I’m going to be introducing you to my shop one tool at a time. I’m currently upgrading and making jigs/fixtures for a number of my machines and buying some great industrial tools in the near future. My shop is coming together piece by piece and I hope to show you the progress as I go. So here’s the first of my recent upgrades…
I recently upgraded to a “Poly Belt” on my Performax 22-44 Pro from the original 100 grit conveyor belt. Most people don’t know this item even exists. This was a tough item to find… not because it’s not in WMH’s inventory, but because nobody knows the part numbers. If you want one, call Mel and Timber Woodworking (www.timberww.com). Tell him that Thomas Porter sent you. It’s more pricey, but holy crap it’s a night and day difference. I’ll give you more details after I run some more tests tomorrow. All I can tell you now is that from the test pieces I’ve worked with so far it grips the piece at least 4-5 times better and fixed all of the feed issues and/or dips in the sanding surface that sometimes occur. This is definitely something I recommend to someone that uses this machine often.
UPDATE:
The cost of a poly belt: $269.00
The cost of a 100 grit belt: $70-120 (depending on who you go to. Timber Woodworking seemed to be the cheapest)
Most people would say, “I could buy three of the regular belts for the cost of that poly belt”. That’s true, BUT it increases the performance substantially and will more than likely last longer. I ran some more test pieces through while I was calibrating the in-feed out-feed tables and setting the thickness gauge. It works much better and I’ve gotten my machine more accurate than it ever was.
Here’s some pictures of the machine with the new belt on it…
-- Thomas Porter, Phoenix, AZ, www.thomasporter.com
6 comments so far
rikkor
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7720 posts in 364 days
posted 280 days ago
Was it pricey? I have a 22 – 44.
-- Maplewood, MN
Russel
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posted 280 days ago
I’ve got a 16/32 and I’ve come to really depend on it. It sounds like this belt is worth looking into. Thanks for the info.
-- When you give someone a chance it may well be their last.
mot
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4837 posts in 526 days
posted 280 days ago
I have the 16/32 as well, but haven’t used it enough to have a bunch of issues with it. I’ll keep this in mind as I like to have tools that work when I need them to. Thanks for the info.
-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)
gbvinc
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362 posts in 436 days
posted 280 days ago
I have the 16/32 also. It will be interesting to hear your evaluation after using it for awhile. What was the cost for this upgrade?
Thomas Porter
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113 posts in 621 days
posted 280 days ago
I just updated the blog entry with prices and an update, but here’s the pricing….
The cost of a poly belt: $269.00
The cost of a 100 grit belt: $70-120 (depending on who you go to. Timber Woodworking seemed to be the cheapest)
I’m not sure if they make one for the 16-32 but I would imagine it would be less expensive if they did. You should cal Mel and find out.
I was really close to dumping the 22-44 and going with a wide belt sander. Now, I’m pretty satisfied for the time being. I’m going to take the old belt and put it on a flat piece of granite for a flattening surface.
-- Thomas Porter, Phoenix, AZ, www.thomasporter.com
GaryK
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8493 posts in 478 days
posted 279 days ago
Do they wear out that often?
I’ve had my 22/44 for going on 4 years now and it still works great.
-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.