Replies

1. 
   johnhardy | Jan 03, 2003 01:18am | #1

   I've got a Performax sander and can suggest 3 things to help reduce snipe. None of these are adjustments to the sander you've got.

   1. Cut a relatively small piece of wood the same thickness as what you're sanding and run it in behind the piece you're sanding. This sacrificial piece will get the snipe as opposed to your work piece. (If you're getting snipe on the front end as well, use this trick on that end also.)

   2. Run your piece on top of a sled. The sled can simply be a piece of 12 inch wide melamine board (by 4 to 8 feet long, depending on the length of the piece you're sanding ...) on which you place your piece. This provides a much more stable base for the piece you're sanding.

   I use this trick to sand thin veneers where you absolutely couldn't just run them through the sander as is. Works like a champ.

   3. Build auxiliary infeed and outfeed tables which are at the same height as your sander. This will help suppport the piece as it goes through the sander.

   John

1. 
   DGilbert | Jan 03, 2003 01:33am | #2

   John,

   Thank you for your feedback.  I'm sanding 16" long blanks and really hate to have to attach a leader and follower piece to each since I'm getting snipe on both the front and back -- this seems like it would defeat the time savings of using a drum sander unless I'm missing something.  The problem appears to occur as the piece contacts the hold down rollers on the 31-250.  I've tried to lower the back side of the table to decrease the resistance the piece sees when it contacts the roller following the drum and this has helped a little but I still incur snipe that I end up having to sand out with a belt sander and a ROS in order to avoid having the ugly snipe marks show up through a gloss finish.  Is snipe a problem with all drum sanders?

1. 
   johnhardy | Jan 03, 2003 01:41am | #3

   If you're sanding lots of identical pieces, you only need one lead piece and one follow piece. As each piece is fed in, feed the next piece directly behind it. The second piece acts as a follow piece for the prior one, and so on. Use the "true" follow piece after the last piece being sanded.

   Your lead and follow pieces don't have to be long ... 4 to 6 inches (make some tests), and you've undoubtedly got piles of scrap wood in the shop.

   I really don't get much snipe on my Performax ... the above are solutions when you "do" get snipe.

   John

2. 
   Julmer | Jan 03, 2003 11:18pm | #4

   I have a performax 16-32 drum sander and have never had a problem with snipe. (which is another reason I often use it instead of my planer).

   Make sure that your infeed and outfeed support are level with the drum sander bed/traction belt. For long boards I use tables/boards to completely support a work piece the entire operation (in and out), not just a roller/bearing. This prevents the board from flexing/bending as it enters/leaves the sander.

   My performax also has tension adjustment for upper rollers (infeed and outfeed) that hold down the boards as they enter and leave the sanding drum. If these are too loose, the board can move up giving you snipe. Might check your Delta to see if it has the same

1. 
   DGilbert | Jan 03, 2003 11:33pm | #5

   John,

   Thank you for your response.  Sounds like you are happy with your Performax.  Do you ever get snipe?  Part of the problem with the delta is that you cannot adjust the tension of the infeed and outfeed rollers.  When the piece to be sanded hits the outfeed roller it stalls momentarily -- just enough to produce a snipe mark about 3 1/2" in on the board.  I also get snipe as the board exits the infeed roller which leaves a mark about 1 1/2" from the other end of the board.  I don't think feeding pieces back to back will resolve this problem as the second piece will stall as soon as it hits the outfeed roller.  I really need this piece of equipment and am considering buying a Performax Shop Pro 25 which is not cantilevered, however I like the price of the Performax 16-32 much better!  Any recommendations?

1. 
   johnhardy | Jan 03, 2003 11:52pm | #6

   As I said in another post, I have a Performax 16-32. I'm very happy with the unit doing pieces that are not very wide. But once you decide to sand a piece that is wide the motor really bogs down. It is not a production piece of equipment. The larger model you reference may not have this limitation, but if I were to purchase over again I'd get a more powerful sander.

   And as regards your comment about the back-to-back pieces stalling when they hit the outfeed roller, I'm dubious. Have you actually had that happen? The pieces should be the same height, within a few thousandths, and I don't see how that could cause a stall. On the Performax, putting pieces back-to-back works like a charm.

   John

2. 
   DGilbert | Jan 04, 2003 12:01am | #7

   John,

   Thanks for your reply.  I appreciate your feedback on the power of the 16-32.  I see it has a 1 hp motor while the ShopPro 25 has a 1 1/2 hp motor.  I'll try the back to back with some scrap.  Am a little skeptical as whether this will help much on the Delta unit, but I'll give it a try.

3. 
   Julmer | Jan 06, 2003 11:07pm | #10

   In response to your questions:

   Do I ever get snipe on my Performax 16-32 ?  - No, I've never gotten board start/end snipes. I have had a few time where a board has stalled part way thru and a gouge will form (even with very light passes being taken). The stalls alway turned out to be operator errors, not machine. 

   Regarding the infeed and outfeed roller stalls you mentioned,  I would contact Delta to see if there is some kind of adjustment for these rollers (either tension or position). Have you tried a little hand pressure/push to get past the stall point ? I do help by "pushing" some on big panels I'm sending thru.

   Regarding suggestions for buying the Performax 25 (noncantilevered) vs. the 16/32. I bought mine used and my first few tries at sanding panels over 16" wide were disasters. So I did a little research on the web and decided I needed to reset the drum alignment.  (the trick is to have the unsupported end of the drum a few hundreth's higher than the drive end.) After that, I have no troubles now and have been suprized at how well it handles some of my  big panels (1" x 6' x 24"  white oak) - with proper support.

4. 
   DGilbert | Jan 07, 2003 12:03am | #11

   John,

   Thanks a lot for your input.  Based on your comments I approached the dealer that sold me my Delta unit and they are going to trade it out for me for a Performax 16-32.  (An even swap at that (whew!!)).   Was considering a Performax Shop Pro 25 or the Woodmaster 2675 but I'm going to give the Performax 16-32 a shot before I go for a +$2,000 machine.  Thanks again.  I'll let you know how it goes when I get the Performax -- should be within 2 to 3 weeks.

5. 
   johnhardy | Jan 07, 2003 01:48am | #12

   I think you'll like the 16-32 but keep in mind the power issue with wide pieces. Give the handle an eighth of a turn at best and don't be aggressive with wide boards. The machine will bog down and disappoint you. Plus, if the motor is starting to stall, you'll get some areas with "snipe".

   John

2. 
   daves62 | Feb 14, 2011 09:41am | #15

   i have a performax supermax 25 double drum. i have been using this machine for about 10 years and within the last year it started to snipe the the ends of the pieces. i have tried everything to adjust the infeed and out feed rollers and i just can not get rid of the snip at the ends. The only way i found is the same as already posted and that is to run a scrap piece infront and behind the piece you sanding. i would really like the hear from a tec rep on how to solve this.

   i use this machine in the business of milling small strip wood for model builders. Much of what i do are sticks from 1/2 square  down to 1/16 square by 24 long and thin sheets. For some reason the end of the drums hit the edges of the table on both ends when i get down to 1/8 inch. i wonder if the drums or table is warped? it is almost as if the feed table is bowl shaped from edge to edge and its time for a new table

2. 
   ChasStanford | Jan 04, 2003 04:04am | #8

   Don't waste your time trying.  Just leave the workpiece a little long and cut the sniped end(s) off.

1. 
   DGilbert | Jan 04, 2003 02:07pm | #9

   Can't afford to do that with the types of wood I'm working with.  Kingswood, Cocobolo, Teak, Tulipwood etc.  Can pay for a new piece of equipment with 50% waste rate on 16" blanks!  Sure would be tempting if I was sanding softwood!

1. 
   chairmake1 | Jan 07, 2003 01:49am | #13

   These are surly expensive woods no doubt-

   I suggest that you make some carrier boards for you pcd. to ride in while they go thru the sander. Let's see- - some 1/8" masonite and a couple of stripe gluded to the long side that will be about 6" longer than the pcs. that you arte attempting to sand and just a little wider. The sanding drum will hit the strips and then the pcs. of wood you want sanded. It should not take very long to make 10 or 15 of these slids and it will save you a lot of headaches.

   Hope this works,

   Robert Phillips

3. 
   joe.roth | Jan 07, 2003 04:50am | #14

   Have been thinking of buying one of these machines but was worried about the potential lack of power when taken to task on full width hardwood boards. Do you experience any "bogging" down in these situations?  I am thinking of the Delta.

   Thanks

   Joe