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all three of mine have metal idler wheels. Am I missing something? Love mine and the larger table and inside circle function.

all three of mine have metal idler wheels. Am I missing something? Love mine and the larger table and inside circle function.

Newer ones have plastic idler wheels and are prone to melting under prolonged usage.

algale wrote:Newer ones have plastic idler wheels and are prone to melting under prolonged usage.

The metal wheels have ball bearings.

The plastic wheels have bronze bushing bearings.

IMHO the plastic ones are only better for the top inside sanding setup(grit erodes plastic rather than metal).