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I have a supermax 25-50 that I was really excited to pick up a few years ago. However... as time has gone on I look at it more and more with a feeling of lost $$$ and space. What I thought would be a commonly used machine is rarely touched in my shop and I'm starting to mull over the idea of selling it. Anyone using theirs a ton and would never let it go? If so, what kind of work are you doing with it where it's getting mileage? Anyone else find themselves in the same situation as me?
Mine is used a lot. I do a lot of segmented turnings and could be as precise without it
I have a little Jet 16-32 and wouldn't be without it.
I'm conatantly milling odd size pieces, making rings for segmented work or sanding for a dimensionally precise fit.
I find I use it more than my planer since I can sand smaller stock and there is no grain direction limitations.
It all depends on your work and methods
Hmm, I think I might find the 25-50 a bit big. I have the 19-38 and really like it. For furniture I don't use it very often. I will occasionally use it to thickness end grain trim pieces, etc as the planer would likely destroy it, not to mention if I only need 1/-64-1/32 or so taken off, that's difficult to do on the planer/jointer. In those cases it is priceless. For CNC based products I use it a ton. Charcuterie boards, custom milled furniture pieces like feet/bases/pulls and pretty much anything else milled flat on the CNC with hardwoods. I don't think I could live without mine, but I have room for it and there isn't any other tool I need that requires the space.
The first time around, many years ago, I had a Performax 22-44. It sat and rarely got pulled out to use. I sold it to another 'Creeker who is still using it in a production environment, AFAIK. A few years ago, after I started learning how to make electric guitars, I got lucky and scored a SuperMax 19-38 that was all but unused and for what could have been considered a "financial song". I have used it a lot more than I expected and not just with surfacing thin stock, but also for flattening material that the guy I do some CNC work for drops off. He sands it from rough but it's not "flat" and of even thickness. I need to correct that in order to do the CNC engraving and pocketing his charcuterie boards and other projects need cut. It's also the tool that's used when "just a little more" has to come off since my thicknessing function has serrated steel rollers and they will mark the material visibly if enough isn't taken off.
My 16-32 sees a lot of use when doing segmented rings for segmented turnings, the main reason I bought it. It sees a multitude of other work also. As others have said, for that final couple thou to get a board just the right thickness and end grain board sanding.
I purchased a Performax 2 drum 36" sander some 20+ years ago. I used it almost daily for all that time in my cabinet and furniture shop. Making cabinet doors and frames, passage doors and furniture all from rough lumber the sander is used a lot. The finish may not be up to a double head wide belt sander but it is acceptable, you still have to finish sanding with a random orbit. I don't have the electrical service for that much horsepower.
I have a 24" double drum sander that I use a lot. I make a lot of shop sawn veneer, so the drum sander is a must for sanding it smooth and to the exact thickness desired. I use mine for CNC project flattening, too. And I use it when dealing with nasty grain that tears out on my straight knife planer. But that's me. If you're not using yours much you probably don't need it.
John
I make segmented turnings for banjo rims, and also use mine for flattening and thinning other instrument parts like guitar soundboards, backs and sides, fretboard blanks, headstock overlays, etc. Mine's a SuperMax 19-38 and if it died I would buy another one, or pay whatever it cost to get the parts to fix it. I bought mine new 5 years ago and it has been a huge benefit ever since. I don't use it for hours every day, but it gets used often for short periods of time. I even use it to sand down 1/4" brass dots on banjo fretboards. I drill the holes with a Forstner bit, CA glue the short pieces of brass rod in the holes, and then run the fretboards back through the sander to bring the brass down flush with the wood. For general use I can imagine that it would be too slow, but for instruments I need precision more than speed, since the volume of wood I work with is low compared to the sale value of the product.
I bought a 16-32 Supermax about 2 years ago. Admittedly I don't use it a lot but, when I do use it, I'm always glad I have it because it's just the right tool for that occasional job. I have used it to sand a segmented ring flat, sand a cutting board flat, sand the joints on glued up boards flat, and other similar jobs. What I like most about it is that if you have a something that you need to take a small amount off of until flat or need to even out some glued up boards, or remove some tearout from a planer, it's just the right tool. It may take a little longer but I feel the results are absolutely worth having it.
Delta 18-36 drum sander, not used for a while. Looking back, probably not the best use of my resources one man/grandson hobby shop.
Chris
I have a 12" shopfox that gets little use. It's a big 12" sander so it takes up some valuable space in my wee shop.
Where it shines is the final thicknessing of ukulele/guitar wood, nothing else will do the job so well. As long as I'm still plunking away at building instruments I'm keeping it.
It is kind of like my edge sander. Takes up alot of space, do not use it on every project, but when I need it, I am glad it is in my shop.
In the past I have owned a Performax 25" double drum and a Performax 16-32. I now have a Woodmaster 18" drum sander. The Woodmaster is great, but I regret selling the 16-32, which is what you need for short pieces of wood.
I had the 16/32 Grizzly one for a bit. Two things made me get rid of it: it was underpowered, and changing the paper on the drum was way too much of a chore.