Performax engineers are knuckleheads.

[keith micinski]

Had to change my sandpaper on my 16-32 for the first time in a while and I still can't get over how dumb it was to put the spring loaded clip on the right side of the drum where there is no access to it when the left side of the drum is completely open and easy to get to. I've actually thought about looking at what it would take to switch the drum around end for end but I just don't use that thing enough to mess with it.

[Wade Lippman]

I had the same thought, but decided it was way too difficult. Good luck.:)

[Robert Cherry]

The sanding action tightens the paper around the drum, effectively making it 'longer' in the direction of the spring loaded take up. The take up adjusts to keep the paper tight. If the take up were on the other side, the paper would be loose on the drum unless they change the direction the paper is wound on the drum. I've often wondered why they didn't just reverse the wind and put the take up on the outside as well.

[keith micinski]

The sanding action tightens the paper around the drum, effectively making it 'longer' in the direction of the spring loaded take up. The take up adjusts to keep the paper tight. If the take up were on the other side, the paper would be loose on the drum unless they change the direction the paper is wound on the drum. I've often wondered why they didn't just reverse the wind and put the take up on the outside as well.

why couldn't you wind the paper the other way?

[Robert Cherry]

why couldn't you wind the paper the other way?
The way the drum is machined prevents winding the other direction.

[keith micinski]

Hmm, pretty sure you can wind the paper either way on the drum. You just need to reverse the taper on the paper.

[keith micinski]

Just checked, the drum has weights on the inside to balance it so I don't think flipping it is a good idea but the clips are held on by a screw and the smallest locknut I have ever seen. The clips can be reversed because they are mounted on opposite sides of the drum so I might try that tomorrow if I get time.

[John K Jordan]

Just checked, the drum has weights on the inside to balance it so I don't think flipping it is a good idea but the clips are held on by a screw and the smallest locknut I have ever seen. The clips can be reversed because they are mounted on opposite sides of the drum so I might try that tomorrow if I get time.

Keith,

I have the 22-44 so I don't know if the clip mechanism is identical but I suspect it is.

I have worked on these before. Before you remove the philips screws on either end (especially the motor end) I suggest you measure the distance from the center of the screw to the slot. On my 22-44 they are different, meaning the two clips are not interchangeable without drilling. If you decide to remove them the nylock nut is 5.5mm. Be aware there is a tiny lock washer loose between the clip and the inside of the aluminum drum. Unless you are mechanically adept or have three tiny but powerful hands, removing the inner clip may require removing the drum to reinstall it. Installing without removing the drum is certainly possible but it may need gyrations with several tools and superglue. I think it would be far easier to remove the drum. I hadn't thought about it before but the comment about direction of rotation working to keep the sandpaper strip may well have merit so swapping the clips (or drum) may cause a problem. Perhaps it is best to first call and ask the tech support.

I can't imagine balancing weights caring which way the drum spins. But if they are to balance the clips that could be an issue if you swapped the heavier clip for the lighter clip.

I suspect you can wind from the inside out but then the strip would not be tensioned properly unless after winding you tightened the strip from the left then reset the inner, spring loaded tension clip. I haven't tried this since winding from the outer end inwards works fine. At minimum, winding the other way might be awkward due to the design (at least on my 22-44).

You may know all this but in case someone else doesn't and gets frustrated with the inner clip when replacing the paper:
The inner clip is more difficult to compress since it is dual action - it has one spring holding the clip that grips the sandpaper and a second, stronger spring that tensions the sandpaper after it is gripped by the first. You have to compress both of these at once in order to install the paper. What makes it worse is the end of the sandpaper may try to "go down" the wrong way and slide under the spring instead of into the jaws of the clip.

Performax included a special tool with mine to compress the inner clip and while it is trivial to use once you know how it is very difficult to see how it is supposed to work. I didn't find the instructions helpful. A small inspection mirror is very helpful. Some people find it easier to just compress the clip with the left forefinger then insert the sandpaper tip. I don't have any trouble with it either using or not using the tool so I don't use it.

I put a new strip of 60 grit on mine just a few minutes ago and this is what I did (took about a minute):

- Compress the outer clip and insert the tip of the paper (not too far or there won't be enough for the clip on the other end to grip)
- Wind the length of the strip, holding it tight on every turn
- Bend the last inch or so of the inside paper opposite the existing curl to straighten it
- Reach in with the left forefinger and pull the end of the clip all the way up (examine first with an inspection mirror if needed to see how it works)
- Insert the paper straight down through the slot and through the jaws of the clip
- Release the clip and the strip should be held and pulled tight
I haven't looked at the instructions for a few years so maybe this is all spelled out there.

Again, this is on the 22-44.

JKJ

[Mark Wooden]

Not all the engineers got A's..........

[keith micinski]

I understand how the clip works, I even have a special pair of bent needle nose pliers to make it easier to access. My gripe is there shouldn't be any need to. It should be on the outside to begin with. The clips are mounted opposite. Each other on the drum so swapping them won't affect the paper being pulled against it as it is spinning. I didn't measure the distance of the screw holes on the clips they just looked close but I will do that. Sometimes a rotating assembly is balanced in place meaning they put the weights on while the drum is in its current location and would be the best way to do it. If they did it that way then flipping it would change things but again as long as the screw hole distance is the same the clips should be reversible.

[keith micinski]

Crap the outside hole is 1/2 away and the inside home is 5/8 the away. Oh well I guess I’ll just keep dealing with a stupid design.

[Eduard Nemirovsky]

I don't know, but I never has problem with location of clips for sandpaper. :p

Ed.

[andy bessette]

JJ--thanks for the explanation. I just picked up a 22-44 this weekend. Came with the Tuftool, though I have not tried it yet.
Anyone have an opinion on the optional infeed and outfeed tables? Heard some comment that they were flimsy. Could just make some.

[John TenEyck]

Not all the engineers got A's..........

Not all design decisions are made by engineers.

John, a retired engineer - who did get mostly A's.

[Peter Christensen]

Keith you need to remember those drum sanders evolved from a drum in a frame, clamped on a radial arm saw, driven by a pulley on the saw's arbour. There wasn't much on the end of the drum to get in the way of paper changes. I maybe wrong but I don't think there were engineers back then, just the guy that came up with the idea and it grew from there. In the intervening years the clips could have been improved I suppose. I have one and "upgraded" to the tripod stand and belt feed to make a free standing machine out of it.

[Bob Falk]

I used to own a 16-32 and was frustrated with the paper clamping system at first. I got used to it and it was easier once I learned to cut the paper the proper length. That said, I own a Woodmaster and it has velcro backed paper which is very easy to apply.

PS - also an engineer...not all A's, but I graduated(3 times)!

[keith micinski]

It really has less to do with actually putting the paper on, which I can do relatively trouble free now with the bent needle nose pliers, and just the fact that the first time they put the paper on someone didn’t look around and say “hey wouldn’t it be easier if the spring clip side was on the open end?”

[Paul Stoops]

I have had a 16-32 sander for several years and use it frequently. However, the lack of access to the right hand paper clamp has been a continual source of frustration for me and most other owners of this tool.
I was delighted to see that the newest model of the Jet 16-32 has addressed this problem by making a notched cutout in the right hand end of the drum as shown in the following photo (from their manual):

373606

I am seriously considering modifying my existing 16-32 drum to this configuration.

[mreza Salav]

Hehe... the first time I cut my paper, I cut the taper backward, so it was mirror of what I needed. I couldn't bring myself to throw it out and cut a new one, so I swapped the location of spring loaded clip to wrap the sand paper from the other direction. It worked fine. So if you really find you want the clip to be the other side it's fairly easy to swap it. You just have to be careful how your wrap your paper so that it doesn't get loose by the rotation of the drum.

[George Bokros]

I have had a 16-32 sander for several years and use it frequently. However, the lack of access to the right hand paper clamp has been a continual source of frustration for me and most other owners of this tool.
I was delighted to see that the newest model of the Jet 16-32 has addressed this problem by making a notched cutout in the right hand end of the drum as shown in the following photo (from their manual):

373606

I am seriously considering modifying my existing 16-32 drum to this configuration.

How would you make the cut Paul? I would think taking he tdrum off would be intimidating at least to me. I am thinking that using a cutoff wheel on a die grinder would work but you would want to make sure you get all the metal chips cleaned out.

[Mark Wooden]

Not all design decisions are made by engineers.

John, a retired engineer - who did get mostly A's.

Sorry, I'm teasing and meant no offense

And there's the problem- someone decides it should 'look' better and the good engineering gets ignored. Too much function is following form these days

[John TenEyck]

Sorry, I'm teasing and meant no offense

And there's the problem- someone decides it should 'look' better and the good engineering gets ignored. Too much function is following form these days


No offense taken. I was only pointing out that many design decisions are not made by engineers. I'm also all too aware that not all engineers got A's. They usually ended up in Marketing and eventually got promoted to senior management where they questioned nearly everything from the engineers who did get A's.

John

[Robert Cherry]

No offense taken. I was only pointing out that many design decisions are not made by engineers. I'm also all too aware that not all engineers got A's. They usually ended up in Marketing and eventually got promoted to senior management where they questioned nearly everything from the engineers who did get A's.

John
Oh my, does this ever hit home! You are spot on, John.

[keith micinski]

I can't believe they addressed the obvious problem by making a little more access but still limited as opposed to just moving it. I just order some Mirka mesh paper for the first time after hearing how great it was and since I have to cut it and it's reversible I'm definitely going to try moving the clip over. Mreza, did you notice any complications with the 1/8 difference of the clip morning points? Also the slot on the rights side is actaully about a 1/4 deeper into the drum but I'm not to concerned about that. I'm going to get a 5.5mm wrench this weekend and try swapping them.

[Paul Stoops]

George -

I haven't really thought about it, but I will probably use my oscillating multi-tool with a metal cutting blade to minimize the amount of chips/debris. However, as an alternative I may use my Dremel. In either case, I would pack rags around the cut area to keep stuff from falling inside and use my shop vac while cutting.

Paul

[mreza Salav]

Keith, mine is the super-max 37x2, not the same as yours (two columns) but I did change it as I said for a different reason.
I'm not sure if yours is as easy. I've taken photos of both sides for you to compare. It was pretty easy to swap them for me.

373629373628

[Curt Harms]

How would you make the cut Paul? I would think taking he tdrum off would be intimidating at least to me. I am thinking that using a cutoff wheel on a die grinder would work but you would want to make sure you get all the metal chips cleaned out.

You'd also have to consider balance. If you removed metal you'd have to either remove an equal amount of metal from the opposite side or add a weight to the cut area I'd think.

[Nick Decker]

George -

I haven't really thought about it, but I will probably use my oscillating multi-tool with a metal cutting blade to minimize the amount of chips/debris. However, as an alternative I may use my Dremel. In either case, I would pack rags around the cut area to keep stuff from falling inside and use my shop vac while cutting.

Paul

Are you not concerned that removing that material would throw the drum out of balance?

(Curt and I must think alike. :) )

[George Bokros]

Are you not concerned that removing that material would throw the drum out of balance?

(Curt and I must think alike. :) )

Didn't give this a thought, but I believe your are likely correct. It would not be as easy as removing an identical size piece from the other edge of the drum as the weight of the metal is not the same all the way through hence the need for weights to balance the drum. Guess this would not be a viable option.

[Nick Decker]

Yeah, I think it would require a machine that spins the drum like a tire balancer, telling you how much weight to add, and where.

[keith micinski]

I think the safest bet and the easiest to reverse is probably changing the clips and wrapping the paper backwards definitely going to happen when my new mesh sandpaper gets here so I will let you guys know how it goes.

[John Lanciani]

Didn't give this a thought, but I believe your are likely correct. It would not be as easy as removing an identical size piece from the other edge of the drum as the weight of the metal is not the same all the way through hence the need for weights to balance the drum. Guess this would not be a viable option.


Take the cut off piece and glue it inside the drum inboard of the cutout. The weight of the glue will offset the lost metal from cutting, the balance will be maintained.

[Steve Peterson]

Sorry, I'm teasing and meant no offense

And there's the problem- someone decides it should 'look' better and the good engineering gets ignored. Too much function is following form these days

I am also an engineer and am constantly amazed at poor design decisions in products today. I see it where I work also.

To me, the biggest offenders are cost saving measures. A classic example was a product many years ago that shipped with a floppy disk device driver. A marketing guy got an award for finding a low cost supplier that saved $0.10 per disk. The quality on those disks were so bad that it is amazing that they worked at all. Nearly every customer would then feel the need to make a backup copy using a 3M disk that cost them $1.00 and 5 minutes of extra time.

I think cutting the notch to give better visibility is a great improvement. I am going to look into adding that feature on my sander.

[Marty Tippin]

Unless I missed it elsewhere in the thread, I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the tool specifically made for holding the clamps while replacing the paper.

373652
https://www.amazon.com/Jet-JET-98-0060-Tuftool/dp/B00S6YT3PU (probably available cheaper elsewhere)

I've got one that I use with my Performax 22-44 and it works great; I just changed the paper a few days ago.

[andy bessette]

...Performax included a special tool with mine to compress the inner clip...


...Came with the Tuftool...


Unless I missed it elsewhere in the thread, I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the tool specifically made for holding the clamps while replacing the paper...

It was mentioned, but without an image.

[Paul Stoops]

You'd also have to consider balance. If you removed metal you'd have to either remove an equal amount of metal from the opposite side or add a weight to the cut area I'd think.

Curt - I wouldn't expect the balance to be an issue because (1) the wall thickness of the drum in that area is fairly thin, (2) the amount of material to be removed is relatively small, (3) the 5" diameter of the drum is relatively small, (4) the speed of the drum is only 1750 RPM, and (5) the shaft and bearings are quite large, relatively.
However, thanks for mentioning this possibility -- opposite side drum material removal is a potential fix for this issue.
If/when I make this revision, I will post the method & results.

Paul

[andy bessette]

...the 2.5" diameter of the drum is relatively small...

The drum is much larger than 2.5"

[Art Mann]

I have two of these tools from my 10/20 and 16/32 sanders. I didn't bring them up because I found them to just be a distraction and not worth the effort. I have changed paper so many times that I can do it in about a minute. If you use it a lot, you will get much more efficient at it without redesigning anything.


Unless I missed it elsewhere in the thread, I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the tool specifically made for holding the clamps while replacing the paper.

373652
https://www.amazon.com/Jet-JET-98-0060-Tuftool/dp/B00S6YT3PU (probably available cheaper elsewhere)

I've got one that I use with my Performax 22-44 and it works great; I just changed the paper a few days ago.

[Nick Decker]

I think they call it the TUF tool, and how it works is beyond me. The photos in the manual are useless.

[John K Jordan]

I think they call it the TUF tool, and how it works is beyond me. The photos in the manual are useless.

Nick, I had the same problem at first and agreed with those who said to just throw it away. Shame on the doc people who wrote and illustrated those instructions!

If you take a little inspection mirror and hold it below the end of the clip you might see there are several holes in the last piece of metal, the part you lift with your finger if not using the tool.

What worked for me:
First, wind the sandpaper strip on the drum
Hook the end of the the devilish tool in the end hole in the clip, the one in the outer corner.
Pull straight up to lift the lever and compress both springs and open the gripping jaws in the clip.
Twist the whole tool while holding it up and the little flat bend in the tool will swing over and rest on the edge of the drum. This will hold the tool in place with the springs compressed (and also pinch the end of the strip).
Now, unless you have three hands and didn't allow the sandpaper strip to slip any, lift the tool slightly and pull the strip tight again.
Insert the sandpaper in the slot assuring it goes into the jaws as usual.
Lift the tool slightly, rotate back to clear the drum and lower to tighten the jaws and tensioner.

This drove me nuts at first since you can't easily see what you are doing and exactly where to put the hook in the tool. Eventually I took a closer look and figured it out but really, it only takes five seconds to do it without the tool so I never used it again. It may be quite valuable for someone with dexterity or finger strength limitations.

JKJ

[andrew whicker]

You can experiment with the balance problem by adding weight (we use clay in our industry) equivalent of what you think you'll remove. You'll have no way to measure anything, but maybe you'll hear / feel something. Maybe rest your hand on one of the pillowblocks?

36" is a long distance between bearings. You could get some cross coupling. It slow moving though, which is good. Who knows how accurate the OEM was when they balanced these anyway. (especially considering that you add a unknown unbalance every time you add sandpaper)

--
I graduated with only a 2.9, but engineers don't get questioned where I work. Bahaha!

[Paul Stoops]

The drum is much larger than 2.5"

OOPS! You're right, Andy. I originally wrote the reply using the radius (2.5") and forgot to edit it to 5" when I changed the word to "diameter". Thanks for catching that.

Paul

[Nick Decker]

JKJ,

Thanks, I'll take another look at the TUF tool with your explanation in mind. I'm old enough that arthritis in my fingers occasionally rears its ugly head.

[keith micinski]

Des Going a goofy tool that doesn’t work to fix a problem that doesn’t need to exist in the first place is hilarious. I really don’t think there is any need to cut up or change the balance of the drum. I’ll switch Hear clips this weekend if I get time and I’m sure it will work just fine and he ev n better then a cutout rhatcstill has the clip in a hard to access area.

[John K Jordan]

Des Going a goofy tool that doesn’t work to fix a problem that doesn’t need to exist in the first place is hilarious. I really don’t think there is any need to cut up or change the balance of the drum. I’ll switch Hear clips this weekend if I get time and I’m sure it will work just fine and he ev n better then a cutout rhatcstill has the clip in a hard to access area.

The photos of each step. Others will be interested in what you discover. And how it works with some use.

JKJ

[keith micinski]

Need to spell check these posts a little better late at night before I hit reply apparently. That last one is pretty rough to read. My Abranet came in today so it might happen tomorrow afternoon if things go well on a bathroom remodel I am working on.

[keith micinski]

374027

Well unfortunately had a few setbacks today. The two clips size difference in size is substantially more then I thought it would be. The clips can only be switched if you redrill the hole on the outside edge but even that would be hard to do because it’s an 1/8 closer then it needs to be and by the time you drill it out I’m afraid it would be to close. You would probably have to move the clip in board on the drum some which I think would work but I don’t have enough interest and time right now to do that. I then thought well let’s go ahead and switch the drum end for end but my spring clip pliers decides to break on me as I was trying to remove the inner one so that shot this whole process down.