Performax Shoppro 25 / Luthier is it worth it?

[Guy Stevens]

Hey there all you wonderful Sawmill Creek folks, First time Poster, long time lurker....

Semi Locally there is a made in the usa (so older), Promax Shoppro 25 single drum sander. This is a closed unit, not an open end unit.

Asking 1200 for it, seller does not know much about it, as it was his fathers.

I build guitars, and would like to have a thickness sander for tops, backs and sides, to make life a bit easier....

What is the communities thoughts on this machine for that purpose and the pricing?

Thank you
Guy
:-)

[John C Bush]

Hi Guy!!
I've had the closed end ShopPro 25 for ~~ 10 yrs and it has been great for my hobby shop. I've used it for 3/4" wide by 1/8" thick strips for laminating fishing net hoops as well as 2" slabs for NE tables, etc. Lots of cabinet door panels as well. It would work well for thickness dimensioning and finish sanding guitar components. Mine has a 1.75 hp motor with the "SmartSand" system that controls belt feed speed by drum amp load. Make sure it has that option! The key is being patient! Not a lot of power to remove lots of wood but leaves a nice finish. I usually use 150 grit but have used 220 for finish sanding--I usually do finish sanding with a ROS for the finer grits. Frequent belt "erasing" with the big erasers prolongs belt life. Belt changing is easy and it's a good practice to check the belt tightness after a few passes on a fresh belt--they seem to stretch and loosen /overlap on the end of the drum. I buy the large rolls of paper-- more $$$ reasonable than precuts. Seems like a reasonable price if in good shape. Good luck--and post some pics of your guitars!! JCB

[Robert London]

What’s the HP on that unit? If it’s 25 plus years old, expect some issues but sometimes the older USA stuff is built really well.

I had a 16 / 32 performax that I used for many years on guitar projects. Had it over 20 years but it was underwhelming. 1 3/4 hp on 110v ain’t a lot of muscle and it would constantly shut off and got bogged down quickly on thicker blanks.

I finally upgraded to a Supermax 5hp dual drum.