??? on Performax 16-32 Plus Drum Sander

[Ed Bamba]

Going tomorrow to check out this 4-year old, slightly used drum sander, listed locally on Craigslist. Any words of wisdom on what to look out for while inspecting it? What about accessories that should come with it? Any input is greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Ed

[Mike Cutler]

Ed

Check the feed belt, look for signs of fraying along the egdes. It's not a deal breaker but a new belt will run somewhere between $30-$50 bucks. Start the feed motor and see that the belt tracks straight.
Check the raise lower mechanism, it should move freely with no binding.
If it is mounted on the Performax stand that's a plus. the stand was about $70-$90 buck addition new. if it has casters an even bigger plus. Casters weren't included with the stand,a nd had to be purchased seperately.

Any extra rolls of paper are worth about 3 or 4 bucks( new) to you if you had to buy them.
Infeed and outfeed tables were a $100.00 option with the sander new.

Take a straight edge about 12-18 inches long. Remove the existing paper form the drum and lay the straight edge along it. Rotate the drum with the straight edge along it and look for any dips or rises across the drum.

Take a piece of scrap material,with you and test out the sander. Let the guy show you how the sander works.
If everything checks out, you're pretty much set.

The Performax came with this funny little tool to install the paper on the drum. I never use mine, but some folks use it exclusively. You should get that tool.

[jason lambert]

Mike is right on. Just make sure the drum is stright that is a expensive part. It is a pretty simple machine. If it runs and is stright you are good. Also check for wobble in the drum and the berrings.

[Jim Becker]

Be sure it's the one with the 4" dust port on top. If not, it's older than 4 years for sure. The original version had a 2.5" port and that's inadequate for the job. And know that dust collection is not optional with a drum sander. You cannot use the machine without it....

[Steve Mellott]

I think you should also confirm that it has the 1 & 1/2 hp motor (instead of 1 hp) and that it includes the infeed/outfeed tables.

Steve

[Jason Perrott]

I have the older version with the 2.5 inch dust collection fitting, works great with my shopvac, never have any problems with DC. IMHO that should not be a deal breaker.

Get the special red handle tool, you will need it. Also take a test piece to run through, check for "snipe" on the ends. To check the parallelism of the drum to the moving bed is crucial, I use 1-2-3 blocks on both ends of the drum to check this. You could also run a 16" wide piece of material thru ( plywood scrap) and see if it sands more on one side or the other.

This has proven itself over the years as an important tool in my shop, I would not be without one again. I resaw alot of hardwood into veneers and sand them all down to perfection with my little trusty drum sander.

Hope this helps, Jason

[Curt Harms]

... And know that dust collection is not optional with a drum sander. You cannot use the machine without it....

You CAN (I have) but you certainly don't want to. Cough, Cough, choke, dust EVERYWHERE. Oh, I have to turn the DC on and open the blast gate:o

Curt

[Mike Cutler]

You CAN (I have) but you certainly don't want to. Cough, Cough, choke, dust EVERYWHERE. Oh, I have to turn the DC on and open the blast gate:o

Curt

I'm glad I'm not the only one that ever did that.:o,;)

[Phil Thien]

I have the older version with the 2.5 inch dust collection fitting, works great with my shopvac, never have any problems with DC. IMHO that should not be a deal breaker.


Ditto that, I have the Ryobi 16-32 and it works great with the shop vac.

[Wade Lippman]

I'm glad I'm not the only one that ever did that.:o,;)

It's even worse to have everything on but the can below your cyclone. Well, probably not worse, but since it's further away it takes longer to notice.

[Wade Lippman]

The clip that hold the far end of the sandpaper broke on mine and I had a devil of a time fixing it; so that is something I would look for.

[Ed Bamba]

Thanks to all for your replies. Stopped by after work to check it out; here is the scoop.

Can't remember what his explanation was, but the feed belt was replaced. For some reason he could not afford to purchase an OEM belt so he used sued leather as a substitute. So a correct replacement belt is needed.

Belt tracking seems fine, and both tracking wrenches are present.

The drum motor is a 1.5hp and seems to run fine, as well as the feed motor. No issue with the belt speed control.

Operated the raise/lower mechanism. It does feel a little stiff when cranking it upwards, but moves easier when cranking it downward. No noticeable noise when operating in either direction.

Didn't use a straight edge on the drum but did inspect it visually while turning it by hand. To the naked eye, no noticeable dips or undulations.

It sits on a Performax stand and does have casters, but he did weld some supports around the mounting pads. He was a little embarrassed about his first attempt at welding. Didn't get to move it around to check out the condition of the casters, but they do look like they've seen better days.

It does come with a four inch dust port.

Not sure about the Red-handled tool, didn't see one but will ask if he still has it. Is this the tool for replacing the paper on the drum?

He ran a six-inch piece of wood through a couple of times. Couldn't really tell if there were any underlying problems, but it did come out smooth.

He does have some extra rolls of 120 grit paper that he is throwing in.

No extension tables.

I will assume that wobble in the drum and bearing will be pretty obvious. Or should I be looking for more inconspicuous type of movement? I can probably check for signs of this when I go to pick it up tomorrow. I'll have a straight edge with me. I'll check on the paper hold-down clip too.

And now the asking price: $450.00, but will let me have it for $400. Some guy already tried to talk him down to $300, but he couldn't let it go for less than 400. He is a fellow woodworker who needs to pay some bills; he was recently let go from a high end cabinet shop due to a slow down in business.

So with what info I can provide, does this sound like a decent deal?

Thanks again for your input.

Ed

[James Suzda]

Ed,
My advice would be to grab the 16/32 for the $400. As for that red handled tool, I've got one and never use it. I found it was easier just to use my finger. But, if you have large fingers you might find it easier to use the "tool".
As for the raise/lower mechanism, I found that a little lubrication helps tremendously.
The guy's homemade feed belt must work because he did to a demonstration right?
The only thing that would make it a deal stopper for me is if it has a super sensitive overload protection switch on it like mine has. Whenever I try to sand more than a light dusting my breaker pops and raises my blood pressure!!

[Curt Harms]

Ed,

The only thing that would make it a deal stopper for me is if it has a super sensitive overload protection switch on it like mine has. Whenever I try to sand more than a light dusting my breaker pops and raises my blood pressure!!

I had the same thing. PITA, ain't it? My fix was to buy a direct-read ammeter. I mounted the ammeter in a 4" PVC electrical box, cut the lid to fit the ammeter and rigged a bypass. I bypass the ammeter on startup then flip a toggle switch to put the ammeter in the circuit. The reason I bypassed the ammeter for startup is I wasn't sure the ammeter would stand up to starting surges long-term. It seems to work fine and if I vary the feed speed to keep the amps at 13, the overload won't trip.

I could never tell how much of a load was on the motor by ear until it was too late. The newer/more expensive drum sanders have circuitry to do this automatically. I'm sure there are other better methods available but this one works for me and was affordable. As a bonus, I can plug other 120 volt tools into the ammeter setup and check amp draw under load for routers etc.

HTH

Curt

[Scott Vigder]

I bought a used Performax 16-32 last year for $400. It was in great condition and has served me well. Sounds like a fair price.

[Ed Bamba]

The sander is in its new home in my gara--err--shop. Hope it serves me as well as your machines have done for you. Next move is to replace the upper bag on my DC with a needle felt variety. My shop is getting crowded and needs some serious organizing and storage space.

Thanks again to all for your input.

Ed

[James Suzda]

I had the same thing. PITA, ain't it? My fix was to buy a direct-read ammeter. I mounted the ammeter in a 4" PVC electrical box, cut the lid to fit the ammeter and rigged a bypass. I bypass the ammeter on startup then flip a toggle switch to put the ammeter in the circuit. The reason I bypassed the ammeter for startup is I wasn't sure the ammeter would stand up to starting surges long-term. It seems to work fine and if I vary the feed speed to keep the amps at 13, the overload won't trip.

I could never tell how much of a load was on the motor by ear until it was too late. The newer/more expensive drum sanders have circuitry to do this automatically. I'm sure there are other better methods available but this one works for me and was affordable. As a bonus, I can plug other 120 volt tools into the ammeter setup and check amp draw under load for routers etc.

HTH

Curt
Thanks for the hint. I just may do the same thing.

[Mike Cutler]

Ed

Congrat's on the sander. It's a nice machine,and a fine addition to your shop

Now repeat after me. "It is a sander, not a planer". Do this about a dozen times prior to use, and you'll avoid having to learn about snipe, burning, and tripping the motor. Damhikt, some of us are slow learners:o

[Scott Rollins]

I followed Curts advise and added an ammeter off ebay...it works perfectly you know exactly how much load you have on it. I bought this
SIMPSON 1257-02609 model. look up simpson 1257 on ebay and check the model # with the catalog from simpson (http://www.simpsonelectric.com/uploads/File/PanelMeterCatalog_Jan07.pdf)
you will need an AC version with 0-25 amps readout (more would be ok). I got mine shipped for about $50. I installed it in a plastic box from the borg.
Word of warning. The drum sander runs a constant load of about 10 amps and the thermal trip will go at about 25amps. You need a dedicated 20 amp circuit. I use my garage door opener outlet.

PM if you have any questions

[Jesse Cloud]

Sounds like you got a good deal!
You can buy the tool online, just google performax accessories. Its less than $10 and is a godsend for those of us with big fingers.
It took me a couple of tries to get the knack of loading the paper just right. Don't get discouraged if it comes loose on you at the beginning.

If you get the bite too aggressively or run the belt too fast, it will burn and/or stall. Start lite and slow and build up with experience.

Consider a poly belt. I could not get the woodcraft belt to track well, but no problems with the poly belt, except it costs more.

Great tool. Enjoy!

[Ed Bamba]

Thanks for the advice.

Mike, I'll be sure to not use it is as a substitute for a planer. Just watching it in operation the first time suggest that it would be a very slow way of surfacing rough-cut boards.

Curt/Scott, I'll keep the ammeter advice in mind. Never thought to use the garage door opener outlet as another source of power. I'll have to check to see if it is on a dedicated line though.

Jesse, in case I decide to replace the belt with a poly-type, where would I find one at?

To all, thanks again for your replies and suggestions.

Ed