| Review by KevinD | posted 278 days ago | 951 views | 0 times favorited | 14 comments |  |
- Performax 10-20 Plus Drum Sander
- Brand: Performax | Category: Sanders
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Specs (from the manual):
Max Width – 20” (2 passes)
Min. Length – 2 1/4”
Max Thickness – 3”
Min thickness – 1/32”
Drum – 5” X 10” Extruded Aluminum
Drum Speed – 1700 RPM
Dust chute – 4”
Conveyor Motor – 43 in-lb. Torque, Direct Drive DC
Conveyor Feed Rate – 0 – 12 FPM Infinately Variable
Motor (TEFC) – 1HP, 1Ph, 115V only
Net Weight – 96 lbs.
My review:
I purchased one of these a week ago. First thing I’ll say is that this thing was a LOT heavier than I had anticipated. Putting it together was a breeze, basically all that you have to do is install the drum height adjustment handle. It comes equipped with a very coarse grit sandpaper (36 or 60 grit, I’m not quite sure which). Set-up took a little bit of time. I’ve read several reviews about “problems” with the tracking. It took me about 20 minutes to adjust the tracking but the conveyor now tracks perfectly. For test purposes, I ran about 10 bd. ft. of maple through it as it’s a hard wood and I figured I’d give it a challenge right off the bat. I initially stalled the drum several times running the wood through it. Basically I was either feeding it too fast or taking too deep of a pass. Once I learned the proper feed rate and depth it performed flawlessly.
So, my initial impressions give it 4 stars.
Minuses: The tracking is somewhat tricky to get right which is about the only negative I have to say about it.
Pluses: I really like the fact that the feed conveyor has its own motor, the infinitely variable speed for feed will come in immensely handy and the machine is very solidly built. The drum is driven by a 1 HP motor which easily sanded maple with the coarse grit. I was able to tweak the thickness of my wood by 1/64” and it perfectly flattened the boards removing the snipe from my planer. I found zero snipe from the machine as set up by the factory. This will save me a lot of lumber in that in the past I just allowed for an extra 6” or wood as scrap due to planer snipe. I will no longer have to worry about that.
Summary- I can easily see this becoming a workhorse in the shop. I ordered some 120 and 180 grit sandpaper from Amazon as they had those on sale so I’ll have more to add about the ease (or lack thereof) of changing sanding grits. At this point, I wouldn’t hesitate recommending this sander to anyone in the market for a benchtop sized drum sander.
Kevin
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14 comments so far
rikkor
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8645 posts in 414 days
posted 278 days ago
I couldn’t live without my Performax 22-44!
-- Maplewood, MN
cajunpen
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5345 posts in 606 days
posted 278 days ago
I agree, I have the Performax 16-32 and use on it almost every project.
-- Bill - "Suit yourself and let the rest be pleased." http://www.cajunpen.com/
GaryK
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8565 posts in 528 days
posted 278 days ago
22/44 here, and I couldn’t agree more.
-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.
motthunter
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1234 posts in 339 days
posted 278 days ago
eventually I will own one.
-- making sawdust....
Bill
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2524 posts in 701 days
posted 277 days ago
Nice review Kevin.
How does the Performax compare with the Jet? I have seen both advertised and they look like the same machine except for the name.
Gary, it sounds like you went for the large one. Do you like it better than the 16/32? That was the size I was thinking of.
-- Bill, Turlock California, http://www.brookswoodworks.com
Splinters
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144 posts in 723 days
posted 277 days ago
I want one!!!!
-- Splinters - Living and Loving life in the Rockies - http://www.splinterswoodworks.com/
GaryK
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8565 posts in 528 days
posted 277 days ago
Bill – I figured that if I was going to spend the money I would get the biggest I could.
I have never used the 16/32.
Be aware that the 22/44 weights about 300 pounds.
-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.
KevinD
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30 posts in 463 days
posted 277 days ago
Bill,
I think they’re the same machine. I asked for the Jet 10-20 and this is what they had (Woodcraft) so I’m assuming that they just changed the name on it. I’m enjoying having this in my shop more every day.
Kevin
Brad_Nailor
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729 posts in 497 days
posted 277 days ago
This on my list..but I want the 22-44
-- Women love me.....trees fear me
KevinD
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30 posts in 463 days
posted 277 days ago
I too would’ve preferred the 22-44 (or even better a Woodmaster 50”) but I’m running out of space in my workshop.
Kevin
Bob_B
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24 posts in 586 days
posted 274 days ago
These units seem VERY useful and I’ve almost pulled the trigger on one of these about 5 times, but most of the reviews I’ve read say that there is some deflection in the head that makes for some uneven sandings. Have any of you “Owners” had this experience? Do you think that one model is better than another?
One of the ones I looked at was the Grizzly G0458 18/36” sander. It has a stationary head and the table moves up and down. Seems like a more sturdy approach.
What do you guys think?
-- Bob B - Warwick, Rhode Island
Brad_Nailor
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729 posts in 497 days
posted 274 days ago
oh, sorry…great review too! I neglected to say that in my earlier post!
-- Women love me.....trees fear me
SPalm
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744 posts in 422 days
posted 274 days ago
Thanks for the review.
I have a 16-32 and love it. I have not noticed any deflection, even though it is a cantileavered machine.
Performax was bought by Jet, which is really owned by WMH Tool Group. They also own Powermatic. My Jet 16-32 came with a Performax video. The Performax name will completely go away and become the Jet name. It is the same machine.
-- Stevethepeeve -- I'm no rocket surgeon
Bill
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2524 posts in 701 days
posted 274 days ago
Thanks for the news Steve. Maybe there will be some bargains later as retails try to clear out their Performax models before stocking the new Jet ones.
-- Bill, Turlock California, http://www.brookswoodworks.com