Performax 22-44 pro as a brush sander??

[Stephen Cherry]

I've got a performax 22-44 pro, and for what it is it's perfectly OK. Due to a recent acquisition I've been considering selling it, but I'm wondering if it conld be converted to a brush or mop type sander?

Any thoughts or advice?

Thanks
Steve

[John Coloccia]

I've got a performax 22-44 pro, and for what it is it's perfectly OK. Due to a recent acquisition I've been considering selling it, but I'm wondering if it conld be converted to a brush or mop type sander?

Any thoughts or advice?

Thanks
Steve

There's not a whole lot of clearance around the pressure bars. I guess you could remove the bars and push through by hand? Maybe you might convert it to velcro, like I'm doing, and keep it around. It's a lot more convenient when it's hook and look. I also switched to Abranet and now I like it 10 times better than before.

[Peter Quinn]

Not sure how you could make that conversion. I've used a supermax brush machine, IIR the brush heads were a much greater diameter than the drum heads. There are companies that make custom wire brush heads, not sure that would work either. We have a large brush machine at work and the heads are approaching street sweeper diameter! There might be a HP problem there too. So my gut tells me if you want or need a brush machine, sell the 22-44 and get a brush. Otherwise you may wind up with Frankenbrusher.

[Stephen Cherry]

John and Peter, thanks for your input. What I want to do is sand the raised panel cut and pattern on doors- I just picked up a fixer upper wide belt sander, so I should have the flat parts covered. I'm also thinking about the brush wheel for my sandrite sander

http://www.sand-rite.com/b-12.html

Do you think that would do it, and if you could only choose one grit, which would it be? I'm thinking 120.

[Peter Quinn]

I'd guess 120G, never used one of those, looks pretty cool. The wire and nylon brush machines I've used are drum sander based are used more to texture material, like to further open open grain wood like ash or oak, or to add a brush finish to metal. That one looks handy!

[J.R. Rutter]

I had one of those flap/brush heads on a tilting head Larick profile sander years ago. It didn't quite do the trick for me on profile sanding, but maybe the angle was wrong.

[Carl Beckett]

I would be worried that it would round over all the high spots on the profile, and completely miss the low spots.

But if you have already tried a version and know it will do what you want - maybe start with reviewing the design of what you know works well.

[Rick Lizek]

[QUOTE=Stephen Cherry;1985864]I've got a performax 22-44 pro, and for what it is it's perfectly OK. Due to a recent acquisition I've been considering selling it, but I'm wondering if it conld be converted to a brush or mop type sander?

Any thoughts or advice

Having spent 40 years in the metal and woodworking in factories and customs and dealing with this question I consider myself an expert on sorts. The sanders you are thinking of don't work well on your application and hardwood works different than pitchy pine. We had good luck with profile sanders that used flexible belts and shaped wooden blocks with graphite canvas over the block. We tried all the different options available including Larick, Bardo Wheels,etc.

http://www.turbosand.com/Applications/Sanding_Heads/sanding_heads.html
Wish we had the Turbosander back then...