PM 31A belt/disc sander feedback?

[Alan Heffernan]

I am thinking of buying a new Powermatic 31A combination sander (belt/disc). I have had a cheap belt/disc sander in the past and always wanted a better one.

Looking for some feedback on the Powermatic before I drop ~$1200 on one.
Thanks

[Chris Fournier]

I don't have any experieince with the PM31A but it looks like a pretty nice machine. Personally I would find the 12" disc to be a bit small and I don't like the aluminum disc platen preferring steel in this application.

For $1200 you could easily buy a used industrial quality machine if you had a bit of time on your hands to wait for the right deal. Used General 100s and Wadkins are not rare and you get a 16" steel disc and very heavy castings. At 549 ish pounds you can imagine how nicely built the unit is - well balanced with little appreciable vibration. I know that refurbishing used equipment is an acquired taste but I did just this and now have a mint General 100-5 which I took the time to rebuild from sandblasting on up to all new bearings and fresh paint. I was very fortunate to get a decent deal on the used machine but the final cost of what is essentially a new piece was under $900.00. Of course my time and efforts were worth nothing - as usual.

[Gary Herrmann]

Amazon has them for 1099+free shipping. I've heard they're a good unit.

I've also got a General 100-5. Great sander. However, I will tell you that they are not all that common in US. Someone posted on for sale here, and I drove 4 hours one way to pick it up.

I'm sure some mag has done a comparison on combination sanders.

[James Baker SD]

I have that unit. I like it a lot, probably 2nd most used machine in my shop. I used mainly the disk, but the belt sometimes. I have nothing to compare it to however as it is the only combo sander I have used.
James

[Alan Heffernan]

Amazon has them for 1099+free shipping. I've heard they're a good unit.

I've also got a General 100-5. Great sander. However, I will tell you that they are not all that common in US. Someone posted on for sale here, and I drove 4 hours one way to pick it up.

I'm sure some mag has done a comparison on combination sanders.

Thanks for the tip Gary, that is a great delivered price. There is a big sale coming up from another supplier this week but with the shipping cost, it would still be $80 plus more.

[Bill ThompsonNM]

I've has a PM31A for about 10 (or more) years now.. like it a lot. In my case I got it for about $200 new at Building 19 (for those of you who never lived in New England.. it's sort of a salvage/sell off discontinued and closed out store merchandise.. power tools are unusual there..) Apparently it was from some machine dealer who went belly up .. Anyway, I use it a lot when making bandsawn boxes.. both the disk and belt. Dust recover is better on the belt, though. Don't know about newer models.