26″ Woodmaster or Performax 22-44 Plus?
I have narrowed my search for a drum sander down to either the Performax (Jet) 22-44 Plus ($1,200) or the 26″ Woodmaster ($2,100). The $900 difference in cost won’t break me but I also don’t make a habit of throwing away that kind of money either. From my research it seems the Woodmaster is a higher quality sander (1) 6″ steel versus 5″ aluminum drum (2) better dust collection (3) easier paper changes (4) heavier construction and (5) four support posts for drum assembly versus two on the open 22-44. I usually am working with panels or doors that are 24″ or less so not sure I need to sand anything 44″ wide.
I am a very active hobbyist woodworker and would use the sander a few hours each week, but it seems to me that the Woodmaster is really designed more for a small commercial operation. My question to this asute group is do you think the Woodmaster is worth the $900 difference in cost to someone like me?
Replies
With your description of sander uses I find a stroke sander is a much better machine, if you can spare a little more room. You can go right to finishing with a stroke sander, wheras a drum sander leaves ripples that must be random orbit sanded so the stroke sander makes quicker work of a project. Used stroke sanders are pretty cheap. I've bought industrial grade machines for as little as $200.
IF you go drum sander consider not going hook and loop. I prefer the non-hook and loop as the hook and loop is a bit on the squishy side and the paper is more expensive. I've run both so I've seen the difference.
I bought the Performax 22-44 a couple months ago. So far, I am very pleased with it. I picked it up on sale at Woodcraft for $900 then added the extension tables for another $100. I didn’t opt for the closed base. It looked nice but didn’t add to the function of the tool. I bought it because I am making a couple hundred flat solid oak panels for a project I am working on. They are 18 to 20 inches wide by 5/8 thick. Seems like I have been gluing them up for months. It would have taken way too long to sand them and I would never been able to keep them flat without the drum sander. I also looked at the Woodmaster. It is a nice machine but the Performax was less money and the open-end design gave me additional capacity. Never know what the next project is going to be. Keep in mind when you are looking, the Woodmaster may be less maintenance. You need to keep the drum adjusted parallel to the table and the Woodmaster looks like it will stay put better than the open-ended design. You also need to change the drum alignment on the Performax for running panels wider than 22 inches through it. These are minor adjustments but they could be time consuming for a production shop that changes the set up often.
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