Great tool with a few minor issues - Shop Fox 1 HP Oscillating Spindle Sander

Received this machine in a well built wood crate which was actually a bit surprising and everything was intact and well packed. This is the best packaged machine I have seen from Shop Fox. This machine is nearly identical to the Grizzly G1071 with only the table being slightly larger on this unit. The table can tip forward at 45 degrees and rearward at 20 degrees. I see no point to the rearward tilt and is essentially a non-feature. The dust port is in the rear of the machine. Also I have no reason to tilt the table though some may want to therefore I suggest only tilt it forward and use the stop bolt to return the table to the 0 degree position. Table trunions are cast iron and not stamped steel. Machine weighs 287 lb.

A thick coat of protectant covered the top and an old sock to apply a bit of mineral spirits with a smooth putty knife to assist in removal of that protectant took about 15 minutes in total, use some latex gloves, its sticky sticky stuff. The gearbox oil level needs to be checked and I only needed to add 1 quart to get it to the proper mark on the dipstick. The manual says it uses 4.5 quarts and to change it every 1000 hours. Prep was otherwise uneventful and the dust port install went well only needing 2 bolts. All of the spindles were shipped with retaining nuts on the bottoms and those could be taken off as well. Working on a mobile base for the unit and may do a small vertical side box to store additional sanding sleeves and the wrenches.

Dust collection is poor and the main reason for the four star rating. It is wide open on the front, even my bench spindle sander has great dust collection. This unit could be much much better. I will be building a unit like Mr Walters (see yo utu be video(s) he has made) or adding some brush strips. The inserts for the sanding sleeves are small, slightly bigger and large. Just the three and some assembly is required installing the roll pin and 4 adjusting screws. It is almost like the thought given to the inserts were very minimal if any. Building real inserts are in order and I will be using 1/2" thick material and using adjusting screws as the step in the table is .677 (on my table). The O.D. is 6-7/8" and the I.D. no smaller than the sanding sleeve diameter plus 1/4".

Sticking sanding spindles seem to be a big issue with the unit as they can get stuck in the drive unit. The wrenches supplied are stamped out and only suitable for light work. Mine were poorly stamped and one was not flat and had a slight curve on the jaw end. Any less quality would deem these for the scrap pile. The drive unit has two thin 32mm nuts to attach the drive spindle to the cover and be warned if these come loose Mr Walters says bad things happen and not to ask. The drive spindle is 32 mm and the sanding spindles use a 29mm. Good quality wrenches are also necessary to effectively remove the sanding spindles. Better wrenches are necessary and another part of the four star rating. A locking button for the drive spindle would be a great addition to the machine. I tighten the sanding spindle using hand pressure and have not had them come loose if you check the drive spindle and the sanding spindle for being clean before assembly.

I do loosen the tension on the larger rubber sanding spindles when done using and have also followed that practice on the bench spindle sander. I also remove the sanding spindle from the unit when done using to make sure they dont stick or get stuck. A small plastic cup over the drive spindle helps to keep it clean and easier to prep the next time you want to use the machine.

All in all the machine itself seems good, works well and is solid. Dust collection is a disappointment as are the inserts and wrenches. It is still the best machine for the money.

Update: In making some custom inserts for the table I discovered the machine spindle is 3/16 closer to the rear of the table opening than the front. This means there is a 3/32 offset and looks like the machine was designed with this in mind though there are no machines near to compare. The factory inserts are also offset somewhat. I have made a cover for the front and rear of the machine to improve dust collection and these greatly improve the dust collection and makes the machine relatively clean while sanding.