Best value for a small footprint wide belt sander?

[derek labian]

I've been looking at purchasing a wide-belt or drum sander for some time. I have the common dilemma; wide-belts are too big, and drum sanders kinda suck. There are a couple of wide-belt that could fit the bill, the Powermatic 1632 16", Baileigh 16" (also JPW), the Grizzly 15". The Powermatic 16" 3PH unit seems like a pretty good deal for a unit with a small footprint, $6999 seems like a pretty good deal. It doesn't have a powered table though, which is a bummer.

Looking for any opinions on small wide belts, and/or better values I may be missing; perhaps an off brand version thats cheaper, but from the same fab.

Oddly, I couldn't find any Powermatic width/length specifications for this unit, but it looks small enough.

[Jim Becker]

The question that comes to mind is whether or not the width is going to meet your needs or if they are open sided like many drum sanders are, how good is the registration when flipping a wider workpiece around to run it through.

[derek labian]

The question that comes to mind is whether or not the width is going to meet your needs or if they are open sided like many drum sanders are, how good is the registration when flipping a wider workpiece around to run it through.

32" seems sufficient. According to the threads on SMC about deflection the 1632 style (from any manufacturer) has no deflection. A 25" wide belt is about 3x the cost.

[Paul J Kelly]

Derek,

There are a few guys on the Felder Owners Group that own a North State DW-16P. Seems like a Powermatic clone but they swear by it.

https://leneavesupply.com/northstate-dw-16p.html

Says it is in stock too! They say $6,799. I cannot find a powermatic for less than $9k, but I didnt look that hard.

PK
PKwoodworking

[Ron Selzer]

Got a used one in 2017, like it a lot. mine is a 15" takes 16x54 belts, can change belts fast to step up thru the grits. Have had a couple of drum sanders, no way no how would I go back to a drum sander again

[John Ziebron]

After numerous frustrations with two different drum sanders over the last 20 years I bought a Woodmaster drum sander a little over a year ago. It was a night and day difference and I have had no issues with mine. I believe they are the best drum sanders on the market. They don't make and open design and are solid machines. They are priced between regular drum sanders and a small belt sander. If you are thinking about a belt sander I think these machines are worth looking into.

[derek labian]

Derek,

There are a few guys on the Felder Owners Group that own a North State DW-16P. Seems like a Powermatic clone but they swear by it.

https://leneavesupply.com/northstate-dw-16p.html

Says it is in stock too! They say $6,799. I cannot find a powermatic for less than $9k, but I didnt look that hard.

PK
PKwoodworking

Same price, so not much in the way of savings there. The powermatic 3PH is sub 7k.

[Jim Becker]

32" seems sufficient. According to the threads on SMC about deflection the 1632 style (from any manufacturer) has no deflection. A 25" wide belt is about 3x the cost.

Sounds good...I only mentioned it because, well...what you want/need to do is the bottom line in the "size matters" tool decision.

[Bobby Robbinett]

I recently got some hands on time with the open ended Grizzly wide belt. Helped a busy set it up and get it calibrated. When we got done it was dead on. We ran some rough glue ups both ways through it and the results were amazing. We also tried some freshly built raw wood cabinet doors and I was blown away. I would imagine the Powermatic and Baileigh to be even better.

I personally use a Cantec that is worlds ahead of the Grizzly I had prior. My Cantec has powered up and down and is significantly better machine than a Grizzly or Powermatic. They are also comparable in price.

With drum sanders you don’t want an open ended model. But wide belts are much better made and heavier duty and more accurate

[David Kumm]

If you can fit a 24" machine, look for a used SCMI Sandya Win. they go for about 4K-5K on the used market and a good machine. You want a drum and a removeable platen. Also check the tracking system and air requirement needed. An electric eye coupled with pneumatic tracking uses less air than strictly pnuematic. Since a WB generally runs a 10 hp motor, you don't want to need a large compressor running at the same time unless you have lots of amps to spare. Dave

[derek labian]

If you can fit a 24" machine, look for a used SCMI Sandya Win. they go for about 4K-5K on the used market and a good machine. You want a drum and a removeable platen. Also check the tracking system and air requirement needed. An electric eye coupled with pneumatic tracking uses less air than strictly pnuematic. Since a WB generally runs a 10 hp motor, you don't want to need a large compressor running at the same time unless you have lots of amps to spare. Dave

I don't think I have the tolerance for anything used. It turns into a project of its own, and I don't have much time as it is. I did look at the 24" units, but they just seem a bit larger and far more expensive. I'm not sure I would get the value.

[Mark Bolton]

I don't think I have the tolerance for anything used. It turns into a project of its own, and I don't have much time as it is.

Dont be so sure that buying new wont be a project of its own as well. Many of us have had long slog's with brand new equipment. Often times snagging something that has been fully de-bugged and is running flawlessly but is just being replaced due to upgrade or increased capacity is a win win. I have a Holz-her 1435se Genesis edge bander that was swapped out for a new 150K machine blinged out and the seller told me he wished he'd never sold it becuase they knew the machine inside and out and had worked all the kinks out. The new machine didnt make parts for months after hitting the floor. Same pertains to smaller machines.

Dont cut your nose off to spite your face. We all went through the stages of thinking new was the only way to go. Its often a huge mistake in money and time to have nothing more than a shiny new coat of paint sitting on the floor. You find a machine that is running without a hitch and being swapped out for upgrade for 1/3 the money and you'd be crazy not to snatch it up.

[derek labian]

Dont be so sure that buying new wont be a project of its own as well. Many of us have had long slog's with brand new equipment. Often times snagging something that has been fully de-bugged and is running flawlessly but is just being replaced due to upgrade or increased capacity is a win win. I have a Holz-her 1435se Genesis edge bander that was swapped out for a new 150K machine blinged out and the seller told me he wished he'd never sold it becuase they knew the machine inside and out and had worked all the kinks out. The new machine didnt make parts for months after hitting the floor. Same pertains to smaller machines.

Dont cut your nose off to spite your face. We all went through the stages of thinking new was the only way to go. Its often a huge mistake in money and time to have nothing more than a shiny new coat of paint sitting on the floor. You find a machine that is running without a hitch and being swapped out for upgrade for 1/3 the money and you'd be crazy not to snatch it up.

A used piece of equipment may be the devil the seller knows, but its going to be largely an unknown to the buyer. New also comes in a crate, support etc. as i do t have a sander at all, and wide belts seem relatively complex, id rather start with something new, than find out i made a mistake and saved a hit of money.

[Patrick Kane]

Dont be so sure that buying new wont be a project of its own as well. Many of us have had long slog's with brand new equipment. Often times snagging something that has been fully de-bugged and is running flawlessly but is just being replaced due to upgrade or increased capacity is a win win. I have a Holz-her 1435se Genesis edge bander that was swapped out for a new 150K machine blinged out and the seller told me he wished he'd never sold it becuase they knew the machine inside and out and had worked all the kinks out. The new machine didnt make parts for months after hitting the floor. Same pertains to smaller machines.

Dont cut your nose off to spite your face. We all went through the stages of thinking new was the only way to go. Its often a huge mistake in money and time to have nothing more than a shiny new coat of paint sitting on the floor. You find a machine that is running without a hitch and being swapped out for upgrade for 1/3 the money and you'd be crazy not to snatch it up.

Sshhhhh, the man wants new. Just like the guy buying brand new Martin equipment, we need those people to buy new so i can buy their used stuff 15 years from now at a steep discount : )

Derek, i had one of the bigger/better drum sanders you can buy, the Supermax 37x2. It sucked. Dont be fooled into thinking an expensive and big drum sander will satisfy you. It comes down to the limited surface area of the drum and the paper. At a certain point the heat and dust have nowhere to go. You load the abrasive, heat builds up, and your feedrate is extremely limited.

[derek labian]

Sshhhhh, the man wants new. Just like the guy buying brand new Martin equipment, we need those people to buy new so i can buy their used stuff 15 years from now at a steep discount : )

Hah, no need to wait 15 years, I'll probably change next year

Derek, i had one of the bigger/better drum sanders you can buy, the Supermax 37x2. It sucked. Dont be fooled into thinking an expensive and big drum sander will satisfy you. It comes down to the limited surface area of the drum and the paper. At a certain point the heat and dust have nowhere to go. You load the abrasive, heat builds up, and your feedrate is extremely limited.

Agree. I've looked at the Supermax a few times at Rockler (16/32). I researched the topic a few times on SMC, the answer is always the same, go wide belt if at all possible.