Replies

1. 
   johnhardy | Mar 27, 2003 01:41am | #1

   I haven't used the Delta. The Performax 16-32 is a great machine ... but for the hobbiest. It's underpowered if you're needindg to sand wide pieces. To do that, you've got to really take it slow and easy. But if you have the time and the patience, the result is great.

   I'm considering upgrading to a beefier sander and selling my Performax 16-32. Are you interested?

   John

1. 
   Jeff | Mar 27, 2003 02:22am | #2

   John

   If he's not, I am.

   Where are you and how much.

   Jeff

1. 
   johnhardy | Mar 27, 2003 02:53am | #3

   I'm in Los Angeles. It's got the legs, the wheels, and the extension tables. Plus boxes of sandpaper (probably retail about $200) in various grits. Make me an offer. My guess is that it's worth in the neighborhood of $650 to $700 on eBay.

   John

1. 
   Jeff | Mar 27, 2003 08:37pm | #6

   John

   If you want to discuss this further, email me your phone number at:

   [email protected]

   Jeff

2. 
   JackWoody | Mar 27, 2003 06:32am | #4

   I have the Delta drum sander. The only reason is because I got it only slightly used for less than $200. If I were to plunk down real money for a drum sander on the level your referring too I would go with the performax. Think about it, Both are light duty and require the feed rate to be slow. Imagine your self in your shop running a 5 or 6 quarter thick board of expensive wood longer than 3 or 4 feet long through the sander. You want to use every inch of it and need to support the ends as it goes through the sander to eliminate snipe. Believe me, it gets old standing there watching the board trudge through the machine. Especially if you are doing more than one board. Now imagine having  infeed and out feed supports that enable you to do something else while the boards go through.  BUT!! With the Delta you need to adjust the in & out supports every time you adjust the thickness on the machine. With the performax it is unnecessary because the bed stays put and the drum moves up and down to control thickness.

   That is the reason I have the Delta 15" planer rather than the Jet or Powermatic.

   I have used both drum sanders an find the Performax drum assembly flexes LESS than the Delta.

   Hope this helps,

   Jack.

3. 
   DJK | Mar 27, 2003 04:06pm | #5

   Save yourself a headache and buy Woodmaster. I had two Performax machines, both are toys. A friend has a 16-32 and drives cross town to use my Woodmaster.

   Dave Koury

1. 
   johnhardy | Mar 27, 2003 11:51pm | #7

   Dave,

   Which Woodmaster do you have? Could you go into more detail about the machine ... likes, dislikes, etc.? I've decided to move up from my Performax 16-32 and am trying to figure out if a beefier drum sander (ala Grizzly, Woodmaster) will meet my needs, or if I should go with a wide belt sander (Shop Fox 15-30 or higher end ...).

   The Grizzly drum sanders are 24 inch. If your Woodmaster is that size, do you find it limiting? The positive side of my 16-32 is that I can sand wide panels ... and given that I make high end chess boards which are wider than 24 inches that's a plus. The Grizzly wouldn't work for some of my work.

   Thanks in advance.

   John

1. 
   DJK | Mar 28, 2003 12:49am | #8

   I've had the 26" woodmaster for 6 years. It's been flawless. Had a Performax 16-32 and the 25" dual drum. Purchased them from an estate sale. Both are poor underpowered hobby tools compaired to Woodmaster. I ordered the Woodmaster with the " Big Red " Leeson motor. On an office remodel job I removed over 60, 3/4"x48'x80" Oak plywood wall panels that were stained a dark walnut color. I sized the panels and ran them through the Woodmaster with 100x paper. Removed all the top coat and stain without sanding through the veneer and used the ply on another job. Try that with a Performax.

   What I don't like:

   - The crank handle.

   - The paper is expensive.

   - The paper is heavy paper back with felt, cloth and felt would be better.

   - Riped the paper a few times while dimentioning rough stock with 40x paper. It tore the velcro on the drum so I had to repair that, no big deal as long as you have extra velcro. Get it when you buy the machine.

   - The 115 volt power cord for the feed motor is seperate from the motor cord. It can be rewired.

   Other than that small stuff it's very good, very accurate and heavy duty. But it is not a wide belt. If I had the volume of work and could justfy the expense, I'd find a used wide belt of 38" with a platen. If a wide belt does not have a platen it's just a drum sander that uses an endless wrap of sandpaper. If you opt. for the wide belt make sure it has a platen. Also you will need at lest a1200 cfm dust collector to keep the sandpaper clean.

   Hope this helps.

   Dave Koury

1. 
   johnhardy | Mar 28, 2003 12:54am | #9

   Thanks for the info. Any thoughts on the Woodmaster vs. the Grizzly? the Grizz is much less expensive but that could come at a cost ... precision, durability, name it.

   John