Second drum sander

[Pete Staehling]

As a luthier (travel sized dulcimers) I work mostly with small pieces so the Jet 1020 seemed like it would be plenty big enough, so I started out with one. I immediately wondered how I ever got along without one. It became one of my most used tools and was a real work saver. I did have a few complaints and a problem.

Complaints with the 1020:

• The abrasives are a bit of a pain to change
• It is hard to get precise thicknesses of the finished work pieces when you need them accurate to within a few thousandths
• The motor tends to overheat and kick out the overload protection even with a light pass if the piece is very wide at all (1/8 turn may be too much with an 8" wide piece of moderately hard domestic species)
• It is very fussy to get the feed speed just right, too slow and you get burning, too fast and you over work it, not a lot of room for error
• The thickness adjustment was dependent on aluminum threads in a thin section of the arm. They stripped out early in the life of the machine. Jet sent me a new arm. It failed quickly. They sent me another new arm and a new shaft (the tech said they should have done that the first time). I eventually made a threaded bushing to install in the arm when the third arm failed after a couple years of daily use.
• The dust control could be better. I made some baffles out of corroplast to get a little better airflow. To be fair I had a pretty anemic DC unit that has been since replaced, it probably would not be an issue now.

Don't get me wrong, I know that sounds like I was really pushing the machine too hard, but I don't think I was. I really had to go super easy with it. I liked the 1020 and it has been one of my most liked and most used tools.

I have since bought a Jet 1632. On hind sight I wish I had bought the 1632 in the first place. It is way bigger than I need, but it works so much better. They really should make a 1020 that is as nice as the 1632. The 1632 addresses every one of my complaints with the 1020 and is an absolute joy to use. At least that is my impression after a couple weeks of use. It is really easy to set the thickness exactly where I want it. The Sand Smart works well, but for some reason it seems way less fussy about getting speed and cut right even without the Sand Smart kicking in. I think maybe that is partially because the motor doesn't bog down and partly because the DC has better air flow.

Using the two side by side shows up the 1020s shortcomings a lot more and makes the 1632 really shine. It just seems to work well as long as you pay a little attention to what you are doing, where the 1020 seems to require that you get everything exactly right and even then it may clog/burn the abrasive or bog down.

I am thinking about how I might use the 1020 as a second machine for some specific task. Maybe either have it set up with really fine or really coarse grit? Probably not coarse given it's poor performance when pushed even slightly hard. Has anyone set up a second one for some specific task? Thoughts on what to do with it other than sell it? I depend on having a drum sander enough that I like the idea of having a spare.

[Mike Henderson]

I'm glad you posted. I have a 25/50 and had considered getting a 10/20 to do smaller work.

From what you've said, I'd get rid of that 10/20 and just use the 16/32. If you feel you need a spare and the 10/20 doesn't take too much room, park it in the corner for emergency use.

Mike

[Nick Decker]

Pete, I'm a little surprised by your post. The Jet 1020 was my first drum sander, used it for a couple of years before selling it and buying the Supermax 1632. I didn't see any of the problems you listed with the 1020 and, like you, it was one of my most used tools. It never saw softwoods, only hardwoods. Only problem with loading paper was that my hands were a little larger than the spaces they had to fit into.

The dust collector I had then was a little Rikon 1hp unit, but I never had a problem with it keeping up. I would have kept the 1020, but wanted a little more size, so moved up to the 1632.

I'm wondering when yours was purchased? I seem to recall that there were some design changes over the years, and maybe I had a later version.

[Bernie Kopfer]

I too owned a 1020 before I upgraded to a Supermax. Same problems you had. POT compared to the bigger machines, particularly in how underpowered it was. I would keep it and put on a 180 or higher grit and use if for final sanding if I did your type of work.

[Pete Staehling]

Pete, I'm a little surprised by your post. The Jet 1020 was my first drum sander, used it for a couple of years before selling it and buying the Supermax 1632. I didn't see any of the problems you listed with the 1020 and, like you, it was one of my most used tools. It never saw softwoods, only hardwoods. Only problem with loading paper was that my hands were a little larger than the spaces they had to fit into.

The dust collector I had then was a little Rikon 1hp unit, but I never had a problem with it keeping up. I would have kept the 1020, but wanted a little more size, so moved up to the 1632.

I'm wondering when yours was purchased? I seem to recall that there were some design changes over the years, and maybe I had a later version.

My 1020 was purchased in March of 2015. The original DC that really didn't keep up was pretty poor, a Harbor Freight 13 gallon supposedly 1 HP.

I too owned a 1020 before I upgraded to a Supermax. Same problems you had. POT compared to the bigger machines, particularly in how underpowered it was. I would keep it and put on a 180 or higher grit and use if for final sanding if I did your type of work.

Yeah, that is what I am thinking, put some 180 or 220 grit on it and use it for a quick fine pass.

[Pete Staehling]

I'm glad you posted. I have a 25/50 and had considered getting a 10/20 to do smaller work.

I'd do a little checking before getting a 1020. They may have improved it in the last 4 years or mine may have been a lemon, but otherwise I would recommend the 1632 for anyone who wants a small Jet. It is enough nicer to be worth it even if you don't need the size if mine is any indication.

[Mike Henderson]

I'd do a little checking before getting a 1020. They may have improved it in the last 4 years or mine may have been a lemon, but otherwise I would recommend the 1632 for anyone who wants a small Jet. It is enough nicer to be worth it even if you don't need the size if mine is any indication.

I had a 16/32 and upgraded to a 25/50. I was encountering too many times when 16" just wasn't enough. And running the panel through twice to get 32" has problems. I never could get mine set up where I couldn't see the border of the two passes. The 25" seems to give me enough width for the work I do.

I just don't have enough room for the 25/50 and a 16/32.

Mike