WEN Benchtop Belt and Disc Sander with 4 x 36 in. Belt, 6 in. Disc and Cast Iron Base (6502T)

Nice piece at a fair price.

Even the brand names have similar designs. So if they are all manufactured in a similar factory (if not the same), then get this one. I had a Harbor Freight similar sander, but it was NOT built as good and was an older design. It was made of sheet metal for the frame (that's bad). Worked great for an occasional use home garage unit, but not for woodworking. But not for more than 15 minutes of use at a time (I found out later). So I bought this WEN to replace it after only 3 months of my new woodworking hobby. I have now used this unit for 2-years - several days in a week and several hours each time. Likes: Better fence (than most), can be aligned to run larger width boards across without hitting the disc sander or the fence mount (you can if set the gap too high). It's been reliable, after a year, I did notice some bearing noise - so a little lubrication maintenance and thorough cleaning are needed from time to time (as all should). Easy belt changes (no screws to remove or covers). There is one pivot bold to loosen to get the belt off when in the flatbed. That was not the case with the crappy Harbor Freight sander, 6 screws, and more...shrouds to remove each time. Do you know how many belts it takes to sand wood from 80-320 grit??? (makes a huge difference)! Dislikes: all brands are like this: the fence is too high up on the bed, could get 2 more inches (in many cases). I ended up salvaging my harbor freight fence to gain 1 inch on the length of wood I could sand, but then the fence frame is in the way for wider pieces. I'm likely will have a custom fence made with the extension length to give me the full length of the flatbed (but WEN's fence is better than most I've seen). The disc sander deck can get out of alignment easily (only one mount/angle adjustment screw) and the cheap miter gauge and is not accurate with the loose track slop (like most brands-all too cheap). I could use a better dust collector inlet for use as a flatbed sander - but that would likely impede the vertical sanding configuration. The inlet probably works great for vertical sanding...but not as well for woodworking sanding in the flat configuration. But the other thing I like about the WEN is the reality that all the other major brands have the exact same model (design) - even the big national high-end woodworker brands (just different color plastic parts, but virtually the same plastic parts-so obvious). Maybe they have a nicer miter gauge or a thicker metal fence or thumb screws for adjustments, but the differences are little. So I would not pay 2x the cost. Overall, I'm happy with it since I'm not seeing much better designs even from the national high-end brands. I would rather replace this unit 2x than spend the $ on the same design as the others brands. I might still overtax this unit at times, but it has held up so far. One day I will update to a 6" x 48" sander, but for now, this 4" is working out fairly well. Now can I just get a 12" sanding surface out of this one at times? I would recommend this model for this sander design and never recommend the Harbor Freight version - this one is worth the few $ more (but not that much more).

I have two of these and they both work great. One gets frequent use, like 15 hours a week sometimes and it is still running strong. I only sand metal on these. Using this for metal has been working fine. It will bog down if you press too hard and/or have a long piece you're are trying to sand all at once. Most of my sanding is to remove band saw marks and clean up edges and it does those things well. I have mostly used the belt portion with maybe 10% of the total time on the disk portion. I have no complaints for either so far. The machine feels very stout. The base is heavy and helps keep it from sliding around. I don't feel like I need to bolt it down. I had a nice Jet sander just like this one before this and it would also bog down under similar loads. Patience and keeping your sanding belt in good condition are key. The one thing I like about this machine is how easy it is to change the belt. On the Jet I had to disassemble a bunch of pieces to get the belt off and it was a pain. The Wen sander just need an allen key and takes about 30 seconds. Overall it's been a good machine and has stood up well to abuse for the last couple months. EDIT: After using this quite a bit I have found that the upper pulley retaining bolt will sometimes come loose and back out (same issue on my old Jet). If you remove the side cover using a standard phillips the upper retaining bolt can be accessed. It is reverse threaded which is supposed to prevent it backing out but a little thread locker should do the trick.

Works great. Exactly the size for what I needed, and powerful enough for home hobbiest use. For the price, it can't be beat!

This little sander is great. My shop is 12x16 feet so big tools are not an option. This fits well in one of my benches and has been quite helpful. I used to have to get a belt sander out, turn it upside down and mount it in a vice. Then I would engage in dangerous sanding of whatever I needed to shape. This eliminates that dangerous activity and even better, it’s always ready so I jus walk over , turn it on m, and shape the piece I am working on. Changing the belts looks as easy as any other belt sander but I have not done that yet. Not sure about the discs. As far as sturdiness, it’s a solid base. The joint between the base and belt sander seems to have some flex in it. Think there is some plastic there, so when moving it, grab it at the base and you won’t have a problem. Raising the belt sander to the vertical position requires the use of a tool. Allen wrench if I recall correctly, so it’s not something I do often. Would prefer if that were a lever or something that were quick and did. It require a tool. Overall, I am very happy and this cost less than the Ryobi and is almost identical but perhaps a bit sturdier.

This little sander that looks like a toy and sells for $100. Is one excellent tool. I have been sanding some small cubes (2 1/2 x 2 1/2 x 2 1/2) on it for three days now (8-9 hr days, constantly running the Wen, constantly) changed belts several times, very easy. The tracking is unbelievably constant, no variation whatsoever. Once it’s set the belt just centers itself. However, adjustments are easy and simple. This is an unbelievably great machine for small parts sanding, and the price is ridiculously low. The 6” disc can be handy, it has a removable table with a T guide. All in all a well engineered/designed tool, you can’t go wrong purchasing this Wen sander. Highly recommended, five Stars or more!

Ordered and came quick. Unboxed and assembled. Fired up to test. Everything worked as advertised. Ordered this for lite to moderate use in home shop. Recommend this belt sander for anyone needing a 36" x 6" belt sander for smaller stuff in a small shop. Good footing takes up minimal space. Don't even have to mount it to a table if you are gonna move it around. I actually got it to do my own shoe repair sanding lol. Also ordered more belts in various grits. Happy with this machine. Will update if need be. *****

I researched 8 brands of these that appear virtually identical, with minor (mostly cosmetic) differences, I chose the WEN because: Best price, and I found, no other of these (almost identical sanders) that included an 8 amp resettable breaker (overload). It was available on Amazon (Prime w/ free shipping) saved me a trip to a store. Positives: This was only one (I found) w/an O/L. The belt stop is one of 3 that is made more robust. Not "lightweight" (per the star rating) which I consider a strength. Vacuum port is better than the more 'basic (6500) WEN model'. Belt tracking works and adjust well. A surprise feature, during my research I did not notice the (3) mounting holes, I easily used 5/16" bolts to mount. Includes a good quality (correct size) allen wrench to complete assembly and allow adjustment of belt orientation. Much better "power / performance" than the "base "(WEN 6500) model. One of the better manuals, a few are almost useless, to be honest the HIGH PRICED "GRIZxxxLY" brand has the best manual. Negatives: The "work table" when inclined (not 90 degrees) rotates lower than the bottom of the unit, requiring this sander to be mounted near the edge of the workbench, in my use (mounted to a flip cart), this requires the work table to be removed to rotate the flip cart. The miter is very basic and lightweight.

Pretty sure I did not see 120 volt when buying. Returned straight away. Return no problems.

Bonne machine,grande table d'appui,roulement de la bande de sablage précis.

La verdad funciona perfectamente, me gusto y si la recomiendo sin lugar a dudas,

I purchased this belt/disc sander for small carpentry jobs and use in a breakdown shop. I works great for the many different uses I purchased it for. It is pretty light weight but has a sturdy cast steel base. The support table on the disc sander only has one point of support and feels a bit flimsy. All in all, I recommend this tool for any hobbyist and project based makers.

The device works fine But the seller is very bad, as the device arrived missing a corner-setting piece, and the seller did not provide it.