All Replies on Performax 16-32 sander

I knew a guitar builder who used one of those
and he built a lot of guitars.

I had a 22/44 and had a like/hate relationship
with it. I thought it was great for guitar parts
but sanding things like door panels or long boards
was courting disaster.

I also picked one up from CL a few years ago and have been happy with it, as long as I remain patient (its NOT a planer). I’ve had no problem with tracking issues. I’ve used everything from 36 to 220 grit. You must go slow.
I’ve sanded boards over 28” wide. There was a learning curve to keep from gouging a groove down the middle of the board.

Overall, I am happy with it. I did just get a 24” dual drum sander. Haven’t decided yet if I will part with the 16-32 yet. Thinking it will be great to finish sand with.

-- Rick - I know I am not perfect, but I will keep pressing on toward the goal of becoming all I am called to be.

Thanks guys. Yes, it seems that this gets a lot of 5 star reviews, but also a lot of one star reviews. Apparently some folks cannot get it to sand evenly right to left and have trouble making the necessary adjustments.

Well, I took the plunge and bought it. We will see how it goes…....

-- Traditional Woodworking & Carving classes at my shop in Coastal Maine: http://www.MaineCoastWorkshop.com

Setup is key as well as learning the small “tricks” to get perfect results and avoid the disasters that are always lurking.

If I was in the market based on what I know about my 16/32, $500 would be a fair price (still try to haggle down or get their extra sanding belts thrown in).

Setting the head parallel to the conveyor is easy, the difficulty is that the setting can shift slightly when locking down the head bolts.

Mike has a great technique for fine tuning the setup.

I’ve had to repair my conveyor motor box several times but it was fairly simple. The overload breaker on the motor had also become weak and would trip excessively. This was an easy item to replace as well.

Thanks for the info. Mike’s idea looks very helpful. I’ll have to see how level my machine sands and go from there…....

-- Traditional Woodworking & Carving classes at my shop in Coastal Maine: http://www.MaineCoastWorkshop.com

I have one just like that. I also have the smaller 10/20 machine. I use them both all the time and would not want to do without them. I will admit that they are a little finicky to set up. It really helps to be mechanically inclined. Once you have it tracking well, it will go a long time before needing any tweaking.

I have the Jet 22/44 variant and the unit I bought was already set up. Despite being hauled in and out of a pickup and dragged around my shop many times, it has never wandered left to right.

Feeder and output support is an absolute must for any long stock. It bears repeating – it’s not a planer.

Thanks art and Rog. I do a lot of inlay and veneer, so i’m hoping this machine finds a useful place in my work.

-- Traditional Woodworking & Carving classes at my shop in Coastal Maine: http://www.MaineCoastWorkshop.com