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I’ve been watching for a reasonable deal on a drum sander and I think this one looks like just the ticket. I’m wondering if anyone here has experience with this Performax 22-44 machine and can offer an opinion or info on its pros and cons. The seller bought it used and thinks it’s around 15 years old but has had only light use.





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I own a Performax Shoppro 25 I bought used, and refurbished a bit, about a year or so ago. It looks like it was built with a lot of parts that are similar to the one you are thinking about, around the same pre-Jet period. It is a great sander, and I treasure it. If you like the price of the one you are looking at, you could probably do a lot worse.

Thanks, Don. I do like the price. Waiting impatiently for the seller to get back to me about a time to see it. He’s had other inquiries so I hope nobody beats me to it.


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I've heard a lot of good things about performax sanders. No direct experience however.

Hey Bob! I've had my 10 - 22 Performax named Chewie for 12 years now and it's a wonderful sander. You need strong dust collection with these not just to collect dust but to keep the drum cool so that the paper does not gum up quickly.

Small, light passes are your friend and even taking a second pass without cranking the handles at all can with the 10 - 20 take an extra .002" off the first time you do it.

When I got mine it was a game changer for me in capability.

I have that exact same sander. Mine is from the same period - maybe a little older. No regrets here.

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John Lewis
Wannabe builder owned by 2 crazy dachshunds

Looks great, run don't walk, sand something, load

I've probably worked on at least 8 to 10 Performax sanders. I will tell you no one's individual opinion matters on any specific machine (including mine!) - their performance varies across model, year, and maybe even particular unit. Ones that work great ... are great. All the ones I've used were properly set up by people that knew what they were doing, so setup is not the issue. I've seen sniping, motor cut-offs on light cuts, bad bearings, and so on. My advice would be to bring a plate of spruce and a plate of hard curly maple and spend some time playing with the sander before you buy it. Then you will have a sense of how it performs. Look for board sniping at the ends. You don't want to adjust the incremental cut 1/4 turn or less on the height wheel.

That said I would buy a Performax sander, but used buyer needs to be educated and investigate. And with what I said above, realize that a decent percentage of the used market will be people selling sanders that may not work so well. Also consider that luthiers work in the thousandths with wood. No one else does that.

Andy

Somebody is selling a 22-44 in the classifieds. But I bet you'd need to live close. They are HEAVY

Edit: Sorry, not these classifieds, but over at sawmillcreek.org.

I looked at a used one like that once and it was difficult to adjust the height for some reason. Deal-breaker. I agree that you should take a thin 8in wide board there and see how it handles. One good thing about that design is that the motor is underneath it so it's not so wide in your shop. Also, those older ones seem to have a small dust port.

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Pat

I also have that exact sander, and have had good results with it.

Thank you all for your thoughts and suggestions. I couldn't resist it and I bought it this morning for $450. I didn't see some of these responses until after I returned with it (because I was anxious about somebody else snapping it up - I'm not a very cool customer.) It's in very good condition and, though I wasn't smart enough to bring a thin/wide board with me to test it with, I did run a small board through it with good results. The conveyer tracks well and the adjustments all seem to operate smoothly. The dust hood is almost a waste of time but I think I can modify it or make a new one. I do have serious dust extraction (thanks for explaining about the cooling, Hesh). I use 6" ducts so maybe I'll make a manifold to split a drop down to 2 @4" hoses and make a hood with 2 ports @4" or cut new holes in the existing hood.

It certainly is heavy. The table in particular. We had to remove the drum, table and motor to get it into my station wagon and make it a little easier to carry. Now I think I need a couple of helpers, or some clever rigging with a hoist, to put it back together. My instant gratification gene is getting antsy but I messed around with it long enough to realize I would soon either hurt myself or damage the machine, so I called it a day.

I'm pretty excited to add this capability to my shop. I've been reading and hearing about how to calculate Young's Modulus from measurements made using a sine wave generator and glitter patterns and I gather I need rectangular, uniformly thicknessed panels for that. Not to mention the ease of reaching the final thickness and finish I want.

Good news Bob. That’s a great price.

Steve

Hi Steve, Yes, I think the price is great, which may excuse my rush to purchase. I think that even if I have to do some work on it and replace parts, it's still a good deal.

PS: Spent some time around Ontario last summer. Wish I'd had time to look you up. Are you anywhere near Guelph, Kitchener, or Stratford?

That’s a great deal. Please check joe woodworker site for how to level the drum. Assuming it needs it. Once done, you should be good for years.

Check out this thread for the dust hood I built for my Performax Shop Pro 25. It was relatively easy, and it works great.

http://www.luthiersforum.com/forum/view ... =Performax

Hey Bob, I’m about 1 1/2 hours East of Guelph. And Alex Kleon’s about an hour east. If you get this way again, please don’t hesitate to shout.

Steve

Well, I couldn’t sit in the couch with that machine half-assembled in the shop. After the assembly challenge gnawed on me while I gnawed on my dinner, I got enough clarity about the problem to enable me to put it together without assistance and without ruining my back. It’s up and running now.

Mike, I will definitely check out Joe Woodworker. The drum needs leveling. Thanks for the tip.

Don, that hood you built looks great. I’m going to try to do something similar but with my cantilevered drum I think I need to make it lighter. I might try cutting up a length of hvac pipe and closing off the ends with thin plywood.

Steve, if I get back up there I’ll definitely get in touch.

Thanks guys.


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Bob, there are links to the fix in the tutorial forum. But it’s straightforward. A battery, some wire, and a Christmas tree light. It’s really amazing how accurate it is.

Pretty cute technique. Sort of a lighted feeler gauge. Looks like my project for tomorrow. First, I have to make a cantilever adjustment knob and figure out where to screw it in - it seems to be missing. I think the guy I bought the machine from just got lucky or wasn’t too fussy about tapering his workpiece. Maybe he just swapped it around and ran it through twice and didn’t mind a slight rise in the middle. Thanks again Mike.


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Yeah, it’s cool idea. But once set, you should be good for years.