Makita 9903 belt sander, page two.

Let’s spend a minute on belt sander dust collection…

Most belt sanders (including many Makita belt sanders) have a dust port that is a very odd size or shape. The problem is that most tool designers totally focus on the tool as a stand-alone unit. Dust collection for these tools probably starts with a marketing manager who suddenly realizes, “We gotta have dust collection as a feature!” In most cases, they are not interested in good USABLE dust collection; it’s just a must-have feature to them. The design engineer then tacks on a poorly designed, oddly-shaped dust collection port and a small, unwieldy bag or box that gets in your way. The result is that “dust collection” is just an afterthought. Unfortunately, this goes double for belt sanders. Common wisdom is that belt sander dust collection is poor.

Now look at the Makita 9903’s dust port. Notice that it’s a large, usable, ROUND port high on the left side of the sander. And it looks close to the right size for a Festool DC hose! You grab your Festool vac’s D27 hose, line it up with the 9903’s dust port, and… It doesn’t fit! “Heck! Shoot!” (And other, unprintable expletives.) That’s the bad news. The worse news is that Festool doesn’t make a hose adaptor for this purpose!

The good news is that the Fein Corporation comes to our rescue. Besides making nice vacs, they make a very nice hose adaptor! The Fein part number is: 921072K13. Price varies, but for $5.00 to $8.00, you can add Festool dust collection to your Makita 9903.

For many tools, the original Fein hose adaptor will fit in the tool’s dust port without modification (shown on the left). For the 9903, you’ll need do cut an adaptor to size; this takes about 2-3 minutes. Just cut it off just below the second to the largest “ring”. The 9903-modified one is shown on the right. (I have two – one for the 9903 and one for all other tools.)

After cutting the Fein Adaptor to size, slide it OVER the Makita’s dust port. It’s a perfect fit.

After installing the Fein hose adapter on the 9903’s dust port, insert the Festool D27 hose into the other side of the adapter and you’re done. I leave my modified hose adapter permanently mounted on the 9903 dust port – always ready for the D27 hose.

It’s not well known, but the Makita 9903 sander has the built-in ability to work on its side or on its back. Look at the right side of the 9903 (see pics on page one). It’s flat and square to the belt.

So how does it work? With my CT22 hooked to it, the 9903’s dust collection under most conditions is almost perfect – well in excess of 90%! Even while holding the 9903 vertically to sand down a stud or vertical board, dust collection is greater than 80%. For floor sanding, you can even turn down your Festool CT’s suction and still get excellent collection.

Using the Makita belt sander with your Festool DC works great, but what if you need a fixed belt sander? For constant use, fixed, purpose-built spindle and belt sanders might be a better choice. Units like the Rigid EB4424, and units from Jet, Delta, and Grizzly are available. But what about a fixed belt sander for more occasional use or on-site work?

Previously we mentioned that right side of the 9903 is flat and square to the belt. While not well known, this allows the Makita 9903 sander to be clamped to a work surface and function as a fixed sander. With a couple of Festool clamps, you can flip it on its side and mount it to your MFT quickly and easily. Now you have a stable, usable fixed belt sander for on-site work. (I’ve used two different Festool clamps here to show you that either will work nicely.)

So how do you mount it on its back? Looking at the top of the 9903, notice the three little “feet”. You’ll see one each on the black, blue and silver parts of the top. These are not mere decoration…

These little feet allow the 9903 to be mounted on its back. The three feet form a solid base so the sander won’t rock or move around. Again, a couple of Festool clamps allow you to quickly mount the 9903 to your MFT.

A key design point for this Makita sander is usability. Like many belt sanders, its controls are very functional and usable. UNLIKE many belt sanders, its controls are functional and usable when fix-mounted. Mounted on its side or and upside down, the trigger and trigger lock (for continuous running) are accessible. And the tracking knob is easily adjusted while in both of these positions. The speed adjust knob and belt change lever are accessible in the upside down position. On its side, the speed adjust knob is difficult to access, but can be reached. The only control that can’t be used with the 9903 on its side is the belt change lever. While not perfect, it’s still fairly fast to unclamp the sander, change the belt and re-clamp. Overall, the 9903 is very function in the mounted position.

Overall, one of the nicest features of this Makita sander is dust collection. However, what is pretty much unique to the 9903 is its dust collection while mounted to a table either of the two positions. Notice that the Festool D27 hose is STILL connected while the sander is on its back and side.

In this picture, the 9903 is running at full speed. The 9903’s tracking is so good that if barely wavers from track. This means, even with a rough 36 grit belt, you can move the belt down with the accessible belt adjustor to almost flush with the MFT top with virtually no damage to the MFT surface.

Both Festool and Makita are well-known for making high quality tools. With careful selection of accessories and adaptors, you can extend your Festool system to include other tools – with the Makita 9903 being an excellent example. The end result is better bang for your Festool and non-Festool buck.