Drum sander decision time...help wanted


Eric.

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Alright, real quick tell me why I shouldn't get the Grizzly instead...24", 5HP, dual drum. $2,000.  It is f^#&*@! huge though.

 

 

It sure is!  I've seen the entire line, side by side, in Williamsport.  I have 800 square feet, minus a center staircase, furnace, washer and dryer, 275 gallon oil tank, and two cat litter boxes. 

 

This is the same reason I also stick to a lunchbox planer, and don't own or want a shaper...  My sander works for what I want to do, even if it's not a production shop machine.

 

I could move, build another building in back, or rent space elsewhere, I guess...     Based on acceptance of my other hobbies, I don't want to push my wife.  :ph34r:

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I guess I've gone full circle.  The unit PB posted looks great...robust, compact, USA made, excellent reviews, and 5HP...I really like the thought of that.  But I'm already really stretching the budget on the Jet Pro, and hitting the 3K mark on a damn sander just doesn't sit right with me.  My work flow is SO far from production that I have to believe the Pro will do everything I want and more...most hobbyists would consider that unit total overkill.  I'm fine with taking a few more and lighter passes on wider parts if that's what the machine requires for clean results.

 

I thought about that Grizzly for about one minute, until I saw how gigantic it is...then I watched their videos on changing the paper...and that was that. :blink:

 

Countdown to the big click begins.  I'm gonna noodle on it for one more day and order tomorrow if nothing else stops me. :)   I didn't even pay attention during the Powermatic sale...was Jet stuff 15% off too?  On second thought, don't even answer that.

 

Appreciate you guys knocking it around with me.

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I've had the 22-44 Plus for 9 years and been totally happy with it. Steve and Barry already said a lot of what you need to do for these. It's been a very good machine for me and as long as you understand there is a small learning curve to use it, you'll be in good shape. I also recall getting it adjusted to parallel was a bit of a pain, but I haven't had to change it since then. 

 

I'd definitely get the Pro if you're sticking with these two. A dual drum is on my list for a future upgrade, but I've been fine with this model. I would make sure to get the infeed/outfeed tables.

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The sand smart control should help keep you from bogging it down. If a board has a hump in it when that goes under the drum the feed rate should automatically slow down as the load on the motor rises.

My sander is from before they came out with that feature! Sure wish I had it.

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Hmmm--Here i was thinking of the smaller version--the JET 10-20 Plus Bench Top Drum Sander 628900

 

I mostly see it for small parts when making boxes.  Can't imagine it would be underpowered for that and would fit in my small shop and come out when I needed it.

 

thoughts?

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Marc briefly showed off his new supermax drum sander during last nights live guild session. He stated that the calibration adjustments are superb compared to his jet drum sander

 

Thanks for ruining my day!

 

I missed the session last night and the edited version isn't available yet.  Do you know which model he bought?  I'm assuming it's the one I can't afford.

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The description is a bit ambiguous...they say it comes with "table" and casters...I'm assuming that means it does include the infeed and outfeed tables.  The picture also shows the tables, and Amazon is really picky about pictures accurately reflecting the actual product.  So they'll probably comp me if they're missing.

 

You tell me...

 

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001U0O56O/ref=pe_385040_30332200_pe_309540_26725410_item_image#productDetails

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Thanks for ruining my day!

 

I missed the session last night and the edited version isn't available yet.  Do you know which model he bought?  I'm assuming it's the one I can't afford.

He got the 25-50. Said it took literally 2 minutes to adjust since they addressed that problem in the performax line.

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