Jenny Trice
04-28-2012, 10:08 AM
I have a Delta 18-36 drum sander that I am the second owner of. The gear motor that drives the belt that moves the parts under the drum failed and I got a new one ($200). Upon putting the new one on, I sent one board through and on about the fourth pass, the belt quit moving again. The sander bogged down and appeared to take a deeper cut than it should have at the same time the gear motor stopped working. I pulled the gear motor off and found the shaft ceized. I cannot move it and am not sure if I should be able to, but I think I should be able to rotate the shaft (?). I'm a very unhappy camper at this point and unsure whether to invest any more into this tool. Price per board sanded has been extremely steep! I am not trying to take to much in a cut, I have a planer for that, and am not trying to do very wide boards. The board that I was putting through when it quit was mayb 8 inches wide and had already been planed to a constant thickness.
There is a Delta authorized repair shop in the area but I'm betting that is going to be an expensive proposition, if they can even do anything. Delta wanted $367 for the gear motor but I was able to get one through Grainger for $200. I could try to tear the whole thing apart but frankly, I would rather be doing woodworking than machine repair/rebuilding.
Just wondering if anyone here has tried to repair one of these machines and also if the members here think this would be a worthwhile exercise. I have about $600 invested and currently have a $200 motor that I think is toasted, again.
What do you think?
There is a Delta authorized repair shop in the area but I'm betting that is going to be an expensive proposition, if they can even do anything. Delta wanted $367 for the gear motor but I was able to get one through Grainger for $200. I could try to tear the whole thing apart but frankly, I would rather be doing woodworking than machine repair/rebuilding.
Just wondering if anyone here has tried to repair one of these machines and also if the members here think this would be a worthwhile exercise. I have about $600 invested and currently have a $200 motor that I think is toasted, again.
What do you think?