Double drum panel sanders

[Fred Alexander]

Good morning!
Looking for a double drum panel sander. Have seen used ones (Performax Supermax; Woodtek; Powermatic and Oliver) for sale. Anyone experienced with any of these? Also saw some testimonials on Woodmaster that were pretty good. Made in the US so should be good. For you folks that do woodworking for a living, what would your recomendation be? Appreciate your comments!

Fred

[David Kumm]

I have used performax and like them. US made- at least at 25" and larger. The oliver oscillates but I don't know how reliable the system is long term. Some have aluminum drums and some are rubber covered. Performax are aluminum. They were early into the drum sander game and have a reliable machine. The motor is good, digital readout is proscale which is a good unit. They can be rebuilt as well. I upgraded my 25x2 to a 37x2 so the smaller one is for sale if you are near WI. I have a woodmaster molder and it works well. I think the performax is a step up though. Dave

[Chris Rosenberger]

I have been using a single drum Woodmaster for over 18 years. It has worked very well. I have talked to people that have the double drum Woodmasters & they are also happy with them.
An area machinery dealer had a used 36" double drum Powermatic for sale. I considered buying it, but the salesman talked me out of it. He said the Woodmaster I had was a better sander.

[Gilbert Vega]

I have a Supermax 37-2 I picked up for $800 and it is everything I've always wanted in a sander. The only problem is it requires a large dust collector. Had to sell my delta 1200 cfm for a Powermatic 1900 cfm unit.

[Mike Wilkins]

I just picked up a Woodtek 25" dual drum sander. Got it to replace a Performax 16-32. The Performax worked fine; I just got a case of upgradeitis like I do with everything in the shop. I compared the dual drum offerings from all the players such as General, Steel City, Laguna and found the Woodtek was exactly like these, with a different paint job and slightly different base. Only a much nicer price point and I picked it myself from the Woodworkers Supply location in NC. Have yet to run some lumber through it due to workload, but will do it soon. No regrets.

[Ryan Hellmer]

I've got a woodmaster 38" single drum. Fantastic sander. I've used a few others and don't think there's a better drum sander out there. Now, it's still a drum sander. I say that because no drum sander ever created will rival a good wide-belt sander with a platen. Unless you have the cash for a nice wide-belt, woodmaster is for sure the way to go.

Ryan

[Fred Alexander]

Thank you all for your opinions and thoughts. Will take some more time to investigate buying new.

Regards,
Fred

[David Kumm]

Don't limit yourself to new. Drum sanders aren't items that get beat to death. If you find a performax that is all but dead you can have it rebuilt for much less than new. Dave

[ed vitanovec]

I have the Woodtech 25" dual drum sander, it has been really good to have. I would recommend the woodtech or any other color, there are a few different brands that are basically the same machine.