Don’t call this diminutive belt sander a toy. Like all of Proxxon’s power tools, they designed their block belt sander for smaller projects and detail work. Though it weighs in at just 1-1/2 lbs, this little belt sander can chew through ferrous and non-ferrous metals, wood, and plastic almost as well as its larger cousins.

A quiet 1/5 HP motor drives the belt on this little powerhouse up to 525 ft/min. Proxxon manufactures the housing from fiberglass-reinforced polyamide, with a hole in the housing that can accommodate a screw clamp, turning the tool into a stationary belt sander.

With its 1-1/2″ wide aluminum oxide sanding belt, the block belt sander sports a total sanding surface of 1-1/2″ by 2-3/8″. A finely adjustable spring-clamping system secures the belt and makes changing belts a tool-less operation. The belt sits flush to the left side of the sander for sanding all the way into corners.

You’ll pay $150 to own this fine little belt sander. For that price, you’ll also get five 120-grit belts, five 240-grit belts, and a stationary screw clamp, all packed in a high-quality polypropylene storage case. You can get additional belts in 80, 120, 180, and 240 grits.

Proxxon [Corporate Site]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
VIa Amazon [What's This?]

Proxxon’s FKS/E table saw may look like a toy, but it’s a fully functioning miniature table saw.  When you’re making a scale model, a tiny error can be like flubbing a cut by a whole inch at full scale. To help model makers make exact cuts, Proxxon has been building precision power tools like this one for 30 years .

The FKS/E’s blade has a diameter of only 3”, but you can adjust the blade height anywhere between 1/32″ and 1″. With a variable speed adjustment, its ultra-quiet high-torque motor can muscle through a variety of materials. You can angle the blade for cuts up to 45 degrees. With the built-in extension wing, it can handle pieces up to 19-5/8” long. And it all fits into a package about the size of three reams of copy paper.

Despite the FKS/E’s scaled-down size, it doesn’t come with a scaled-down price. Street pricing is around $340.

Proxxon [Corporate Site]
Street Pricing [Google Products]

The Proxxon micro planer is a perfect clone of a high end planer, but 1/8th the size.  It’s great machine for all kinds of fine precision planing work – as long as you don’t need to plane wood taller than an 1-1/2″ or wider than 3”.

This planer’s loaded with kick-ass features.  For starters it has a self-feeding, knurled, spring-loaded roller that draws the wood in to meet the 6000 rpm cutting blade at over 15-1/2″ per minute.  This allows it to plane irregularly-shaped pieces of wood quickly, before they slide out of line.  After passing the through the cutter shaft, it pushes lumber out at the rear via a rubber-coated roller that protects the surface of the workpiece from marring.

You can adjust the table can as finely as 0.1 mm (0.008″) by turning a large adjustable hand wheel on top of the housing — that’s super-accurate, super-close shave.  The only down side for us here in the ‘States is that Proxxon is made in Germany, so all the screws and dials are metric.  It’s time to break out the conversion charts if you’re one of the “inches only” crowd.

The small size may seem like a huge limiting factor but it really isn’t. The true application of this unit is making small pieces that require precision to a fraction of a millimeter.  Frame makers, model makers, and high end furniture artists can benefit from its wood-chomping accuracy.

The price tag isn’t for the faint of heart at just north of $500 — but then if you need a micro planer on a daily basis, chances are you’re not a hobbyist.

Micro Planer DH 40 [Proxxon]
Street Pricing [Google Product Search]
Via Amazon [What's This?]

You’ve gotta love Proxxon’s small tools.  Many of their power tools serve purposes that in the past you’d have done entirely by hand.  Take, for example, their Mini Miter Chop Saw.  It’s another specialized tool that could be a great addition if constant trim miter and chop saw work is the norm in your workshop. It’s designed for small scale precise work – and we mean small scale: the base measures 9″ x 9″ and the entire unit weighs in at around 14 lbs. 

It features a blade speed of 4,000 rpm, and the miter table rotates 45 degrees both ways from and 90 degree center with indent stops every 15 degrees.  It also sports a steel vise with self-centering clamps and a V groove for round stock — like the copper tubing you see in the picture.

Cutting capacity varies, of course, by the shape of the stock but ranges from 3/8″ x 2-9/16″ to 1″ x 1″ at 90 degrees, and from 3/16 x 1-13/32″ to 3/4 x 11/16″ at 45 degrees.

It looks like a versatile little unit if you’re into small projects.  Street pricing starts at $198

Mini Miter Chop Saw [Proxxon]
Street Pricing [Froogle]

You’ve got a big-ass belt sander for big projects, but if you’re like us, you’re still stuck sanding by hand when there’s detail work to be done.  For those smaller jobs, Proxxon offers a sweet little belt sander for finishing, mortising, and fine polishing of flat surfaces – the 115/E. 

It features a die-cast aluminum head holding the sanding arm – which swivels 60º and locks in place – and an electronic speed control that tames the belt speed between 700 m/min to 300 m/min.  The best part: You can change the belt in a matter of seconds.

It’s not something everyone in the world would need, but it’s handy for small flat surfaces where a Dremel isn’t enough and a large belt sander is overkill (or just won’t fit).

Street pricing starts at $139.

Belt Sander [Proxxon]
Street Pricing [Froogle]