Delta 31-250

[Nike Nihiser]

There's a Delta 31-250 for sale locally for $600 (owner indicates he'll negotiate some). Anyway, is this a good price, anybody own one, advice? Thanks

[Richard Verwoest]

Run away and don't look back.....If you are on Northern California, you can have mine.

Richard

[Cary Falk]

I wouldn't buy it for 1/2 of that. Too many reports of issues including plastic table gears that strip.

[Jim Becker]

For folks who don't know what this is from a product number, I Googled it...it's a drum sander.

[Steve Eure]

Those drum sanders have been discontinued for some time now. The thread above about plastic (nylon) gears is correct. Everyone I know who bought one wishes they hadn't. Some have retrofitted brass gears in the place of the nylon gears with some success. For $600 it would have to be pristine with 100 bf of a good desirable hardwood to boot. I would definitely pass on that one. Maybe for $100-$150.

[Nick Decker]

Thank you, Jim.

[Nike Nihiser]

Thanks Jim, I meant to put it was a drum sander. Getting old is h-ll. Thanks everybody else for the input, think I'll pass.

[John TenEyck]

I paid $500 for a used one about 12 years ago, used it for 10 years, and sold it for $400. I never had a lick of trouble with it. It does have plastic gears but there's just no way they will strip as long as you don't try moving the table when it's under load. Could the design have been more robust? Sure, but if it is used as intended it works just fine.

I would have no qualms about offering him $300 - $400 if it's in good shape. It's easy to tell if the gears are bad. Just crank it up and down a few times.

John

[Bruce Page]

I had one of the early ones that I bought ~ 1999. It had metal gears for raising & lowering the table. I never had any problems with it other than exploding sand paper if pushed too hard, and the conveyor tracking was temperamental. I upgraded to a Woodmaster DS.

The Delta bean counters ruined it when they switched to nylon gears. $600 is way too high. I paid $699 for it new..

[Steve Demuth]

I wouldn't give $300 for a brand new one. If you were in Iowa rather than Ohio, though, I'd sell you mine for a couple of beers and a good story or two. Worst machine purchase I've ever made.