Scheppach BTS900x linisher

Review: James Brook

The Scheppach company have a good reputation making mid-range equipment for the part-time woodworker. This combination 150mm disc and 100mm belt sander fits within that category as a simple but well made light machine.

At 21.5kg it has enough mass to limit vibration and has enough power from the 0.5hp motor to successfully sand small pieces of wood. I found if I leant hard on the belt I could stall the machine but staying within reasonable limits the belt worked well.

The platen that the belt runs on was not perfectly flat or straight so I would suggest that you limit sanding on this to components such as rails or similar where some slight variation is acceptable. The end of the belt where it passes over the idler drum can be used to sand concave curves which is a good feature. The belt can also be tilted vertical if desired.

The disc with its small light table worked very well, in fact this part of the machine was my favourite. I was unable to stall the disc under pressure and while dust collection was okay when using the belt it worked very well from the disc. Currently at $198 for Wood Review readers this is an inexpensive machine provided its main purpose is for light duty work.

Test machine supplied by Hare & Forbes, for more information on this machine see www.machineryhouse.com.au/awrev6