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Thread: Drum sander: Supermax or Woodmaster

  1. #16
    Quote Originally Posted by glenn bradley View Post
    I think the challenge will be finding folks who have used both. We all tend to be a bit unconsciously biased in the praise or derision of the gear we have depending on how its doing for us. These very useful machines have a big footprint so you really need to think about what you will use it for mostly. I went with the home-shop-ish Supermax 19-38 after a lot of soul searching and it has worked out great. I was leaning heavily toward wider and double-drummed but, realized I would be sizing the machine for the exception as opposed to the rule.
    I agree with what you've written here. I thought I was on the double drum train too until I started looking more closely at the woodmaster 38" - even though it is a big machine and a single drum, one thing they advertise is the ability to mount two different grits at the same time on it, essentially replicating quite a bit of the double drum functionality.

    With the current pricing due to the deals, the 38" is only $660 more than the 26". If I have the space (I believe I do) it seems like it'd be a shame to miss that extra occasional width, as well as the ability to mount two grits at once.

    In the end, I guess there is probably no bad choice here.

    I always end up overstressing about the decision as money is not unlimited, and I love research.

  2. #17
    I used to have a drum sander, a performax 16-32. I replaced it with a grizzly widebelt and could not be happier with the purchase, SO much better than a drum sander! This is the best built machine in my shop as well. I would never go to a drum sander after using this.

  3. #18
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    West Branch, Mi
    Posts
    46
    I have the Woodmaster 2675 now for about a year, have changed the sand paper many times going from grit to grit and I have not had any problems in doing so. I have measured side to side measurements on 20" wide panels with a micrometer and it has been within a few thousands. Have not noticed mushiness with the velcro but I have never even thought about it until reading this thread. The table adjustments have worked flawlessly, large 5 horse motor to drive the sanding head and a smaller one for powering the conveyor belt. This is the only sander I have used and it has performed perfectly. The main
    reason I purchased it is because I had 2000 feet of 1 X 4 red oak flooring to sand starting with 80 grit taking it thru 150 grit, turned out excellent.
    Last edited by Phil Watson; 03-04-2018 at 1:02 PM.

  4. #19
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    Madison, Wisconsin
    Posts
    489
    well said. I made the decision to sell the 25x2 for two reasons....I didn't use it enough (expectation rather than rule) and it had a big footprint (probably as big as a smaller widebelt)

  5. #20
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Tucson, Arizona
    Posts
    161
    I used to think that having a hard surface for the sandpaper and the sanding table was the best way to go. I now realize that I was wrong. It creates a problem where if the cut thickness is too thick the piece will experience very high pressure which increases heat and burning. With the Woodmaster if I accidentally set it to take a little too much there is a very slight give in the belt and the velcro which compensates for my mistake. Since the pressure is still uniform there are no problems with the sanded surface. With my Performax this would have resulted in more passes through the sander. Of course if you are really off there will be problems with both.

    Glenn is correct that it will be difficult to find people who have used both the Supermax and the Woodmaster. I consider the Supermax to be a Performax on steroids. Bigger motors and stronger construction but IMHO still has some of the same problems such as an abrasive conveyor that I desperately wanted to get away from.

    If possible I would strongly suggest trying them. I believe Woodmaster has some customers that are willing to demo their machines. Supermax may have the same service.

    Please let us know which you went with.
    Last edited by Roger Bull; 03-07-2018 at 12:29 PM.

  6. #21
    Quote Originally Posted by Roger Bull View Post
    I used to think that having a hard surface for the sandpaper and the sanding table was the best way to go. I now realize that I was wrong. It creates a problem where if the cut thickness is too thick the piece will experience very high pressure which increases heat and burning. With the Woodmaster if I accidentally set it to take a little too much there is a very slight give in the belt and the velcro which compensates for my mistake. Since the pressure is still uniform there are no problems with the sanded surface. With my Performax this would have resulted in more passes through the sander. Of course if you are really off there will be problems with both.

    Glenn is correct that it will be difficult to find people who have used both the Supermax and the Woodmaster. I consider the Supermax to be a Performax on steroids. Bigger motors and stronger construction but IMHO still has some of the same problems such as an abrasive conveyor that I desperately wanted to get away from.

    If possible I would strongly suggest trying them. I believe Woodmaster has some customers that are willing to demo their machines. Supermax may have the same service.

    Please let us know which you went with.
    I think I'm going with the 38" Woodmaster single drum. It sounds like that's wide enough to run two grits side by side, yet be able to handle wider panels with a single grit if needed. We will see.

    Thank you all for the help.

  7. #22
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    Upland CA
    Posts
    5,547
    A bit late to the party, but I formerly had a Delta 18" open end. Sold it to the SIL because it was a bit lightweight.

    Decided to get a Woodmaster 38" single drum, as I thought I would use the width to run the faces for my big new kitchen project after assembly.

    I did not like the cross grain sanding scratches on the stiles doing it that way, so I went back to sanding the individual pieces prior to assembly. This led me to a couple years of wishing I had gotten the 26" unit.

    It finally was suggested that I install two different grits on the drum, so I did. My sander currently has half 80 grit, and half 150, which effectively gives me 17 usable inches of each. You need to allow for an additional winding of packing tape between the grits. I simply put a line of 2" blue tape above the input area to delineate the 'no go' zone. It's like having two sanders.

    This has worked out well, and by running all work pieces through the same sanding regimen, face frames are assembled needing only finish sanding with a ROS. I have done this for a couple years now, and almost everything I do is oak.

    I have had the machine for over ten years with no problems, built simple and sturdy.

    It came with a Shop Fox mobile base, which is WAAY too light, as in...won't even roll. Can't recommend that.

    PS: You really need a good DC for this.
    Last edited by Rick Potter; 03-07-2018 at 6:53 PM.
    Rick Potter

    DIY journeyman,
    FWW wannabe.
    AKA Village Idiot.

  8. #23
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    In the foothills of the Sandia Mountains
    Posts
    16,619
    Rick, I also have the Shop Fox MB under my 2675. The OEM wheels would flat spot making it next to impossible to move. I replaced the original wheels with quality red polyurethane wheels. I can now move the sander around pretty easily. (it’s still heavy..)
    Please help support the Creek.


    "It's paradoxical that the idea of living a long life appeals to everyone, but the idea of getting old doesn't appeal to anyone."
    Andy Rooney



  9. #24
    Quote Originally Posted by Rick Potter View Post
    A bit late to the party, but I formerly had a Delta 18" open end. Sold it to the SIL because it was a bit lightweight.

    Decided to get a Woodmaster 38" single drum, as I thought I would use the width to run the faces for my big new kitchen project after assembly.

    I did not like the cross grain sanding scratches on the stiles doing it that way, so I went back to sanding the individual pieces prior to assembly. This led me to a couple years of wishing I had gotten the 26" unit.

    It finally was suggested that I install two different grits on the drum, so I did. My sander currently has half 80 grit, and half 150, which effectively gives me 17 usable inches of each. You need to allow for an additional winding of packing tape between the grits. I simply put a line of 2" blue tape above the input area to delineate the 'no go' zone. It's like having two sanders.

    This has worked out well, and by running all work pieces through the same sanding regimen, face frames are assembled needing only finish sanding with a ROS. I have done this for a couple years now, and almost everything I do is oak.

    I have had the machine for over ten years with no problems, built simple and sturdy.

    It came with a Shop Fox mobile base, which is WAAY too light, as in...won't even roll. Can't recommend that.

    PS: You really need a good DC for this.
    Thanks Rick, that is my plan (two grits) for the majority of time, and a single grit when faced with something wider than 17". They sell a caster set now instead of a mobile base, so we will see how that performs. Is there a trick to cutting the strips so that you can run two grits effectively?

    I have a 5HP Oneida Dust Gorilla Pro - I hope that is good enough?

    Anything else I should know about the 38 woodmaster? Really appreciate your first hand experience.

  10. #25
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    West Branch, Mi
    Posts
    46
    I have the caster set from Woodmaster on my 2675, rolls beautifully.

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