This is what a disc sander ought to be (Of course at twice the cost of the comeptition it BETTER be) I looked
br /at Harbor Freight, Grizzly, Delta, and Shop Fox before finally
br /deciding on this one. It costs a bundle, but is smoooooooth,
br /well constructed (weighs over 100lbs) and built to tight
br /enough tolerances that you actually are cutting what you intend
br /to cut. It is a pleasure to use. This machine is for the
br /semi pro to professional shop user. If you want a sander that
br /just grinds wood or metal, then go buy the Harbor Freight, or Grizzly, they cost over a hundred bucks less. However if you want a machine that just sits there and hummmmmms, and quickly sands exactly where you apply the material then get the Jet.. It will outlast 3 of the "generic" Chinese sanders (Jet is also made in China, but in one of the most modern, well equiped factories in all of Asia)
br /My only quibbles are minor. One of the sanding plate adjustment
br /knobs was broken when I got it, it will be replaced.
br /Also the sanding disc that comes with the unit WILL ABSOLUTLY
br /NOT stick to the sanding plate. I tried using a heat gun, I
br /tried pushing, I tried saying very very bad words, nothing.
br /Fortunatly I had some good old Harbor Freight sanding discs
br /on hand....That is it in a nutshell. If you want the best
br /buy the Jet, if you dont want to spend the bucks, and will settle for a lesser machine then Harbor Freight, Grizzly, Delta,
br /and Shop Fox are out there waiting for you...

I had originally planned to buy the Delta 12" Disc sander until I read in their catalog that that it could not be used to sand metal. Since I will be using it for both metal and wood, I began looking around for another option. To my delight, I found the new 12" Jet. Jet's sander is far superior. Not only does it have twice as much horsepower, but the motor is TEFC. This allows me grind metal when needed without voiding my warranty or damaging the machine.pThe Jet weighs in at a beefy 100 lbs and has a very large cast iron table. It also has a 4" dust port with an impeller which really pushes the dust out of the it's port and an oversized on/off paddle switch w/key. pMost importantly, it runs VERY smooth and the 1 hp motor stands up under heavy infeed pressure. Fit and finish is outstanding as is the documentation.pAs far as cons are concerned, I'll echo the previous reviewer regarding the filler strip. I'll likely shim the filler later although it doesn't seem to pose any immediate issues. This being said, I wouldn't let these small issues get in the way of purchasing this sander.pAll in all, I think this is the best sander in it's class and would recommend it highly.

This sander works quite well. Nice, heavy construction. Has plenty of power. After reading reviews of the 12" Delta sander, I was concerned about getting one with too much disc run-out. I needn't have worried as it runs very true. The dust collection works extremely well.pCons: The brake lever is plastic and seems somewhat cheesy, not up to the rest of the machine. The filler strip, that fills the slot in the table for the circle sanding jig, sits below flush with the surface of the table. I find this annoying. I plan to shim it up sometime.pOverall I wouldn't hesitate to buy it again.

I bought this to do final sanding on segements for woodturning projects. As such it has to be flat, repeatable, and accurate. It's head and shoulders above the Grizzly I replaced. Pad changes only take a few minutes. I used to dread doing this and as such kept the pad on way to long.
br /The dust collection works great. It has a 4" outlet so I can hook it up to my 2HP collector and almost no dust comes into the air. The design of the backing to the disk for this actually does what they say.
br /The table is very heavy and when locked down stays there. I built my own custom sliding sled with different angles for different segments and the sander repeats very well. I've removed the table, put on new pads, then reinstalled the table using the stop with no problems having to fiddle with realignment.
br /The other handy feature is that you can sand right up to the middle of the disk, again unlike the Grizzly.
br /Two of my woodturning buddies have also bought this after seeing mine in action.

The JDS-12B is well built, quiet and smooth. Be prepared to have some help unpacking this tool as it's very heavy and bulkey (104# shipping weight). $443 is way too much to pay for this sander and currently available for $349 plus $8 shipping.

I have had mine for less than two years and used it for making pens. The bearings are shot. It makes a tremendous noise at start up. I have to firmly tap on the brake to get it to stop. I bought the jet because of there reputation. All my other tools are Jet and love them.

I have really enjoyed having this sander up until the last few days. It began making a very loud noise (so loud you must wear ear protection just to be in the same room). It appears to me that a bearing at the disc end of the drive is going out, and after less than six hours total use. I've had this machine just over two years, most of which its just been sitting in my heated/air conditioned shop. The noise abates only very occasionally when a work-piece is being pressed up against it. I checked my warranty and as you'd guess it's lapsed. I really don't get why Jet has different length warranties on these big tools of theirs, this was a year, some are 3 or 5 years. Anyway, this should not be happening on a little-used tool two years into its life. Otherwise, no complaints, losts of power, you could sand a six foot 2X4 to saw dust in less than five minutes with this beast. The disc itself is flat and true, no wobble at all. I purchased this sander through Amazon, but it was shipped from Jet. If I knew then what I know now I'd buy someone else's machine. This thing weighs over 100 pounds and it's all I can do to lift it, I don't look forward to getting and moving another (UPS won't be looking forward to it either). This item should be shipped only by a carrier prepared to handle really heavy machines, but Jet used UPS. And it's packed in a box that's little bigger than the unit itself, with much less than sufficient packing material for a heavy unit being shipped through UPS. If you don't mind noise (100+ dB's), and the likelihood that this sander will lock up when the bearing finally goes out, then go ahead and buy it. Hope this helps.

The first tool arrived in a box that looked like it had been to hell and back. The tool did not survive. It was promptly replaced.
br /
br /I have been using it for a number of months. The plate is flat, properly aligned to the axis of rotation so there is no wobble. It is smooth and quiet. The table is solid and locks securely even under heavy load. The motor comes up to speed quickly and has more than enough power. The brake is adequate but I seldom use it. Dust is no problem with my 4" extractor.
br /
br /I have only changed the disc once and found the Delta disc needs a little help to stay attached.
br /
br /Overall I am quite happy with this sander.

This sander seems to be first rate in terms of quality and performance. I would have given it five stars if not for a few adjustments that needed to be made to the machine before I could use it. The dust flange/seal behind the sanding wheel was bent and rubbing the impeller for the blower. The first time I turned it on a got a lot of rubbing noise and the smell of burning plastic. After figuing out what the problem was it simply required reaching in thru the dust port and slightly bending the flange away from the impeller. The biggest problem is my unit arrived damaged (broken cast iron foot) and am currently awaiting a replacment. This unit seems to be on constant back order, so that's another issue. The broken foot was probably caused by UPS but some fault lies with Jet for sub-standard packaging (this unit weighs 100 lbs and they pack it in flimsy styrofoam).
br /Other than those issues this is a really good machine... smooth, powerful, flat table, lots of mass. Even though it costs significantly more than similar units, it's worth the money.
br /I would buy it again.

I have the grizzly combo sander, the delta disc sander and this JET Disc sander. It is the only Jet Tool I own and it ROCKS. All that cast iron is worth the money. For me the Delta dust collection works better then the jet, but the jet seems to have a much bigger sweet spot for sanding flat and the disc is flatter then my Delta. It cost more, but it worth it.!

Here's another glowing review of the JDS-12. Yes, it is the most costly of the 12" benchtop disc sanders, but it's worth it and makes my list of "buy only once" tools. I bought just the sander and skipped the filter and stand because I had a spot on the bench with plumbed dust collection reserved for it. This sander sports a cast iron housing and shroud where the others are made of sheet metal or plastic. This helps account for its beefy weight of 100lbs. The platen and table are also cast iron. The table is the largest of its competitors at about 12" x 16" and features miter slots going both directions. It comes with a sturdy metal miter gauge and circle cutting jig. The trunnions are table mounted as opposed to post mounted, keeping the table edge nearly touching the disc throughout its movements. This also eliminates any flex or deflection.
br /
br /The 1hp motor has plenty of power to hog down even the hardest of woods. The brake is a little cheesy, but I rarely use it anyway. The JDS-12 has excellent dust collection features (a huge consideration for any sander) with its built in fan impeller and 4" dust port. There is also a motor fan on the back shaft. Mine came with one that is made of riveted sheet metal and was not true. It was wobbling and rubbing on the motor housing until I adjusted it out a bit. I've been told that on earlier models this fan was cast metal. The disc platen is very true with minimal to no runout. You will appreciate this when doing precise sanding to the line. All disc sanders leave marks. I usually finish with touch ups on my belt or orbital sander, but the disc will certainly get you 99% of where you want to be.
br /
br /A back issue review of 12" sanders is available for download from Wood Magazine. It was rated "Top Tool" in their 2003 review.
br /
br /I'm very happy with this machine.
br /

Just recently I had a Delta 12" Disc sander, that after 22 years died. It had worked perfectly until the motor just burned out. I was going to replace it with another Delta. But after reading the reviews, I knew I wouldn't be happy. I Guess Delta has taken a nose dive over the years as far as quality control. I ordered this because of what others were saying about it. I have to say I really will give it 4 !/2 stars, It wast perfect right out of the box. I set it up plugged it in set my dust collector near the ejector point.
br /There was virtually no dust, with my set up. Everything was lined up perfectly. When I have to replace another piece of shop equipment, I will think JET.

About a month ago this sander was $249 on this site. Then poof! $393. Now $443. What gives? I bought mine locally and paid only $285 last week. The sander is awesome, though. Seriously smooth and quiet. The built in fan works well to draw away dust, but you still need a collector to catch it. I couldn't be happier with it. I just don't know wht it's so expensive here.

WOW - What a tool SHOULD be. The best disk sander I've ever used, and for several reasons. The motor is quiet and this tool is vibration free! The cast iron table in front is large and comes with two miter slots, unlike the Delta and Grizzly. I purchased the stand and filter locally only because Amazon was out of stock at the time. Don't tighten the hardware on the middle of the stand untill you first measure the hole distance on top for the sander. Pre-arrange them at that distance and then attach the sander. Dust collection is very nice too as the internal blower fan blows it into the filter without having to attach and use a shop-vac. I like this feature. I purchased this sander for $224.99 but two weeks later it increased $168.00 - DON'T KNOW WHY SO MUCH! All in all, I'd buy it again. You won't be dissapointed.

This was a very enjoyable purchase. Thank you WMH and Amazon. The package arrive in a very reasonable time frame, and the package was almost flawless! I took it out of the package, plugged it in, and zoom........!!!!! Lots of power, very nice work tray. This machine is QUIET, and dosent vibrate a bit, even when it isnt bolted down! Thanks Amazon, and WMH tool group!

I was considering the Harbor "Fright" model and Delta. I made the right choice. This machine performed accuratly and fast right out of the box- no adjustments or set-up involved. This will be passed down to generations

I bought this sander through Amazon, back in 2004. The solid construction, $250 price tag and free shipping were incentive enough. The first one arrived with a broken foot (dropped?), but Amazon's excellent exchange policy had another on the way within a couple of days. This thing has been extremely handy on a number of projects, including a 14-foot boat we built from plans. If your projects involve a lot of careful fitting of pieces, this sander will become a favorite very quickly. It has tons of power and is very quiet. The fan-forced dust discharge is a nice feature, but you'll want to duct this outside. This thing is probably the most effective way to turn wood and electricity into a LOT of dust. If this is your first sander, one point worth noting is to never attempt to sand styrofoam, as it will grab every time. Good, solid sander, even at the current price.

I have had this sander for about 2 years. It's everything you would expect from Jet. Very solid, non-existent vibration, capable of precision sanding. Fast start-up with plenty of power. Meets my hobbyist needs with no problems at all. There are others out there for a lower price, but if you want top quality, this is the one.