Harbor Freight 1 inch Strip Sander 5 Inch Disc Sander Setup and Review

Can you have enough sanders? so I wanted a 1 inch strip sander so I picked up this 1 inch strip sander from harbor frieight to use and review
I had to modify the 5 inch fence to get it to line up correctly

[@Nimeldolen]

Install instructions were garbage and this helped a lot. For getting the belt sander table square, I ended up loosening the belt guide and adjusting it that way. Thanks for the help. I hope HF is paying you!

[@jackmcclure6354]

If you install the sheet metal clip correctly, it will not restrict the pivoting of the belt sander table. You need to loosen the nut/bolt directly below the belt tracking knob, this allows the spring to apply the correct tension to the belt, also it allows the tension to be relaxed to allow belt replacement.

[@itechhen]

Very thorough and complete video. I wasn't entirely sure about swapping out the 1 by 30 belts so thanks for showing that as well.

[@snapwholeharborfreightreviews]

Glad it was helpful!

[@richshovestull8206]

Thank you, such a great video. The instructions that came with the sander were incomplete and frustrating. Thank you again.

[@snapwholeharborfreightreviews]

thanks for the positive feedback and glad it helped you - thanks for subscribing!

[@gilmotier]

You are much more patient than I am! Thanks for the setup info. It is very helpful!

[@snapwholeharborfreightreviews]

I like to know how things and how they are supposed to work, helps to learn that up front, makes adjustments easier if you know how all the parts fit/work together, also interesting to see what I would have done differently, HF designs more for cheap manufacturing and cheap materials, while I tend to focus on usability - inexpensive parts are ok, if they are repairable, but almost no consumer products are repairable these days, cost rules all other design aspects - thanks for subscribing !

[@Santosh-xy6tk]

I have a Jet 1-inch strip sander 5-inch disk sander which is similar to the one from Harbor Freight. Mine came with totally useless instructions. I fixed the problems in my Jet sander after looking at your video. Thanks a lot and greetings from India

[@snapwholeharborfreightreviews]

Glad to hear I have viewers in India! Glad the video was helpful - Thanks for subscribing!

[@Santosh-xy6tk]

@@snapwholeharborfreightreviews You are welcome and thanks again, God bless

[@reneewri1]

Thank you so much for video! I had to replace my belt and disk and I’m not mechanicaly inclined. I had it until I got to that weird little part you showed. I could not figure out how that went on. Thanks for clarifying that!

[@snapwholeharborfreightreviews]

very glad you found the video helpful, doing the setup and basic use is one of the main reasons I do the videos, thanks for the positive comment - Thanks for subscribing!

[@allenwilson9656]

On the adjustment on the belt table there is a set screw ( allen head ) on the back of the table to take care of that

[@DrewMedina]

Thank you for this video, it made assembly very easy. 👍

[@snapwholeharborfreightreviews]

Glad it helped - thanks for subscribing!

[@yamahaxt652]

Thanks for the video! I was wondering what the heck that extra piece was for and you answered my question.

[@snapwholeharborfreightreviews]

thanks for subscribing!

[@georgecurtis6463]

I bought mine years ago. I'm intuitive with mechanical things so no issues putting it together. But when I started it up it vibrated so much it literally bounced on the table that I had to pull the plug. So as a first move I rotated the thing by hand. The disc was not round and it wobbled. With the disc off, the unit ran smoothly. So back to hf. Instead of exchanging the whole machine we just exchanged the disc with another machine. Basically the same thing again. So long story short I made an adapter, stuck the disc on my lathe and made it round and flat, no wobble. After that it was better but it still vibrated to much. So I set up a balancing rig similar to a propeller balancer. I had to drill out material from one side of the disc and screw in some small screws till it showed a reasonable balance. Now it runs decently smooth. As I dont use the disc much I just took it off. Instead I got an adapter, made an adapter for that to fit on the motor shaft and now have a 3 in wire wheel on the end. I use that often enough. And yes, there are many mods that can be done but there are many videos on that. Ok, one thing I couldn't stand was the on off switch. So I installed a toggle switch.

[@seeharvester]

So basically, you built a sander from scratch. 🙂

[@georgecurtis6463]

@@seeharvester yup, from a pile of parts laying around. You can now add making sure the wheels are true and replacing the bearings. Now its quieter and even smoother. I could have left it as it was but I also like having projects that improve something. So now it is a pleasure to turn it on and have a nice smooth decently quiet machine at my disposal.

[@snapwholeharborfreightreviews]

thanks for subscribing!

[@chrisgallagher85]

thanks for sharing = very thorough

[@snapwholeharborfreightreviews]

Thanks for the positive feedback - Thanks for subscribing!

[@juliedeane9541]

Was one part done slightly out of order, and an edit done for the second handle above the dust collector? Mine wouldn’t go in the handle as too long. I had to remove one side of the dust collector and loosen the second side to get the second lever in correctly, then replace the dust collector, no big deal. Maybe it was just me? I still wouldn’t have been able to figure out how to put this together without your video. The manufacturer directions didn’t make since to me. Thank you for putting together this video. Now to sand the carrot nose I made for my snow man. I just learned to cut in my new scroll saw.. no stopping me now… well except the price of wood 😮

[@snapwholeharborfreightreviews]

I typically edit to shorten a video, and I can't remember any videos where I've changed the order of the original video, I checked the original video, and it was not reordered - I remember having problems like you are describing, look at 5:45, there is a screw that can be loosened, or removed, and at 22:50, where I talk about how the lifting lever is used to clear the dust collection, if they did not have the lifting levers, it would be a lot more difficult to mount all of the levers, and impossible to tighten the lever holding the 1x30 table - Thanks for subscribing!

[@woozleboy]

The disk guard / table is mounted to the base plate right at the right angle bend in the sheet metal. Thus natural pivot point will introduce flex. If the entire unit is mounted to a solid block of wood like 3/4" plywood, it will help resist flexing. Really the only true solution is to add a stiffening brace from near the top of the guard to the base to form a triangle. Definitely doable, but really it depends if you are stressing the table enough to flex it or if what they have is fine enough.

[@snapwholeharborfreightreviews]

if you follow the directions in the video, you can square up the table and it will work correctly - thanks for subscribing!

[@colemahaney4208]

Show us your shop some time friend ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,love to see it

[@snapwholeharborfreightreviews]

I have plans for that - in the fall I emptied my shop to install new cabinets, covid round 2 in september and covid round 3 in december have severly impacted by ability to finish the remodel, and just now working in the shop again and still trying to rebuild my breathing(yes covid sucks), as soon as I get my shop back together, I'll do a video - thanks for subscribing!

[@colemahaney4208]

@@snapwholeharborfreightreviews i had it one time .dont want it again

[@williamensign1408]

This is such a great and useful tool.

[@snapwholeharborfreightreviews]

It really is! thank for subscribing!

[@robertstandish623]

Mine was not like this so they must be hit or miss lol mine is awesome I have actually turned it into a 72” and it works great much faster!

[@ahdam82]

Lock tite on the screws not rust. I noticed it on mine

[@snapwholeharborfreightreviews]

makes more sense then rust - thanks for subscribing!

[@6atlantis]

Does the capacitor on the back of your motor sit a bit crooked? I bought this today and the end of the capacitor furthest away from the on switch sits lower. Thanks

[@snapwholeharborfreightreviews]

they are not perfectly aligned, but that should not affect the operation of the sander - thanks for subscribing!

[@dave5194]

Did you ever manage to troubleshoot the belt sander not being square? If you did, how'd you do it?

[@itechhen]

He sure did, 18:30

[@snapwholeharborfreightreviews]

thanks for subscribing!

[@janepellicciotto6159]

Before I screwed mine into a heavy piece of wood for stability, the sander jumped all over the place and my test piece of wood flew across the room. I don't understand why yours isn't doing that even though you haven't secured it to a table. Using the disc sander, my small pieces of wood are flying out of my hands. I've used belt sanders before without that problem.

[@snapwholeharborfreightreviews]

only thing I can think of - is something out round or off center no not tightened, that would cause vibration, if this was the case, i'm not sure mounting it would stop the affects though, I use this sander a lot and I've not had that problem, Thanks for subscribing!

[@janepellicciotto6159]

@@snapwholeharborfreightreviews Thanks for the reply! I have another question, I noticed you used the left side of the disc sander. I thought with disc sanders you were meant to use only the right side of the middle because of the direction of the rotation. Perhaps that's why it's grabbing my pieces of wood. Am I meant to use the left side?

[@snapwholeharborfreightreviews]

@@janepellicciotto6159 I use the left side so I can rest the piece against the table and it gives me more control, this does not work for pieces thinner than the gap between the table and the sanding disc - also, if the piece slips while using the left side, the piece tends to not go as far - I have always used the left side because of the better control

[@tylerlim5669]

do you know if you can swap the 5 inch disc sander for a wheel sander (bench grinder style)

[@snapwholeharborfreightreviews]

while it is possible - at least theoritically, I'm not sure it is practical, the shaft is what I see as the problem, finding a wheel that would fit would be the issue, or finding an adapter that would make it fit would be hard to find - not impossible - doing that does sound good, especially if you had a small show, it would have a lot of space, and I have several tools that have a disc sander as a secondary tool, and I don't need that many - if you come up with a way to do this, please share the details - thanks for subscribing!

[@colemahaney880]

Where do you put all the tools you buy?

[@snapwholeharborfreightreviews]

Most of my power tools are bench tools, so I have a bank of shelves that I store all my bench tools on, and have 3 work benches that I setup the tools I want to use, and I have lot of cabinets to store the other tools, I have to keep my shop very organized or I would never find anything .......

[@amandashea764]

Do you think this could be used to sand down stained glass?

[@snapwholeharborfreightreviews]

functionally.yes it can, but when glass is sanded, it should be wet sanded, because the glass that is removed is very bad for you. and wearing a mask is not enough as the particles will be on the surfaces around the sander, and when disturbed can become airborne again - something like a wet tile saw is what you would need, keeping the glass wet while sanding, but I've not tried to adapt a tile saw to be a wet sander, not sure what would be required - a LOT of people do stained glass, finding out what they do for this would be best, as they've already solved most of the issue - thanks for subscribing!

[@caliyak_fishing]

Do you get shocked when using your 1x30? how do you address that problem?

[@snapwholeharborfreightreviews]

I have never been shocked by the 1x30 sander, if I had a problem like that, I would review the wiring of the sander, that should not happen, there is problem with some wire(s)s that are either defective or been modified,, running a separate ground from the motor frame to building ground might help, but there is really no substitute for finding the issue with the tool's wiring and fixing it, the wiring on this sander is really simple, not a lot of places to go wrong, so I recommend you review the wiring to look something that is wrong - thanks for subscribing!

[@NastyNate-fn6od]

Is it better than the WEN 1x30 ?

[@snapwholeharborfreightreviews]

they are basically the same device, I would expect them to perform the same - I've always preferred HF over wen, so I buy HF - I have a HF 1 mile away, don't have to worry about shipping etc - much better to deal with a local store - thanks for subscribing

[@MichaelSmith-cq4zk]

My belt table seems to slip alot does yours ?

[@snapwholeharborfreightreviews]

the table can slip, you need to use an allen key and really torque it down, to the point you think you are going to break something, there is a lot of vibration in this tool and tis very likely it will come loose - I have the same problem sometimes - thanks for subscribing!

[@d.h5741]

Whats the horse power on the Motor

[@ben-me9jy]

1/3 HP

[@snapwholeharborfreightreviews]

thanks for subscribing!

[@snapwholeharborfreightreviews]

thanks for subscribing!

[@ben-me9jy]

Harbor freight 1 x 30 belt sander has 1/3 hp

[@snapwholeharborfreightreviews]

thanks for subscribing!

[@airmojo]

Liked your review... I'm looking at getting one of these for use in my garage (separate from the house & it's garage)... I already have the standalone HF 1"x30" belt sander that I have used in my basement workshop for several years... I started working on customizing some knives with Sambar Stag scales and rolls, and my wife was complaining about the smell... smells kind of like "burning bone"... I don't mind it, but you know how that works... I also have a 4" belt sander combo with a 6" disc sander (Performax purchased from Menards)... I use one of my shop vacs to collect the dust from both sanders, and it works pretty well... just doesn't collect and contain the smell ! I'm curious what the sizes of each of this HF combo belt/disc sander dust ports are ? Are they the same size ? The HF standalone 1" belt sander that I have has a male connector that is 1 3/4"... I assume the one on the combo unit is the same for the belt sander, so I'm curious about the disc connection... the disc one looks different. Seems like every time I try connecting a shop vac to any sander or miter saw, they never fit properly... and can never find a correct adapter pre-made... I had to make one from a piece of 1.5 inch PCV pipe, heating each end to make each end 1.75 inch so I could attach it to the belt sander and to my Ridgid 4 gallon WD40700 vac... I also have a larger Ridgid 14 gallon WD1400 vac that has a male end hose connection of 2.25 inches. And the shop vac that I have in my garage has a male connector of 1.25 inches... so I have to deal with that connection, or not even bother, or use one of my other shop vacs that I hate lugging around... that's why I have multiple ones ! Maybe if the manufactures made these tool dust collector connections a female fit instead of a male fit, they might work out a little better... really is frustrating !

[@snapwholeharborfreightreviews]

I have the same issues - the dust port for the disc is very small, about 1/2 inch - I think every tool I have has a different side dust port - I've been making adapters out of a lot of things(mostly what I have on hand) - double wrapped leather works well if you make the adapter long enough (6-8 inches) - I've been experimenting with soda bottles (still working on perfecting that method) - also use 2 1/2 hose with clamps to go from 2 1/2 to 2 and 1 1/2 - works ok - check out my vidoe on using leather for the HF band saw adapter and hose for the HF Bauer cyclone adapter - the manuafactures need to get together on this subject, or at least be consistent across the own tools - if you check the bauer dust vacs, they all have different size hoses - thanks for subscribing1

[@airmojo]

@@snapwholeharborfreightreviews I just bought this HF belt/disc sander for my garage... the dust ports are different sizes... so much for convenience... the belt dust port is 1 3/4" male... the disc dust port is 1 7/8" male or 1 1/2" female. I'll probably make an adapter using pieces of PCV pipe and heating the ends to mold the desired sizes... if I can find the RIGHT size !! Surprise no one has invented an adapter that has two telescoping female sides that can adjust down to fit any male connection... I may have to do it myself !!