Performax 16/32 drum sander??

[John Terefenko]

I have a performax 16/32 drum sander I bought back 20 years ago. Works great but today I ran into a problem and hoping someone can help or point me in the right direction.

Now I am not sure of all the terminology but the plate that holds the motor and rides up and down and is adjusted with the gib screws for ease of sliding up and down, the bolt hole that secures the handle when you turn it to adjust height has stripped out. It looks like the handle bolt needs to be replaced also. I probably should have greased this more often but it would operate fairly easily.

My question is has anyone run into this?? If so what did you do?? Can that plate and handle rod be replaced?? If so where can I get parts?? If not is there a way to retap that hole and replace the rod?? I do not believe Performax is around any more. This sander is a big part of my shop so it is needed and a new one is over $1000. Thanks for the replys.

If someone has a phone number or site I can visit I would be greatful. I believe Jet took over Performax but not sure.

The plate in question is shown in Fig5.

http://vintagemachinery.org/pubs/631/2890.pdf

[Richard Coers]

You may be able to get a Helicoil kit and repair the stripped threads in the casting. Depends what the thread pitch is on the elevating rod.

[John Terefenko]

You may be able to get a Helicoil kit and repair the stripped threads in the casting. Depends what the thread pitch is on the elevating rod.

Someone else mentioned that. I never used one and not sure what to do. Is there a video or an explanation how to do this?? I guess I would need to know what size and thread the elevating rod is. Not sure where I can find that out. Guess you can say I am a fish out of water here with this.

[Lisa Starr]

I'm not sure what your Drum Sander looks like, but if it is similar to the SuperMax, I'd try contacting them. I believe they're yet another incarnation of the old Performax.

You should be able to figure out the pitch of the adjusting rod. Do you know how far 1 turn of the handle moved the distance. For example, if 1 turn moved it a 1/16", the thread pitch is 16. Once you know the diameter of the threaded rod, you'll have the size. i.e. If it 3/4" dia and moves 1/16"/turn, the thread is 3/4"-16. Of course, this is only true if there are no gears involved, as they would introduce a reduction ratio into the mix.

[Pete Staehling]

I had the same problem with a Jet 10-20. They covered it under warranty and it later failed again in the same way. The part was a couple hundred bucks (needed to replace the whole arm) and I figured it would fail again. The thread is a weird thread and I had no luck finding a heli coil. I wound up making a brass insert that I held in place with a set screw. It turned out that the metric thread was almost exactly the same pitch as a pipe thread tap and if I ran the pipe tap deep enough from both sides to get rid of the taper it actually worked smoothly.

I ultimately upgraded to a new 16-32 that uses a different setup and is nicer in a number of way. My intention was to set the 10-20 up with a fine grit, but I have not yet been willing to give up the shop space so it has been sitting under a bench.

[Ernie Miller]

I had the same problem with a Jet 10-20. They covered it under warranty and it later failed again in the same way. The part was a couple hundred bucks (needed to replace the whole arm) and I figured it would fail again. The thread is a weird thread and I had no luck finding a heli coil. I wound up making a brass insert that I held in place with a set screw. It turned out that the metric thread was almost exactly the same pitch as a pipe thread tap and if I ran the pipe tap deep enough from both sides to get rid of the taper it actually worked smoothly.

I ultimately upgraded to a new 16-32 that uses a different setup and is nicer in a number of way. My intention was to set the 10-20 up with a fine grit, but I have not yet been willing to give up the shop space so it has been sitting under a bench.

I had the same problem with a Jet 10/20. As Pete said, Jet replaced the parts under warranty. I haven't had any problems with the new parts in the three years since I installed them, but I still wonder if the new parts will fail as the old ones did.

[John Terefenko]

Not sure what the 10/20 looks like but probably the same design as the 16/32. If they have so much problem with the same part I would think they would correct this and make from steel or something. Not sure who took over the Performax line because I see jet has ones that look like Performax as well as Laguana has them. I will call jet Monday. Hate to have to take that motor off and all but if need be. Thanks everyone.

[Pete Staehling]

If they have so much problem with the same part I would think they would correct this and make from steel or something.

The new Jet models are completely different and I am pretty sure that particular problem has been eliminated. FWIW, I really like my new 16-32.

The Jet tech said they tried (and failed) to find heli coils the proper thread when I asked about them. They could make a different threaded shaft that there was a heli coil available for. Personally I think they or someone should have done that. Alternately someone could make proper threaded steel bushings like my makeshift brass one. If a tap is available in the right thread someone could mig or tig weld the holes full of metal and re-drill and tap them. They could probably make a few bucks, given that the replacement arms are pretty expensive.

[Pete Staehling]

One other thing for those who own those models that are prone to this issue... Keep that shaft lubricated and maybe you can avoid or at least delay the problem.

[Richard Coers]

Someone else mentioned that. I never used one and not sure what to do. Is there a video or an explanation how to do this?? I guess I would need to know what size and thread the elevating rod is. Not sure where I can find that out. Guess you can say I am a fish out of water here with this.

Can you disassemble the machine? If you can, just take the part to any machine shop, or even a motorcycle shop could put in a Helicoil. It's standard operating procedure for a lot of engine repairs. For the thread, measure the diameter of the rod, then place an accurate scale on the rod and count the threads per inch. But you can just take both parts to a machine shop and simply ask them to fix it.

[John Terefenko]

One other thing for those who own those models that are prone to this issue... Keep that shaft lubricated and maybe you can avoid or at least delay the problem.

I believe this is sound advice and probably something I should have looked into more because I did notice the up and down was getting sketchy before it went all together.

I also agree there should have been a fix before these break if this is a recurring thing. Did have this for over 20 years so no regrets and it owes me nothing. It has been a workhorse in my shop and hope to continue. The speed control on the platform stopped working and I just bypassed it and had no problems.

[Richard Coers]

I believe this is sound advice and probably something I should have looked into more because I did notice the up and down was getting sketchy before it went all together.

I also agree there should have been a fix before these break if this is a recurring thing. Did have this for over 20 years so no regrets and it owes me nothing. It has been a workhorse in my shop and hope to continue. The speed control on the platform stopped working and I just bypassed it and had no problems.

It's only a recurring thing if all the owners don't do any maintenance on the machine. If you use some dry graphite on the thread, it's a non issue.

[Pete Staehling]

It's only a recurring thing if all the owners don't do any maintenance on the machine. If you use some dry graphite on the thread, it's a non issue.

Maintenance is key and goes a long way to minimize issues, but I think there is a design flaw there. At least there is a problem on the older 10-20s. I had two failures where the threads dropped out, not wore out, dropped out. Threads of a steel shaft in an aluminum casting shouldn't just drop out. They were never completely lacking in lube and never saw loads beyond what would be expected for the machine. There just isn't very much thread there and it is in an aluminum casting. The part where the threads pass through has very little thickness (or width for that matter). There really is not much meat there in that thin narrow part of the casting. There is no reason it had to be made that way. It sees constant loads and constant wear on what amounts to very few threads in an aluminum casting.

The entirety of the maintenance instructions in the manual consist of the following "Lubricate all moving parts, such as threadedrods, washers and bushings." No mention of what to lube with, frequency of maintenance, etc. I used grease and the tech I spoke to at Jet said that was okay when I asked. Maybe dry graphite would be better, but the manual doesn't suggest it and the tech didn't either when I asked.

[John Terefenko]

Called Jet today. They are the ones who took over the drum sander line from Performax. I told him of my problem and he said they at one time started making those plates with a steel insert but stopped. He has the aluminum ones and wanted $98. I said if I am going to have to buy the old style I can get it cheaper which I did for $85. Decided to buy the pin also. That was another $10. So I will be changing this and hope I get 20 years like the other one and I will be dead by then. Hope all goes well from here

[Pete Staehling]

Called Jet today. They are the ones who took over the drum sander line from Performax. I told him of my problem and he said they at one time started making those plates with a steel insert but stopped. He has the aluminum ones and wanted $98. I said if I am going to have to buy the old style I can get it cheaper which I did for $85. Decided to buy the pin also. That was another $10. So I will be changing this and hope I get 20 years like the other one and I will be dead by then. Hope all goes well from here

Sounds great. I wouldn't hesitate to fix it for that price. On the older 10-20 the threads that failed on mine are in the casting for the whole arm which was well over $200 last time I checked and I think the threaded shaft was over $30. So close to $300 to replace with new parts.

Note:
I just checked and it looks like the arm for the 10-20 Plus is discontinued according to eReplacementParts.com, so on 10-20s with the same problem I had something like my improvised repair may be the only way to go. That is unless you get someone to weld in new material and re-drill and tap it, and I think it is kind of an odd ball thread so finding a proper tap may not be easy or at least not cheap.