JET drum sander thoughts.....

[waynelang2001]

Hi guys

Ive put in a order for the JET 22-44 occilating drum sander, just wanted to know if anyone has used any of the jet drum sanders, and what there thoughts are on them.

 

[PaulMarcel]

I have the 16-32 drum sander and like it.  It isn't the oscillating model unless I shake the stand a lot

Naturally that one will be different from mine, but certainly there's a learning curve to using a drum sander especially when trying to take off too much at a time (it sands, not thickness other than the effect that, yeah, sanding thins it).  There's also burning issues.  All of these problems form the learning curve; once you get past them, they are cake.

I actually have 2 16-32s; long story.  The other is a real Performax from before Jet.  Other than the paint job and, later, the SandSmart controller, not much changed -except- the dust port.  It went from 2.5" (Performax) to 4" (Jet Performax).  That makes a very big difference; besides gathering the dust, you want a lot of air cooling the paper and wood or you can get nasty burn streaks.

I think you'll be very happy with the oscillating model (do report back  [smile])  One problem with using the model I have (non-oscillating) is that the passes are all strictly linear.  You have to go over the result with a ROS to eliminate the streaks you'd see in raking light.  Naturally you'd sand later anyway, but it would be nice if you could get away with spot sanding rather than everything.  I use my RS-2e after the drum sander to kill the streaks (same grit as last drum grit).  Hopefully the oscillating feature of yours will reduce or eliminate further sanding.

 

[waynelang2001]

I have the 16-32 drum sander and like it.  It isn't the oscillating model unless I shake the stand a lot

Naturally that one will be different from mine, but certainly there's a learning curve to using a drum sander especially when trying to take off too much at a time (it sands, not thickness other than the effect that, yeah, sanding thins it).  There's also burning issues.  All of these problems form the learning curve; once you get past them, they are cake.

I actually have 2 16-32s; long story.  The other is a real Performax from before Jet.  Other than the paint job and, later, the SandSmart controller, not much changed -except- the dust port.  It went from 2.5" (Performax) to 4" (Jet Performax).  That makes a very big difference; besides gathering the dust, you want a lot of air cooling the paper and wood or you can get nasty burn streaks.

I think you'll be very happy with the oscillating model (do report back  [smile])  One problem with using the model I have (non-oscillating) is that the passes are all strictly linear.  You have to go over the result with a ROS to eliminate the streaks you'd see in raking light.  Naturally you'd sand later anyway, but it would be nice if you could get away with spot sanding rather than everything.  I use my RS-2e after the drum sander to kill the streaks (same grit as last drum grit).  Hopefully the oscillating feature of yours will reduce or eliminate further sanding.

The main reason i went for the oscillating model is to eliminate burn marks. Paul, what is your take on using the drum sander on veneer boards???

 

[CharlesWilson]

I have the 22-44 oscillating sander, and, up to 3 weeks ago, it was quite a dandy. It can do a very nice job of sanding wide boards, and I had it adjusted to the point where there was very little crown (less than .004 inch) on boards wider than 22 inches. I have used it to sand curly maple veneer fronts on some drawers to 180 grit, and have been very pleased with the results.

Three weeks ago, the shaft key between the drive motor and the coupling to the drum fell out. One of the screws holding the key in place dropped out, and the other snapped. The special screws for holding the key to the shaft were out of stock! So, I am still waiting for the parts required to get back up and running. Other screws, holding inserts to the coupling were also loose, and one dropped out.

I was told by the local service tech that this is NOT a common problem, and that this is a very well performing machine. Warrantee service will be making the repair when the replacement parts finally become available. I can't commend Jet on speedy resolution of this problem.

For the time being, I have been using my Rotex to sand the planer marks off the surface of the boards in my current project. They may not be perfectly flat, but I am currently making a run of Adirondack chairs, so this isn't critical.

Hopefully, I am the only one experiencing this problem, and the machine will give me many years of uninterrupted service when it finally gets put back together.

Charles

 

[wnagle]

Everything Joe said!  And I'll add one more thought.  Use the highest CFM dust collection you can.  This decreases the potential to burn.

 

[CharlesWilson]

The instructions from the manufacturer indicate that the oscillating mode should be used with the infeed speed set to maximum. The variable speed infeed control will reduce this speed if the motor load gets too large.

The oscillating mode is supposed to extend the life of the abrasive, but I have nothing to compare it to, as this is my first usage of a drum sander.

Charles

 

[bobbobbob]

I've got a Performax 22-44 Pro (pre-Jet) with 4" dc port.  Its awesome for highly figured woods where a planer would cause havoc with tearout.  I'll second the notion regarding sufficient dc.  I recently upgraded to an Oneida  cyclone from a Jet canister unit and issues with burn are now non-existent.  I believe alot of that is due to proper amount of airflow, which not only aids in particulate pickup but also in overall cooling.  I used the same strip of sandpaper before after the upgrade to test the differences. 

Two great accessories to have are a crepe stick and a thick piece of plexi for cleaning the paper. 

I too always finish sand with an RO150 and ETS 150.  Once the learning curve is reached, you will very happy with a drum sander!

 

[waynelang2001]

Thanks for all the information guys, sounds like im making a good choice then. I will mostly be using this machine as a thicknesser of sorts but only if the material i pass through my planer tears out. I use alot of african mahogany and that stuff can sometime tear out no matter what way you feed it through. I will also use it on some of the frame work i do and i really would like to get into using woods that just dont go with a planer like birds eye maple and the like. Now i just need to figure out your inches into my mm to see what the heck your actually talking about when in comes to material removal.

 

[jelen]

You can't go wrong with the jet drum sander, I have the 22-44 non oscillating, about 4yrs old.  The sander is great for a small shop.  Enjoy.  I use mine for everything. Treat it like I do all my tools, carefully, and the alignment will stay.  Important do not take heavy cuts, light passes until you learn the ins & outs of the sander.  Dust collection is critical, a must have to obtain the best results.  I  sanded a glued up cherry panel 1/4 x22x34, to make a 1/16 veneer just to see if it could be done, came out perfect.  Panel was for a vanity cabinet end panel.  My two cents.
I'm not one to post, but wanted to chime in on the jet drum sander. Enjoy all the FOG members reviews etc.

 

[peter halle]

Jelen,

Before you go away and not post for a long time... [welcome] to the Fog.  Stay and post again!

Peter

 

[emccollu]

I too am soon ordering the JET 22-44 occilating drum sander.  I have read many positive reviews and think it would be a great addition to my shop.  My question is:  has anyone had much experience with glue-ups wider than the 22 inches, say 36 inches and double running the piece?  Curious as to the results and how much ROing or hand sanding required.  Thanks.

 

[CharlesWilson]

I did a couple of 3/4" panels that were wider than 22 inches ( but not as wide as 36 inches), and ran them through the oscillating sander up to 120 grit. (I didn't have the 180 grit paper, yet.) I simply ran my ETS-125 at 180 grit, and the result was a flat surface that looked great. These boards became the sides of the top section of my Pennsylvania Chest on Chest. I did the panels for the bottom section before getting the sander, using the RO-125 and ETS-125 to flatten the surface. Needless to say, the bottom sides did not come out as flat as I would have liked.

Charles

 

[waynelang2001]

I did a couple of 3/4" panels that were wider than 22 inches ( but not as wide as 36 inches), and ran them through the oscillating sander up to 120 grit. (I didn't have the 180 grit paper, yet.) I simply ran my ETS-125 at 180 grit, and the result was a flat surface that looked great. These boards became the sides of the top section of my Pennsylvania Chest on Chest. I did the panels for the bottom section before getting the sander, using the RO-125 and ETS-125 to flatten the surface. Needless to say, the bottom sides did not come out as flat as I would have liked.

Charles

Hi Charles, thanks for the pdf. One thing ive bee trying to look at is if the sander has some kind of infeed and outfeed roller that puts pressure on the work peice before and after the sanding drum contacts the wood. If never seen the machine in person so i havnt been able to give it a good once over.

 

[PaulMarcel]

Based on my 16-32, there are rollers on the infeed and outfeed sides, but they are solid metal roller with a rather light spring pressing down.  Very similar to the pressure rollers on a lunchbox planer but with even less pressure (maybe mine are just calibrated to be much lighter...)

 

[waynelang2001]

Based on my 16-32, there are rollers on the infeed and outfeed sides, but they are solid metal roller with a rather light spring pressing down.  Very similar to the pressure rollers on a lunchbox planer but with even less pressure (maybe mine are just calibrated to be much lighter...)

Hi Paul

Thanks for the info thats all i wanted to know.  I was a bit confused as to what actually holds down the material. I thought it would be like these homemade drumsanders that just have the drum and thats all there is giving pressure to the material.

 

[Lucy]

Hey Guys,
I just thought I would give you a heads up that the 16-32 Drum Sander and many other Jet and Powermatic Items are on sale for 15% off until tomorrow July 9th.

 

[RDMuller]

It doesn't sound like very many of the respondents to this question actually have the 22-44 oscillator.  In general my satisfaction with several Performax (pre-Jet) products has been very good.  The Oscillator was shown in August of 2008 at the IWF in Atlanta as a "pre-production" model.  It was extremely impressive in not laying down long continuous scratch lines on the woods that were being sanded.  I don't know when the machine was actually put on the market, but I suspect in has been during the economic downturn of late 2008 that still continues.  My question --- have very many of these actually been sold and tested in the marketplace?  I have never seen one in a store nor do I know of anyone who personally owns one.  Based on what I saw at IWF, my expectations are high --- you know what the usually means --- there will be some disappointments.

I hope it works out great.  I too am considering upgrading.

 

[waynelang2001]

It doesn't sound like very many of the respondents to this question actually have the 22-44 oscillator.  In general my satisfaction with several Performax (pre-Jet) products has been very good.  The Oscillator was shown in August of 2008 at the IWF in Atlanta as a "pre-production" model.  It was extremely impressive in not laying down long continuous scratch lines on the woods that were being sanded.  I don't know when the machine was actually put on the market, but I suspect in has been during the economic downturn of late 2008 that still continues.  My question --- have very many of these actually been sold and tested in the marketplace?   I have never seen one in a store nor do I know of anyone who personally owns one.  Based on what I saw at IWF, my expectations are high --- you know what the usually means --- there will be some disappointments.

I hope it works out great.  I too am considering upgrading.

Hi RD

My festool dealer phoned me only 2 days ago to let me know my 22 44 oscillator has arrived. Trouble is now ive waited 3 months for the machine and the money i did have to buy it then has been cut down a bit because of medical aids refusing to pay for part of my eye ops. Im going to see it today and just put down a 50% deposit so they dont think im running away from the deal.

 

[Jesse Cloud]

I have an old school Performax 16/32 that works great.  I use it on shop made veneer and panels.

It is not intended to be a thicknesser, though.  Yeah, you can do it, but it takes a long time and way more patience than I have.

If you are looking for something that will thickness tear-out prone wood, it might be worthwhile to look at a planer with a helix head.  I don't have one myself but a couple of friends have them and claim to get no tearout at all on curly maple.

BTW, on that African Mahogany, try a glue size (10 parts water to 1 part glue).  Just brush it on lightly and let it dry for half an hour then the material will machine much better, also will finish better.

 

[nickao]

I have a 22/44 Performax and with the right paper and it does work as a good thicknesser, not fast like a planer of course.

The issue is a planer is not going to take the cup out of a board the drum sander will, so sometimes the wait is well worth while. Plus, many highly figured woods, even with the helical planing head will still tear out the Wood, the drum sander never will.

I use a combination of a 3 hp planer and the 22/44 drum sander to plane to thickness and get flat nice boards.

When I first saw the new oscillating sander I was going to get it right away, I ultimately decided not to because my current set up works just fine for me. If it ever dies which I doubt I will hopefully get a 3hp drum sander.