Accessories

Not bad!
I purchased this Bosch belt sander to sand base boards and other trim. The wood is all yellow Pine so far. I like the smooth running of the belt and the sander doesn't seem to work hard. I will be sanding Oak trim in the future and that might work the sander, if it doesn't work as well on Oak I'll be posting another opinion. My only complaint is the power trigger is located such that when you pick up the tool your finger depresses the trigger and so starts the sander. Of course I've learned to allow for this and now I don't pick it up as I would other power tools.
Oh... I own other Bosch power tools, router, power hand saw, and found them to be well made too. Oh I purchased the the fence and stand for the sander, well worth the money. I look forward to using this sander for years to come.
Larry

Best Money Spent In a Long Time
The Bosch belt sander is the best money I have spent in a long time. It runs smoothly, but powerfully. The controls are easy to use and the belt tracks true. It removes material much better than the other sanders that I have. I recommend it very highly.

I wish all my tools worked this well
This will become one of my favorites. It's well designed, comfortable and easy to use, very powerful, and feels like it will last. If you plan on using this on glue-ups, invest a little more and get the sanding frame. And most surprisingly, the dust bag really works!

A great sander
The basic design of this tool is genius. It can be held in one hand, set upside down on a table to use as a sanding belt. I've been using this model since the mid 80's for finish construction and cabinet making. This is my third one. I don't think that I could ever go back to the other style of belt sander.Bosch 1274DVS 6.6 Amp 3-Inch by 21-Inch Variable Speed In-Line Belt Sander with Cloth Dust Bag

Excellent performance & design
Belt sanders can be dangerous because they remove wood quickly. They need a light touch or you'll leave an undulating surface, not a flat one. But if you're careful they're a lot easier to use than a hand plane and a lot faster than an orbital sander. I'm a hobbyist who got a C in woodworking in junior high, and even that was a gift, because I can't get a flat surface with a hand plane or saw a straight line with a hand saw. So power tools are my salvation. I bought the Bosch belt sander to bring the rails and stiles of several raised panel drawer fronts into perfect plane more quickly than could be done with an orbital sander. I read a few magazine reviews and was interested in the DeWalt 443, but that model gets mediocre reviews on Amazon.

I wanted a 3 x 21" sander because a 4" wide sander is heavy and seemed like overkill, and I was interested in one that had a lever to make it easy to change the belt, reasonable dust collection, and an accessory frame available to help with keeping larger surfaces like tabletops flat. (That last criterion eliminated the Makita 9930.) The Bosch also comes with flat, graphite-impregnated platen, which the magazine reviews said was better (flatter) than the steel plattens most sanders come with. (You can buy a graphite replacement platen for other sanders.)

The Bosch is a bit under 8 lbs and the motor is mounted in line with the belt rather than crosswise, so the spacing between handles is greater than for the DeWalt, Makita and others. That's not a problem. The Bosch is comfortable to hold and easy to control, even for a short person like me. The magazine reviews say that it removes wood a bit less rapidly than other sanders in the same class, and that's probably a good thing unless it's being used in commercial production. There's an easy to use tracking adjustment to keep the belt lined up and the front handle is removable in case you need to get into a tight space, although you'd have to be careful controlling the sander. The variable speed trigger works well and there's a small dial accessible in the hand grip to limit the speed, as well as a button to make it run continuously. That allows you to mount the sander upside down on a bench and use is as a stationary tool.

The Bosch sander feels solidly made. The lever to release the belt is plastic, but it looks like it's fiber-reinforced nylon so it seems unlike to break unless it's abused pretty badly. The relatively light weight makes the sander easy to control, and the cord is quite long. The manual is clear and helpful. The sander's dust collection bag works well and you can remove it to connect a vacuum hose for even better dust removal.

The accessory sanding frame is solid and well designed but expensive - 50% of the cost of the sander -- and you have to figure out that the sander has to be inserted onto the two front pins before the you push the back of the sander onto the frames' clip, because the instructions that come with the frame are unclear. (You buy the frame separately from the sander.)

Two cautions. First, try the sander on scrap before you use it on a project - it removes wood much, much faster than an orbital sander and it's easy to leave a trough, even in hardwood. Use a light touch and keep moving it around to avoid that. Second, buy premium quality cloth-backed belts. You can get them at Sears, by mail order and at specialty store. The Bosch comes with a good cloth-backed 80 grit belt to get you started.