April 15, 201214 yr I went pawn shopping before work today and ran across a Jet Performax 16-32, the sticker said $799, but reading the top secret codes on the the tag they gave $300 for it, and will settle for $525. If it sits for a few weeks it will probably drop to the $400 range. Looking at Woodcraft and Rockler it sells new for $1099 + shipping. I'm really interested in it , but cash poor right now . Layaway might be in order. Anybody have any experience with this unit, pro's con's ? GregScroll Saw forum hosthttp://www.thesawdustfactory.net/
April 15, 201214 yr Greg, the 16-32 is a good drum sander, I have one just like it. It takes a some time to get used to it, setting the abrasive on the drum can be finicky at times. It takes a little practice. It also takes a little practice to run material through it as well. Your first instinct is to use it like a planer, but it cannot take more then a 32nd of material off during a pass. And that is completely acceptable since your sanding, not planing.The Performax like most drum sanders are great for small parts, and I can see how a scroller would be able to benefit from one big time.Keep in mind, the drum sander is not a replacement for palm sanders. No matter how fine grit you go on the drum, you'll see abrasive streaks, you still need to hit it with the palm sander.The motor in my opinion is underpowered, the breaker trips frequently but that only happens when you try to hog off too much. The manual says no more than a quarter turn of on the wheel at a time to lower it, they mean it.The drum is temperamental on the horizontal adjustment. But once you get it adjusted, you leave it and don't mess with it again, it holds it's axis really well.Overall, it can be temperamental, but once it's all dialed in, and you use it for a bit, it runs great and it's a good high precision piece of machinery. And at the price your talking about, that is a great deal!John MorrisThe Patriot WoodworkerProud Supporter of Wounded Warrior Project and Homes For Our Troops
April 15, 201214 yr I have the same one and I love it and couldn't live without it. I haven't had any problems with mine. I actually only adjust mine 1/8 of a turn at a time but after a while you'll learn to go by the Sound. Clean the belts often and they'll last. Also make sure you Scrape excess glue before you run panels through it or you'll Burn the wood and the belt. I use mine for cutting boards and have used It to thickness plane at times as I don't own a planer. Like John said you do need to use a random orbit after drum sanding. I bought Mine a while back from woodcraft for a little over $700.00 When it was on sale. You'll want to add casters. This thing is a beast but a great tool.
April 16, 201214 yr Author Thanks for the great info guys, I'm probably going to have to pass on it for now, because of funds or lack of rather. It's something I would like to have but can live with out at this point. GregScroll Saw forum hosthttp://www.thesawdustfactory.net/
April 17, 201214 yr Greg, it is a great drum sander. I have the Preformax before it became Jet. I use it all the time and it is a time saver. I picked mine up off Craigslist and it was more that they are asking for that one. It has been worth everything I paid of it in the time it has saved me.John MoodySite AdministratorJohn Moody Woodworkshttp://www.johnmoodywoodworks.com
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.