go458 drum sander

[Jim Andrew]

Does anyone own one of these sanders? Did a search, and only one reply of an owner. He liked it but would like to have a discussion. So, if anyone does have one and uses it, please advise. Jim

[Cary Falk]

I have one. I got it off CL for $450. Some of the daily lubricating locations are a PITA to get to. Other than that I like it. I don't have any tracking issues. The table is easy to get parallel to the drum. I would buy it again at full price.

[Van Huskey]

First let me say I do not own one, in fact never used one but I have used the last generation Delta which is a very similar machine. I liked it as does my friend that owns it and he hasn't had any significant problems. He bought it because of the number of near 18" panels he sands so the Performax/Jet 16-32 was a wee bit too small for one pass work.

As for the design there are two things I dislike, the moving platen which makes it a pain to make infeed/outfeed tables and the minimum thickness it can sand.

Don't know if you are buying new or used but if it is new I would suggest the Delta instead. The Delta was redesign and has some value added features and comes with 6 sanding wraps as well as a full cabinet. It can be had for about $20 more shipped and Delta has a rebate currently that affectively gets you the Delta mobile base for free, plus the warranty is 5 times as long, for me thats a no brainer unless you really prefer Grizzly Green and Cream.

If you are buying new and open to it I would further suggest the Jet open end sanders, easier to set up for in/out feed tables, have sandsmart and have a minimum stock thickness of 1/32" compared to 1/8", only an issue is you do shop cut veneeres though. The Jet/Performax almost always win open end magazines comparos. The negative is that in the same price range you get a 16-32 instead of the 18-36 you get with the Delta/Grizzly versions.

[Cary Falk]

Even though the spec says min thickness of 1/8, I have had the drum touching the belt. There isn't a limiter to stop it. The Delta may be the same way. The sandsmart on the JEt would be nice. I saw a Jet at one of the Woodworking shows here in Portland. The drum was bouncing all over the place. I don't know what they were doing and I know people swear it can't happen but I did see it. My sander will pop a fuse before the drum starts bouncing/deflecting. For the same price the Delta is better known. As much as I dislike new Delta stuff, I would probalby go that route. The Jet, of course, is the standard but you loose 2"/4".