Performax 16/32 or 22/44 - Feed Tables Necessary?

[Richard Amabile]

I am contemplating the purchase of a Performax sander - either a 16/32 or a 22/44. I know that bigger is usually considered better from much that I have read in the comments on this. But, I am not sure it is really necessary in my case. Any additional thoughts on size would be appreciated.
Also, are the infeed and outfeed tables really necessary for these units? I seem to remember reading posts that indicated they were not required to get a good output. Again, thoughts and experiences would be appreciated.

[Paul Johnstone]

I am contemplating the purchase of a Performax sander - either a 16/32 or a 22/44. I know that bigger is usually considered better from much that I have read in the comments on this. But, I am not sure it is really necessary in my case. Any additional thoughts on size would be appreciated.
Also, are the infeed and outfeed tables really necessary for these units? I seem to remember reading posts that indicated they were not required to get a good output. Again, thoughts and experiences would be appreciated.

I used to have the Delta unit that was simliar.. I think it was 18/36 or whatever.. The outfeed tables are very helpful when sanding longer pieces. They are not totally necessary. You can hold the piece or use roller standes. However, during a long day of sanding, your mind will wander and you may not provide adequate support with your hands and get some snipe on some boards when they are coming out.

I have a larger Supermax now. The infeed/outfeed tables are very expensive, so I opted not to buy them. I am getting by.

That's a long winded way of saying that you kind of have to decide if the tables are worth the expense or not.. The Delta tables were easily removed, so they did not take up floor space when the sander was not in use. I am not sure about the Performax sander tables (if they are removable or not).

As far as width.. It depends on what types of projects you make. I really loved getting the extra width. I would get the 22 inch model if I was you, if it does not cause financial strain. It's nice to be able to sand a wider glueup without flipping it. I'm guessing the wider machine comes with a more powerful motor as well, which is nice to have on a drum sander, even when sanding narrower pieces.

[Anthony Whitesell]

I have the 16-32 with out the tables. As such it's a lot like a tablesaw without an outfeed table. You have to be ready to catch and support the pieces as they exit. On longer pieces (~4'+) the extra support would be nice but not required IMHO.

On a different note, I far as I recall, the tables are not easily removed and not foldable. I'm short on floor space, so there was the $$ expense and the sq ft expense I had to consider.

[Jeff Monson]

I have a 22-44 pro, it came with the tables but they were not installed, I used it for awhile without them but you have to be there to catch the material. I installed them after a couple hours of use and would not go back to using without them, feed the piece and walk away. The only downside is the extra room the tables take up.

[jerry cousins]

having the xtension tables makes running a series of pieces a lot easier - gives you more time to get around the other side.
jerry

[Will Overton]

The tables are a convenience, they do not affect the quality of the finish.

[Doug Shepard]

I sure like having them on mine tho I suppose for short things that they're probably not necessary. I tend to run some thin things through quite often (1/16 or so) and use a carrier board that's about 3 ft long even if the pieces are shorter so I'd miss the tables to keep it running through flat. I'd hate to get snipe on something that thin.

[Kyle Iwamoto]

The tables are a convenience, they do not affect the quality of the finish.

+1 on that. If you sand a lot of smaller pieces, they are a lot of help, as well as the long stuff. If you sand "average" sized stuff, 12" long or so, not so.

[Thomas L. Miller]

I have the Jet 22/44 Pro. The infeed/outfeed tables are great to have with any work much longer than 18", especially if it has any width to it.

[Philip Rodriquez]

Yes, the tables are a great help. However, you could easily make some on your own.

[Dick Bringhurst]

I just set up a roller stand on the output side. Dick B.

[Bill Maloney]

Just a bit off topic...just bought ( ordered ) Jet 22-44 ods... what is the width of the sandpaper rolls for this machine, and a good supplier. Im also thinking of ordering the outfeed tables. New to the forum tks..

[Curt Harms]

..................

On a different note, I far as I recall, the tables are not easily removed and not foldable. I'm short on floor space, so there was the $$ expense and the sq ft expense I had to consider.
I haven't felt the need yet but i have a couple pics of fold down infeed and outfeed tables. I build a cabinet for the 16-32 rather than using the stand. The cabinet is much more useful for storage and it'll be easy to attach fold down tables if/when I do so.

[Mike Langford]

The tables are a convenience, they do not affect the quality of the finish.

I agree with Will....I have the Performax 22-44 with no tables and have never really needed them cause when I use the sander I always stay with the item(s) I'm sanding....

I've tried roller stands but they are not really effective because each time you reset the depth of cut on the sander (table moves up! ;)) the roller stands need to be re-adjusted (real PITA)

[Thomas L. Miller]

Bill,
I order bulk rolls from Klingspor for my 22/44. Just use the strip that comes with the machine as a pattern. it takes about 2 min. to make a new one. It is a lot cheaper than ordering pre cut strips. I use mainly 120 grit.

[Bill Maloney]

I go to the Klinspor site, and try and order, but all I get is a Euro phone number both on Canadian and US sites..... do you have a link? and tks..

[Will Overton]

I go to the Klinspor site, and try and order, but all I get is a Euro phone number both on Canadian and US sites..... do you have a link? and tks..


You want their retail site.

http://www.woodworkingshop.com/cgi-bin/34338478/mac/template.mac/loadHtmlPage?htmlPage=home_page.htm

[Bill Maloney]

Thanks Will appreciate that. Im new to the drum sanding, so anxious to get my new unit up and running. I have a great woodworking shop so it is a little short in the prep area... Going down middle of next month to pu the unit in Havre.... tks agn....b

[Bill Maloney]

What type of rolls do u use.....paper,cloth, or the hook and loop? DUh... I know but its all new to me.....thanks...b

[John Carlo]

I had the usual problems that others commented on when I first brought home my 22-44. The conveyor belt initially tracked hard left against the tracker no matter how it was adjusted. PerformaX tech support had me reverse the belt and it still tracked hard left. I removed the conveyor table and returned it to the service department where I bought it. Sitting on the workbench supported by its mounting bolts, the belt quickly adjusted to perfect tracking. When I replaced it on my machine it immediately went back to hard left tracking. I played with the mounting bolt tension to no avail. Another call to PerformaX netted me a new belt within two days and after a minor adjustment, the belt has tracked perfectly ever since. You can tell just how perfect your tracking is adjusted by holding a ball point pen to the feed roller immediately adjacent to the edge of the conveyor belt as the roller revolves. The mark left on the roller will very quickly indicate what drift, if any, is occurring. I like the way the ceramic trackers leave a light white residue along the edge of the belt if tracking is off. It shows they are doing their job and gives you a quick indication that readjustment is needed. They trackers should not come into play at all if your adjustment is dead center. Think of the trackers as an extra measure of safety.When properly adjusted, this sander lives up to the hype. You quickly learn how much wood to remove in one pass. Any mill marks from the planer or jointer are removed in one pass. It does a nice job of sanding edges on stock up to four inches wide.
The machine really has to have a dedicated 20 amp circuit. Attached to a 15 amp shared circuit, it easily stalled out. I removed the electrical cover from the motor and found a clear diagram for rewiring the motor for 220 volts. Of course, you would then want to install a separate switch to power the drum as feeding 220 into the conveyor motor would quickly destroy it. It's nice to have the 220 volt option even though the factory warns against it. My sander is working so well that I see no reason to make the change.
Sandpaper changeover is very easy and quick. I like the way the right hand clip helps take up any slack in the wrapping of the abrasive.
I just completed building my oldest daughter a red oak dishwasher cabinet for her new house. All the trim for this was quickly sanded on the 10-22. I'm also finishing up an oak bar and This sander really saves time.
I recently sanded some 16' x 6" red oak boards to box in a beam. using axillary in-feed and out-feed rollers. As the end of the wood came off of the the several rollers I had set up on the in-feed side, the sheer physics behind the length and weight of these boards, transmitted this to the wood under the drum. This made for an extremely small "gouge". A hand held oscillating sander quickly fixed these very slight imperfections which only showed under close examination with a light. I've never seen any sign of this when working with lengths up to the more usual 6' - 10' lengths we commonly encounter in our furniture crafting.

[Will Overton]

What type of rolls do u use.....paper,cloth, or the hook and loop? DUh... I know but its all new to me.....thanks...b

3" wide, cloth backed

[Richard Amabile]

Thanks for all the input on this. After some serious measuring I decided that as much as I want the 22-44 there just isn't enough room in the shop for it. I have a two car garage that is my workshop and right now it will be difficult to even fit the smaller sander in it with all the other machinery that is there. That is a real bummer because every time I buy the "smaller" unit of anything I end up wishing I had purchased the larger one. But, tradeoffs need to be made. So, I went ahead and ordered the 16-32 with infeed and outfeed tables. After reading all the comments I realize that I may or may not really need the tables depending on the work I end up doing with it. But, I find that such tables help on my 735 planer and I am guessing they will help on the sander as well. Yes, I could build a cart and tables. But, at this point in time I would rather spend my time on other projects, especially since the stand comes with the sander. I will probably enclose the bottom of the stand from the shelf up and put a door on it to use for storage. I have done with other machines and it seems to work well.
Thanks again for all the sage advice.

[Jim Becker]

Yes, IMHO, you need either the factory infeed/outfeed tables or "roll-your-own" infeed/outfeed tables for the 22-44 to properly support workpieces. I had the factory versions when I owned the 22-44 (I sold it as it was getting little use for my particular projects and taking up a lot of space) but in hindsight, I would have preferred shop-built versions that could have been folded up/down for storage.