Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)A drum sander is a pretty basic machine; a sandpaper conveyer belt moves the wood under a spinning cylinder/drum that is covered in replaceable sand paper. Tensioned rollers keep the wood pressed down on the conveyer so it doesn't slip. The drum can be moved up and down to apply the proper sanding depth.
The problems some reviewers have had with this machine are:
1. There is a problem adjusting the tracking of the conveyer belt, which is like a giant portable belt sander. The belt can drift to one side or the other. The front roller is adjustable so the belt stays centered.
To facilitate this adjustment, Performax has included clever little captive wrenches built into the frame of the conveyer assembly. This should make the adjustment easy. However, mine drifted to the left and adjusting it had no effect. I ended up completely loosening all the adjusters, and starting over again. This time the belt centered and it was easy to adjust exactly to where it was supposed to be.
I suspect that the belt, which after all is 16" wide, might have been just a hair out of square and all the adjusting served to stretch it out to a perfect rectangle. I believe the problem is that some belts may be more out of square than others. The actual mechanism is unlikely to be defective.
2. Adjusting the sanding drum so it is parallel to the conveyer belt is obviously important, but it is not easy to do. There is a knob that you turn to move the outer end of the drum up and down until it is set correctly. However, one must loosen 4 (!) bolts to free the assembly so it will move and then tighten them to hold it in place. The act of tightening them moves the adjustment out of place. If you are a zillionith of an inch off on the inside, then you are way off 16" away on the outboard end. One can spend a lot of time messing with this.
Amazon recommends setting the outer end a teeny bit up when sanding panels wider than the drum. This will result in a high spot in the middle of the panel which is better than low spots or grooves caused by the outer end of the drum digging into the wood. However, adjusting the drum is such a pain that most people will be content to set it once and leave it.
I set mine to be just a tiny bit up, an unmeasureable amount. I send my boards destined for glue-up twice through on the final sanding , turned around the second time, so that each board side is equally thick on all edges.
3. Replacing the sandpaper just takes a little practice. Clearly, it must be installed properly to work well. The paper rolls onto the drum and each end is secured by little levered clips in the ends of the drum. A little tool is supplied to loosen the inbord clip, but I find that just just reaching and pulling it up with a finger is easier.
4. Some users have problems with the drum motor overload breaker popping. Pushing the reset button starts it up again. This is all by design so that you do not try to sand off more than you should in one pass or set the conveyer belt speed too high.
You must sand at a shallow depth and at low feed rate. If you think the sanding process is too slow and get impatient, just think of hand sanding. Even set at a crawl, the machine is way faster than you. All this depends on the grit, the kind wood, the width of the wood as well as the conveyer speed and the depth of cut.
I am careful to set a shallow sanding depth and a pretty slow feed rate and so I rarely have to reset it. If it does pop I just slow down the conveyer belt some more. This is a small machine with limited horsepower for small shops. There is a reason they make those 30 hp one-ton units. Like Norm's.
4. Some have complained about slop in the drum adjuster. The crank that moves the drum up and down has a lot of play in it so it is hard to feel how much actual adjustment is going on when the crank is turned. Tactile feel is very important when you are trying to adjust things just a hair. These sorts of measurements are too small to show up on the depth guage.
The adjuster should be equiped with an adjustable friction device. Several of my small tools have that feature and clearly a $1000 machine should. And I really miss an adjustable positive depth stop like my Makita planer. This would allow for a repeatable final sanding depth.
5. Snipe has been reported as a problem and it is. It is very difficult to hold the wood perfectly level as it enters and exits the drum. Setting up multiple roller stands is not easy and others have mentioned that the optional in and out-feed tables are difficult to level as well.
Some sort of built-in support is necessary for this machine to work properly. The tables, or other devices, should have been built in to the design and included in the price. This should not have been an option. It is like making the tires optional on a car. Speaking of options, I have a new Grizzly 6" jointer that came with built-in wheels. Very nice. Really quite necessary for the small shop. Aftermart wheels are available elsewhere.
So, what is my advice? This machine can be adjusted to function perfectly. When it is set up properly it is indeed a very useful and important tool. The problem is that the adjustments are too difficult and so many machines are out of adjustment and simply do not work as they should. In addition, not including the tables introduces an unnecessary cheap and greedy factor.
Performax is clearly not losing any money selling these units for $1000. Add on the the price of sandpaper and options and it is an even more costly option for the small shop. A tweak to the drum depth adjuster, a redesign of the drum levelling mechanism, a positive stop for the sanding depth, incorporating feed tables and making the stand mobile are really simple and inexpensive upgrades that lucky owners in the future hopefully will enjoy. I note that Grizzly now has a comparable consumer model and I suspect other manufactorers will enter the market. That competition will hopefully lower the price and increase the utility.
The whole idea of smoothing wood with rocks glued to fabric seems sort of strange, really. Perhaps the future will bring lasers or microwaves or something modern. In the meantime, be aware that sanders create a lot of dust, the fine and dangerous kind, much worse than shavings and such. I looked into shop dust control, hoping to get a simple vacuum, and found a whole confusing and expensive anti-dust world out there. A portable vac is not the best thing to use for high volumns of fine dust. Big dust collectors, cyclones and those sorts of things are more appropriate for this machine, but are very speciallized and expensive. I use the screaming Sears vac now (are all Sears product planners deaf?), but for many reasons that will have to change.
I can't go below 3 stars if, in the end, the machine actually performs as it should, but the inconvenience and cheapness factors noted above and in other reviews cost it a couple of stars.
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JET 629004K 16-32 Plus 16-Inch 1-1/2-Horsepower Open Stand Drum Sander, 110-Volt 1 PhaseCut your sanding time up to 75 percent with the JET 629004K 16-32 Plus 16-Inch 1-1/2 HP Open Stand Drum Sander, 110-Volt 1 Phase. This innovative tool elevates the primary woodworking tasks of sanding from long and slow to short and fast. Ideal for small commercial shops, this tool can be used in lieu of a planer, and it provides ample capacity to handle both small and large jobs with ease.
Easy-to-use adjusters make compensating for belt stretch simple, fast, and tool-free.A large crank changes the height of the sanding drum and ensure precision cut depth changes are easy to make.Precision Drum for Long, Smooth Operating LifeAt the heart of the 16-32 Plus is the sanding drum, which is specifically designed for smooth running and the dissipation of heat. Measuring 16 inches in length with a five-inch diameter, this precision-machined and balanced extruded aluminum drum is self-cooling to help prevent heat-related damage of the wood or sanding strip under load. For added peace of mind, the sanding drum turns on sealed and permanently lubricated one-inch-diameter ball bearings for a long, smooth operating life.
Additionally, the drum height and downward roller pressure are both user adjustable to virtually eliminate snipe.
Handles a Wide Range of Material SizesThe 16-32 Plus handles a wide range of material sizes quickly and easily. It can sand materials as thick as three inches, as thin as 1/32 inch, and anywhere in-between. Unlike planers--which often have a minimum length requirement of a foot or more--the 16-32 Plus can safely handle pieces as short as 2-1/4 inches.
The open frame design also lets you sand pieces measuring up to 32 inches wide by making two passes. Additionally, a camber adjustment makes it easy to prevent "witness marks" when making two passes on wide boards.
Infinitely Variable Feed Rate for FlexibilityThe infinitely variable feed rate and the wide range of sanding grits available combine to handle fast rough work or fine sanding on any species of wood. At the same time, the generous, stable conveyor platform makes turning material very accurate while smoothing the surface at the same time.
Dual Motors for Power and ControlThe 16-32 Plus comes equipped with two high quality motors: a 1-1/2 HP, (rated using continuous duty cycle) 1 phase, 110-volt, 14 Amp motor that spins the sanding drum at a consistent 1725 RPM, and a direct drive 43 in./lbs. torque motor that drives the conveyor belt separately. Both are TEFC (totally enclosed fan cooled) motors designed to operate in a potentially dusty environment.
For added protection, a safety keyed on/off switch with overload protection controls the sanding drum and is front-mounted for operating convenience. And an infinitely variable-speed control on the conveyor belt produces the ultimate finish at a rate from zero to 10 feet per minute.
Patented Trackers for Quick and Easy AdjustmentsJet's patented conveyor belt "trackers" eliminate the need for manual belt adjustments, ensuring precise results. Independent tracking adjusters on either side of the conveyor are easily accessible and simple to use should tracking adjustments become necessary--as when a new conveyor belt may need slight tracking or tensioning adjustments after it breaks in.
Reinforced Steel Conveyor Bed and No-Give Power Feed for ConsistencyA precision-flattened reinforced steel conveyor bed holds the stock flat during sanding. A reliable no-give power feed belt provides a consistent, smooth sanding action to provide the finest results.
Dust Port for Efficient Dust CollectionTo help maintain healthy air quality in your shop, and to make sure your vision isn't obscured by dust, the hinged top cover has a four-inch diameter dust port molded into the upper shroud to help evacuate most of the dust created as you work. Connect to an efficient dust collector like the JET DC1100 for best results.
Performax Spring Clip for Quick ChangesThe 16-32 Plus also includes a special spring clip invented by Performax that holds the end of the sandpaper roll. This clever invention makes for quick and easy paper changes, saving you time and stress.
The 16-32 Plus weighs 145 pounds and is backed by a five-year warranty.
About JET: A History of Sharing New, Feature-Rich ProductsOpened in 1958 after the founder of the company, Leslie P. Sussman, took the first Boeing Jet Airplane trip from Seattle, Washington to Japan, JET began as a small dealer that sold air hoists and trolleys out of a single hardware store in Seattle. Over the years, JET has carried everything from snowmobiles, transmitter radios, and forklifts to nylon stockings, but by the early 1970s, metalworking had become the base of their business line. And by the 1980s, JET had expanded into the realm of woodworking. Today, you'll find that JET offers a wide range of popular woodworking tools that are backed with best-in-class features and excellent service.
What's in the BoxDrum sander, 80-grit abrasive strip, 100-grit abrasive belt, TufTool, metal stand with shelf, and one box of ready-to-wrap abrasives.
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