Makita9404 4" x 24" Belt Sander, with Variable Speed , Blue

I've had mine a year now. It has spent a lot of that year in a bag as I don't have a regular need for it but when I have wanted it, it has done everything I needed and then some.I originally bought it to sand a floor. The floor dated to the 1930s and looked like it could be a nice floor, but part of it was covered with some kind of lacquer and part of it was faded thanks to 90-odd years of sunlight. The lacquer gummed up the sanding belts alarmingly fast but after scraping the worst of it away with a hand scraper the belt sander came into its own. Although the floorboards weren't quite level the sander did a fine job of stripping away the stain and the faded exterior of the wood, revealing a glorious golden color underneath.It's a bit tricky to get right into the corners but for my purposes that wasn't an issue because I was sanding the floor before putting baseboards into place. I'd be a little cautious getting right into the corners if those corners were finished baseboards.The next major thing I did with it was to strip and refinish a couple of cabinets. The first was a small bedside unit, the second was a large unit that I salvaged and that had been in a shed for decades. The bedside unit was pretty easy, it was just about stripping badly scratched finishes back to the bare wood so I could restain and lacquer it. The large unit took a while, as with the floor the paint gummed up the belts, but once the sander got going it ripped through the job easily.If you take the bag off the back you can attach a shop vac hose in its place, which means you get less sawdust around whatever you're doing. Just be aware of the total current - I used sockets on different circuits to make sure I didn't overload anything.Changing belts is about as easy as you could ask for. Emptying the sawdust bag is easy. The thing is reasonably quiet but if you're using it for any length of time, especially if you're running it with a shop vac, you'll want earplugs.The weight distribution is good - I've found I can operate it one-handed and it shows no sign of trying to tip one way or the other. Before choosing this product I looked at a few others that didn't feel well balanced at all. You can also turn it upside down and use it as a static sander, moving a smaller workpiece over the belt. It's surprisingly stable.It looks like replacing the brushes in the motor should be pretty easy. I haven't needed to do it yet but it seems like it's been designed to be easy to work with.It does get warm if you run it for an extended period. I guess most things with motors do that.

I’ve been wanting a 4” sander for a long time. Porter Cable has been the standard, but they no longer make one, just the 3”. Both this Makita model and it’s big brother are well reviewed, so I was torn. Variable speed and ability to lie flat on its back made me buy this one, even though it cost a little more. Glad I did.First, and most important, dust collection is excellent when connected to a shop vac. Weight is sufficient to work without pressing down, which is a no no anyway. Ergonomics are superb, obviously a two handed operation. Stays in place when using stationary on it’s back. Surprisingly, it also works at a perfect 90 degrees on its side - a feature I’ve already used. Whoever designed this thing really put some thought into the engineering. Makes the heavier version (And the Porter Cable) seem clunky and Old fashioned.So far I’ve worked with various grits, ranging from Klingspore’s 36 planer belt to regular 120. All worked well and tracked straight. I did bog down once with a low grit belt on low speed, indicating power is also reduced as speed goes down. Returning to normal solved the problem. No bogging at low speed with normal belts.By the way, my first project was flattening a new 90” x 34” white oak table top. Got the job done quickly and professionally, even though some of the boards had to come down a 16th of an inch.All in all, this is a fine tool at a reasonable price. I would buy it again.

so I've used three different belt sanders one a old craftsman the other a toshiba and I've done a total of 9 floors now with belt sanders over 4 years. the craftsman lasted about 1 floor and a half and did a decent job. the toshiba lasted about 1 floor before it really started having problems with tracking and something happened with the whole wear plate system that even after replacing it seem to put a half inch thick by maybe 64th inch depth groove in the floor that was very noticeable. this belt sander has now done 5 floors and 2 decks along with various other everyday woodworking projects. I'm only now replacing the wear plate and brushes which is why I'm now writing this review as I search for this stuff btw I've owned this belt sander for about a year and a half. needless to say this is the best belt sander I've ever used. maybe there is a better one out there but this ones price and performance I challenge all to do better. anywho here is a breakdown of it's pro's and con's compared with the other belt sanders I've known pro's 1. tracking is still working as opposed to the others which after 1 floor required constant adjustment like every 30 seconds, very annoying, the toshiba sander near the end required my hand on the knob constantly who ever designed that system needs to be fired... out of a cannon. note that if you push down hard on this sander the belt will go out but if you let off it will come back in just not completely like 1/16 of an inch of where you had it. which is really rather amazing because the others lost they're ability to track right first. thank the various gods the others died soon after. 2. very well balanced I can hold it with one hand very loosely and it won't dig in on one side as opposed to the others I've used that required constant attention to balancing. 3. the cord is very long and I've gotten the cord jammed in this one two times with 36 grit and it survived! christ crackers I don't know what the cord is made of but jesus juice I can't even tell now where it happened as opposed to others which cut through to the wire. 4. reliability. how do you like your eggs. after 8 straight hours of sanding with this one you can make breakfast for dinner on it and it will keep on going. and it will do this for three weeks straight. I'm just using a belt sander for the floor projects and I've done 5 floors, 2decks, and siding with it so far! all the others died completely after about a floor and a half. not to mention that I'm using it in my workshop almost every day on one thing or another. 5. turn it upside down and put it in between two 2 by 4's. it's flat top and cord placement allow for that. not so with other belt sanders I've used. cons. notes to makita 1. hey makita. the dust extraction system gets clogged up too quickly, comparable to the others, even on 100 grit it can clog up. however just hook up a vacuum and that seems to remedy the problem even with 36 grit.2. the cord. hey makita how bout a 1 foot long way to direct the cord up ,down ,left ,right, start, select, flawless victory!!!3. I'm not really sure makita can improve on the weight, and not sacrifice reliability, but holding it up on a surface is tiring. hey makita fund pure scientific research into particle physics in hopes that one day you can attach a antigravity unit to your sanderoverall this sander paid for itself only your gods know how many times over. and when and if this one ever breaks down I'll buy another. hopefully this review full of spelling errors, bad grammar and punctuation helps you to make the right choice.

This may be the heaviest belt sander that Makita makes, but that reflects the motor strength and the overall durability of the tool. Recently, my daughter has been using it to resurface some century-old garage doors, and seems to be able to master the tool quite well.