Did you consider Jet sanders.....? ? ?
I have two Jet sanders and they both work quite well:
A Belt-Disc sander, and a benchtop disc sander.....
Stationary Belt-Disc sander:
For general shop work, I bought the JET 708597K JSG-96CS 9" disc/6" x 48" belt, 3/4 Horsepower Sander.
VIEW HERE
I have never bogged-down this unit using both belt or disc. The belt tracking adjustments are quite good, and belt changes are easy too. The 9" disc is a bit small for working on segments, but fine for general shaping and sharpening. Dust collection works well; no problems encountered after 4+ years of use. I got the enclosed base unit (a bit more $$, but there was an excellent Jet discount several years ago at the Woodsmith Store in Des Moines - last day of a sluggish sale, deep discounts to move units; just too good to pass-up), but the legged-stand unit works just as well.
To work on segments, I then got the following:
Benchtop Disc Sander:
For sanding segmented pieces, I bought the JET 708433 JDS-12B 1-Horsepower 12-Inch Benchtop Disc Sander.
VIEW HERE
This tool runs
extremely smoothly, is very powerful for its size, and is quite heavy. The motor/disc will continue to spin for quite a while after the motor is turned off (it's very well-balanced). A "hand brake" is provided to stop the spinning in a reasonable time. The table is solid and easily adaptable for sanding jigs for segments (I made one or two fixed-angle sanding jigs, with more to come .....'when I have time'). The dust collection port (4") does an outstanding job of capturing dust generated by the 12" disc. The JDS-12B is a solid tool that will last a long time. This is a significantly higher quality tool (and more expensive) than the Delta 12" benchtop unit, which I considered, but quickly changed my mind - I'm very glad I did!! This unit is really worth the price.
I hope this information adds to the sanding units that you are considering.
Rob Wallace