single disc supplied with the sander is 80 grit, a bit coarser than I would like. The belt supplied with the unit was also 80 grit. The miter guide for the disc sander is a cast plastic piece with coarse angle indications, so you should use an accurate angle measuring tool and make test pieces to ensure that the angles are correct for your work.

 

I really haven't used this machine much yet, but it will soon get a workout on my MSI build. I will report back later and tell how well it worked and describe any problems I might see.

 

 

Edited October 18 by Dr PR

[Captain Vader]

Ive had this for a few years..Works fine for small ship parts...The vacuum port doesn't really work at all and probably catches about 10%...Keeping  the pieces small equals less saw dust !!!

[grsjax]

I have one from a different vendor.  Same machine, different label.  Works well and I have had no issues with it over the last 5 years.

[KeithAug]

On 10/18/2024 at 7:12 AM, Dr PR said:

I looked around and found the Harbor Freight #69033 sander.

I also have one but I'm not quite as happy as you are Phil. The guard around the disc mounts on the pressed metal base and the work table mounts off the guard. As a consequence I find the table flexes quite easily. My belt sander made hell of a racket out of the box because the drive and idler wheels were eccentric. I had to take them out and re-machine them. I also found it beneficial to machine out the slot on the disc sander work table to accept the mitre gauge off the Byrnes table saw, the supplied gauge was pretty poor. I find the stick on sand paper discs are awful to get unglued. I usually revert to removing the disc and soaking it in a bowl of white spirit for 20 minutes. This however involves a fairly time consuming strip down. I think it is ok for infrequent use but I would like to find something better.

[Dr PR]

Keith,

 

I was wondering how to remove the stick-on discs. I tried flexing the tables and they are both pretty sturdy on the unit I have. But I wonder if extended vibration might loosen the handles that hold them at the desired angle - to be seen. And the miter gauge does leave a lot to be desired!

 

I used the sander today to trim 21 bulkheads for a plank-on-bulkhead model I am starting. I used the belt and it worked well. The 80 grit belt is pretty aggressive and can remove wood  fast.

 

Captain Vader is right about the vacuum ports. They are 1.5 inches (38 mm) inside diameter - too large for the hose on my portable vacuum cleaner. They are probably intended for the larger hose on some shop vacuums.

[paul ron]

removing those stick on discs can be a real pita. ive used a scraper to start n peel it as you get under it. then i run the machine and scrape the left overs with the scraper. 

 

i have been considering the harbor freight disc sander because my 12" is overkill. nice review n follow ups. 

[KeithAug]

14 hours ago, Dr PR said:

too large for the hose on my portable vacuum cleaner.

I found a bit of corrugated pipe off an old vacuum cleaner that was the right external diameter to go inside the port and had an internal diameter that matched my shed vacuum cleaner. I find it works reasonably well at extracting the dust.

 

I should add the "spring ' handles that clamp the disc sander table broke soon after purchase. I replaced them with a couple of Allen bolts which I find are actually easier to use.

 

I find 5" discs are hard to get so I buy 6" which being more common are usually cheaper.

Edited October 20 by KeithAug

[Dr PR]

Keith,

Here across the pond Home Depot carries a pretty wide selection of 5 inch sanding discs. Maybe they have some other sanders that use this size disc - hand held rotary sander, disc to fit into an electric drill, or oscillating sander??

[mtaylor]

While you're at Home Depot, check out the shop vac area.  I have seen and own some adaptor fittings to fit various hose and tool sizes.  Been so long though I don't really remember where I bought them.   Might have Lows or Home Depot.