Not happy with this purchase at all. Seems to be a lot of variance in the units. I looked at a unit built some years ago, and had a chance to work with it, and it was a dream. Smooth, quiet operation, solid construction, precise, clean fit among parts.pWhen I received mine, the fan cover had slipped, shearing off the screws that hold it in place. Amazon was excellent in getting a new one to me. pThe new one works as well as can be expected, but is extremely disappointing. The assembly and stop set to keep things in square is cheap and has excessive play. The milling on the mini table was miserable -- obvious quality control problems. I had to machine the table down myself. (I chose to do this rather than getting another unit shipped out.)pI finally have a machine that works fairly well, but I had to put in a lot of effort and time to get it to that point. I would suggest carefully examining all other options before purchasing this Delta Disc Sander.pHappy shop time....

This is basically a good sander but there are some issues that I discovered. The wheel has axial runout of 0.020 inch at the rim which surprised me, I expected something more like 0.002 inch. Changing the sanding disks is time-consuming. The stock disk is 60 grit, too coarse for my work. It took me an hour to change it. This is because the stock disk leaves all its glue residue on the platter, which is very hard to clean off. I used acetone and steel wool. The platter is smaller than standard so I had to trim the new disk so it would work at all. The angle gauge is very cheesy, it is fixed at 2 points and bows off its mounting surface in between. Despite these problems, I was able to get my job done nicely with this tool. It runs real quiet, is very powerful, and basically user-friendly. The precision table and large size are nice. The 45 degree position stop is not very "crisp" but may improve with use. The tool is greatly enhanced with the Delta 34-779 mitre gauge, available separately. No mitre gauge was included. All in all, it's a good tool but obviously a tool made in China to meet a price target.

I found this sander to be a great alternative to a disk/belt unit. The price point is great for the level of features. I do not have room for a disk/belt unit that would give me as large a disk. I rarely use the belt anyway. pA miter guide track that accepts a full size miter bar is very useful. At 12" you get a legitimate 5.75" of effective sanding. You can get a precise level and square on the table, though it is not an easy adjustment. The table adjustments are hampered by the quailty of the castings and fittings. The unit is quite heavy (no aluminum!) and runs very stable on a bench. The flywheel effect helps it maintain power, though the 1/2 motor could be bigger. I would not pay the premium to get the 31-125. I looked at the 31-125 and with this unit I was getting most of the features at a great price.pI've used it on maple and cherry and have been able to do both guided and freehand sanding and shaping without burning. I've fed a 4" section of 5/4 cherry for an endgrain polish and was very pleased with the results. pDelta quality has been lacking over the last few years, this unit is no exception. Castings are not at all well finished. Even the quality of the nobs and bolts are below every competitor, even Rigid. I'm not sure how long Delta can survive on engineering good features, but producing mediocre quality. I will probably disasemble and rebuild this sander, tuning the castings, replacing the low quality fasteners and end up with a much better machine.

I am pleased with this sander. While I would like it to be a bit more powerful (will do whatever I want as long as I take my time and don't push it) it gets the job done for a very low price.
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br /Also, the "positive" stops at 90 and 45 degrees could be better designed and more accurate, but again, if I take my time and set it up carefully each time they work well.
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br /The castings are not perfect, but the table is very flat and I have little runnout...so the casting defects are cosmetic. Again, for the price a nice machine.

The disk on this sander had a total runout of .025 and after Delta sent me 2 more disks I got one down to about .005. One of the tricks is to remove the disk and clean the paint off of the disk were it butts up onto bearing. This should have been done during assembly. The table slot also had a machined tapered from .770 on the left to .790 on the right. I received new one from Delta with a .760 striaght slot. All replacement parts from Delta were delivered within 5 days after I called in my problems. You can expect these problems on their Chinese made machines, but I ask, why can't they have better quality conrol?

I have found this to be a very good product for my purposes which is sanding small parts for the segmented bowls which I turn. pMy requirements for a sander were as follows: 1)to have a large disk; 2) have a good size table which is flat; 3) adequate power; 4) good dust collection; 5) affordable (i.e under $200); 6)heavy enough that I didn't have to bolt it to a bench.pThis machine does well on all those points. There are enough adjustments on the machine to be able to sand surfaces perfectly square. The power is more than adequate. At 72 lbs. it doesn't move about on the bench and is pretty quiet. One feature I find very nice is the manual brake to stop the disk from spinning. This allows you to stop the disk quickly and helps avoid damaging a piece by accidentally having it touch the disk. It stops the disk in about 2 seconds.pThe most important thing is that is this machine makes quick work of the most laborious part of segmented bowl turning.

While it's not going to win any awards for fit and finish, Delta put the money where it counts. Disk is smooth, table is nice, and dust collection is decent. I think the Delta is a best buy, as the Harbor Freight units have poor build quality, and the Jet unit is $100 more.

Works well until one needs parts. Delta no longer supports this item even though it works well. Had the centrifical starting switch fail and there is no suitable substitute. If the motor was made in America instead of some obscure province in Communist China, maybe I could get the part I need.

I was impressed with how solid this machine was for the money. All the cast iron adds to the overall stability of the machine. The motor runs very smooth and has a manual break. The 12" disc is a feature that would cost you plenty on a combination (belt/disc) sander type machine. I've personally never cared for the belt sanders so this solitary disc was perfect for me.

This lives up to the Delta name with it's cast iron construction and quality craftsmanship. The only thing I didn't like was the fact that it didn't include a mitre guage, when it's built to accept one. Otherwise, a good sturdy machine.

I bought the Delta 31 / 12 inches Benchtop Disc Sander on discount sale from Amazon.com .When opening the package I was not happy because it is made in China.But the first time using it I like the way it runs.The Sander frame is solid by cast iron and the rotor running smoothly and not so noisy compare to other brand.For $169.00 dollars a piece it's not bad at all.

I was impressed with the overall quality of this little sander. It's very heavy, with over 90% of it being cast iron (just the switch, the brake lever and the dust collection chute are sturdy plastic). The disc's brake is very nice - stopping the disc in less than 1.5 seconds; otherwise it takes 2.5 minutes for the disc to stop on its own. The motor is smooth and quiet, with a hint of vibration. The machining of the table is typical Delta - not perfect, but functionally OK. It's ruler flat lengthwise, but it's not perfectly flat across the table (shortways). Mine has a 0.005" dip near the disc face and a 0.002" dip just inside the miter gauge slot. A standard table saw miter gauge fits nicely into the slot, with no interference with the disc. The table's trunnion machining is a bit rough and stiff, but it works. The levers are the "L" shaped metal ratcheting type, and clearance is a bit tight. Consider replacing them with star knobs if you plan on frequent table tilting. There's a 90 and 45 degree stop, which needed adjusting OOTB. I haven't run anything against it yet (I plan on using it for metalworking and some woodworking), but the motor should be plenty strong - as long as the work's not jammed against the disc. Haven't tried the dust collection so can't comment.pOverall impression is that of economical quality. This should last a long time, and it offers a lot (see the pictures for the tilting range). Would have given it 5 stars except for the cramped knobs, the stiff table tilting, the slight vibration and the mildly crowned table. I give it 4+ stars instead, since none of these are serious detractions that impede its use.

An interesting and very useful addition to my studio. If there were half stars, I would rate this machine as a 4 1/2. This sander with its large disk is a godsend for truing angles for assembled pieces. My major complaint is the adjustments for establishing the 90 and 45 degree stops. Delta has a good idea but it is a little difficult getting to the adjustments... not impossible, just awkward. The one negative aside, this is a very nice machine. It is incredibly quiet and well balanced. The dust control system is well thought out. One unique function is the inclusion of a "braking" system for stopping the sander... it actually works! I am pretty sensitive to quality and value and this machine is a winner.

Excellent tool, superfast shipping. This tool came setup runs true, smooth and powerful. I especially like the dust collection system.

I purchased this sander two years ago and I am still happy with its performance. It sands very well, is quiet, and the disk brake is handy. The dust collection works O.K.(vs superbly), but that may be a function of my vacuum hookup vs a dust collector.

I have one of these sanders. I think it works great. Very solid and sturdy as weel as smooth operation (no vibration)

This is a dream machine. Smooth,quite and well made. Everything fits fine. This is a great machine for the Money. If someone writes a bad review on this product it is because they got a lemon or they are looking for a $2,000 dollar product for $169.

I received my sander today. When I unpacked the item there where broke items. When I called to get replacement parts I was told that it would be 2-3 weeks before I would get them. If I buy something new and items are broke or missing I don't think it should take that long to get replacement parts. I could order another sander and return this one quicker. Bad customer service.

This sander, as a lot of Delta equipment is cheap (junk) .. a little bit load and the switch starts smoking and lead wires are burning through.. Just try to disassemble this piece of junk..I can't..brI just ordered a Jet and will trash this Delta.. I will NEVER buy any Delta equipement anymore ( and I bought a lot from them .. this is it..) They went cheap and just rely on their name... another rip off ...