Advice on drum sanders
#11
I am thinking of making the plunge for a 16/32 inch drum sander. I have never used one before so my knowledge is limited, just what I see online.  Does anybody have any experience on which brand to get?  I am looking at the Jet, Supermax, or Grizzly. 

Jay
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#12
I bought the Performax (now Jet) 22-44 twelve or so years ago and love it. I originally bought it for shop sawn veneers but I also use it for sanding segmented rings and lots of other things. Not a single problem with it but I have never needed the 22" width. A 16/32 should be all you ever need IMHO.
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#13
I agree a 16/32 is a good size to have. When I bought my Supermax 19/38 their 16/32 was not yet introduced. Supermax is the brand of choice (IMO), but if you can find a used Performax or one of the Jet sanders that was USA made I wouldn't hesitate to get one. As it turns out I bought my Supermax just before Laguna shifted the manufacture to Asia, and i wound up with an Asian. Not happy about that (I really wanted USA) but so far it has been very good. One thing to keep in mind: these things will produce mountains of fine dust, so you'll want a DC with a very good filter.
I started with absolutely nothing. Now, thanks to years of hard work, careful planning, and perseverance, I find I still have most of it left.
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#14
I had an old Ryobi 16-32 that I sold due to limited room.

Man I regret selling that thing.
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#15
I had the same one as Phil and sold for the same reason.  It was a really good machine.  It looked like it was very similar to the Performax.  Might even be made by the same factory.
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#16
I have the Performax 16/32 and find it useful for glued up panels, shop made veneer, segmented pieces (with sled to create angled rings as well), etc. As noted, you definitely want good dust collection and be sure to get the paper changing hook tool if you end up with a used Performax (I don't know about others). Also, spend the time to get the drum leveled and tightened down - take your time because if not leveled it will drive you insane (trust me). I used square metal tubing on the table and brought the drum down when setting it Once dialed in, it's great.

I occasionally see them on Craigslist here for about $750 - $900.
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#17
I have an old Ryobi 16/32 that I bought used 10 years ago. Replaced the belt other than that it has run fine for me. Especially useful for end grain cutting boards.
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#18
I have an older Jet 16/32 that I've had for years. I replaced the "feed belt" once. I find it really useful. It isn't an abrasive planer only a sander, but I've taken my time and used it like one, but it made some very knoty oak useful that wouldn't have turned out good running it thru a planer.
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#19
I have an approximately 10 year old 16-32 Jet and use it on just about every project. Most of the time I don't even need the 16" width, but the few times I had to go beyond that to 24" it worked like a charm.  I was happy that I didn't opt for a larger model. As many of you know, space is precious when your shop and garage are one and the same. 

It came in handy a few years ago thinning some scroll sawn Christmas ornaments. The thinner they got the better they looked. 

The larger pre-marked rolls of paper saves a few bucks over the pre-cut.

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See ya later,
Bill
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#20
I started with the Grizzly 18/36.  I now have the SuperMax 25-50.  Before buying the SuperMax, I compared Supermax to Jet at Woodcraft.  The SuperMax is beefier for the same size tool.
"There is no such thing as stupid questions, just stupid people"
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