Replies

1. 
   DaveHeinlein | Jul 27, 2002 12:58am | #1

   I have the Delta, and while it does it's intended job, I basicaly think it's a POS. It is powerless, the belts always seem to break at the worst possible time, it's powerless and the belts always seem to break at the worst possible time. But, until I can afford a nice wide belt, I'm stuck with it. Did I mention it's powerless?

2. 
   ScottDoten | Jul 27, 2002 06:31am | #2

   I own the Performax 16/32 sander (PX) -- I am not familiar with Delta's sander. The reason which I purchased the PX is/was based on seeing it in action at a woodworking show.  Yes, I was impressed.  I have found the PX to save me time if I have more than four pieces to sand.  It has been my experience if I only have a couple of pieces to sand the PX is no longer a time saver.  I can change the sand paper on a palm sander or belt sander much easier & quicker than on the PX.  The PX is nice if you are planing woods with complicated grains which if ran through a thickness planer the grains are torn -- just picture running Koa through a thickness planer in the wrong direction.   The PX is also nice to have if you are sanding pieces which are later going to be used in complicated joint where thickness if very important; for example, cutting blind dovetails.

   On the negative side,  if the piece being sanded stops for only a couple seconds then a sanding mark is left behind the diameter of the sanding drum.  To remove the sanding mark with the PX the piece has to be sent through on an angle so the drum sander does not stop again which just makes the sanding mark deeper.  Yes, once the sanding mark is removed then you have to remove the scratch marks which were left behind due to sanding across the grain.  On the positive side, you learn very quickly how much the drum can be lowered after each pass if moved at all.

   I hope my input helps.

   MSD

1. 
   Captworkshop | Jul 27, 2002 09:27pm | #3

   thank you for the input on your Performax. I had only one other response and it was on the Delta. He is not happy, but I am not sure if he was trying to do more than the machine is capable of. the only reason I was leaning towards the Delta is the additional 2 inches and my entire shop is Delta. It keeps the color coordination to a minimum.

   thank you David

3. 
   dadron1 | Jul 28, 2002 11:11pm | #4

   I have had the performax 16 - 32 for 3 or 4 years and I use it much more than I thought I would when I got it.  Originally I purchased it to sand tiger maple because I was getting too much tear out when planing it.  I use it on almost every project in the shop.

   Changing the sanding belt is easy and takes only a minute.  The only problem is in getting the arm parallel to the belt.  I found the directions confusing,  but after fussing with it for half a day, it finally seems to be ok.  Its an expensive tool for a home shop,  but I am still supprised how much I use it.

   Hope this helps.

4. 
   Upraiser | Jul 29, 2002 12:48am | #5

   Check out Amazon.com  under toos and read what some of the buyers say about the Delta drum sander.

   After reading it, I purchased the Performax.

   The set up was straght forward.  I did not have any problem setting the drum parrellell with the table....after I read the instructions.

   I am happy with mine. 

   Curt

5. 
   dondownunder | Jul 29, 2002 09:20am | #6

   Captworkshop

   Although the following doesn't directly apply to this thread it may help in your decision making.

   I have an Inca (Performax in turquoise livery) 22/44 which I was not altogether happy with until I modified it after talking with other drum owners.

   The problem of power is not as evident in the Inca variation as motor size was increased to 2HP however it still bogged down on occassions. To alleviate this I repaced the poly vee pulleys with double A's, the top in cast iron & doubled their size to give a flywheel effect. Some owners also advocate reducing drum speed but timber species seems to be more a factor in my experience (ie slower drum rotation may be better on resinous timber but not necessarily on dense dry stock where feed speed is more important)

   The second mod was to fit an adjustable stay on the outboard side (which can be removed if wider items need to be sanded) which stops flexing of the head and results in a better finish. This is simply a slotted piece of steel plate bolted to the head sliding along another bolt with a tee bar (or big wing nut) located on the table - loosen to adjust rise & fall - tighten before sanding.

   Thirdly set the machine up so that the table remains fixed & the head rises & falls by building a table that supports the platten. The motor assembly & head will be adjusted together via the support column & an outfeed table may be set up & left alone.

   Overall these are good machines but they have their limitations - you just work within them & things are OK, they are not abrasive planers & are not a substitute for a wide belt.

   Don

6. 
   Ricky_Yu | Jul 29, 2002 11:38am | #7

   If you haven't come across this already in your research, check out Fine Woodworking No. 145 (December 2000) for a review of drum sanders. The Delta gets the nod over the Performax in a close contest.

7. 
   3dog3 | Jul 30, 2002 12:07am | #8

   I did a lot of research before i bought the Delta.  There are a lot of people who have complained about the lowering/raising mechanism on the Delta.  I have not had a problem.  I use the machine a lot, and bought it because of the extra 2".  I do a fair amount of furniture/cabinet work, and size does matter.

   What you will learn (and I believe this is true of all machines) is patience.  You can only sand 1/64' or less per pass.  On the Delta, I only crank the adjustment handle 1/5 to 1/4 of a turn per pass.  I have yet to have a belt break.

   Good luck

   Michael

1. 
   LouisTorrans | Jul 30, 2002 08:12pm | #9

   I'll just add to 3DOG3's post about the Delta and say that the machine did have a few little quirks early on but from my experience they have all been taken care of. I've run both early edition and the newer model in my shop and can safely say the problems associated with these first ones have been eliminated. I still have a bit trouble understanding when some one says the Delta drum sander is short on power. I've sanded some pretty large panel doors with mine and even a few long wide boards and have yet to notice any power problems. The motor has never run hot, I've never stalled it and that's on both drum speeds. It's a very well built machine IMHO.

   Good Luck!

   Louis T.

1. 
   Jimma | Jul 31, 2002 06:43pm | #10

   The PX 16/32 is a good machine. I've had mine several years and got it with the locking wheels which has been a good, but expensive add-on. Just don't expect finish quality sanding -- even with fine grit belts you'll always have scratches the length of the piece. As someone has said above, using the machine to surface a lot of pieces to the same thickness is an appropriate application, but you will spend a lot of time standing there while a few thousandths of an inch is removed. Also, in my experience, if you really want precision you have to sand both sides and reverse the pieces to get a perfect match between pieces (as for glue joints). I guess it's because there's a little give when the work goes through. But the PX hs been a workhorse for me when there's been a lot of boards with planer marks to get rid of before joining or finish sanding. I'd buy one again. Great time saver.