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Hi. Well, the threaded adjustment collar (or whatever you call it) on my Performax 10-20 drum sander has finally stripped out. This is the result of a flaw inherent to the design and failure is really just a matter of time. Jet wants $275 for the replacement part. That's a lot of clams for something that's just going to fail again later, so I'd rather find an alternative.

A few years ago there was a guy over on the Uke Underground (Ken Timms) who was selling a repair kit (pic attached). I've written to an old email address I found for him but have not heard back. Anyone know if he's still selling these and/or have current contact info? Anyone know of someone else building the same little gizmo? Anyone have the tools and skills to make one and sell it to me?

Thanks,
George :-)

I don’t know about the repair kit but I will send you his email in PM, at least the one I used a few months back. I was doing a Martin uke repair and he sent me three (three!!!) of his bridges for free.

Brad


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I bet you could cobble something together using a press screw and a block of fine grained hardwood.
https://woodworker.com/9-press-screw-mssu-125-050.asp

Someone gave me several, and I recently cobbled together a bridge clamp with a few of them and some scraps ( an old broom handle and some plywood off cuts from a cabinet mod). The screws self threaded into the plywood so I didn't need the threaded casting shown on the woodworker site, but if the wood strips out I can add them back.

Hi George,

Is this any help?

https://www.ereplacementparts.com/jet-1 ... 32862.html

From what I can see in the exploded view, the original style parts are about $120 plus shipping.

Granted, it will still fail again. Happy birthday btw!

Hope you are well, M

Any help? -Posts wordwide, about $65 + $30 postage to USA
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Jet-10-20-Performax-repair-kit/274408260445?hash=item3fe401c35d:g:-okAAOSwNIpcrL-C

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

Thanks all! I found a reply from Ken in my inbox this morning, with a link to his eBay listing. All's well that ends well. I should have the machine back up and running soon.

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George :-)

Could you share the link please?

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

It was the same link you posted above.

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George :-)

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

FWIW, I used this method of fixing my 10-20. I sold the unit shortly after fixing it, but it seemed to work pretty well.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0092QWZHY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

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-Marcus
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On a related note, can you describe the issue and why it’s bound to fail? I have a 15 year old 10-20. It works great, but I’m open to preventative maintenance.


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If the lifting rod is threaded into an aluminium or pot metal casting then most likely the problem is caused by a lack of lubrication which leads to galling of the threads. Using "white" (lithium) grease liberally on the threads may help prevent it, But I would be inclined to buy the repair kit while it is available and keep it handy for the eventual "fix" when the threads fail.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galling

I had a friend make an adapter ring to mount a Kern level onto a Wild tribrac. The first time test fitting, the fine threads galled and welded themselves together, so now the level is permanently mounted on the tribrac.

When I heard about this problem maybe 9/10 years ago I was concerned.
IIRC the male/female thread clearances are too big, the female thread is aluminium and runs on a steel male thread.
Lotta weight on it with the motor etc.
I calipered the threads, and found then to be in the dodgy range quoted somewhere on the net.
So I lubricated the thread with copperslip, do it about once/year, due now.
So far, so good, but still nervous about it, it's 12 years old, maybe 13/14 builds. Used it quite a lot, not just ribs and plates.
Helicoil repair kit looks worth a try if it comes to it.

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

I don't have a dog in the fight, but the more invasive repair kit might be a more lasting repair. Sometimes helicoils slip, and although they are commonly used to repair stripped spark plug holes (a semi "static" repair) I would be inclined to not use them for a situation where they are constantly being levered against by screw threads. Others may know better and I will admit to limited experience with them.
The kit that is being offered appears to use a steel sleeve in an aluminium block, and since it is in the U.K. the price shouldn't be much more than the helicoil kit ( unless you already have the tap and tool)

I read about the issue here several years ago and have applied lithium grease periodically ever since. Even so, I could feel it changing over time. It's definitely a dodgy design. I've only seen positive reports on the repair kit and installation looks simple enough that even I can do it ... maybe.

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George :-)

Thanks, guys.


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Update: I finally got around to repairing my drum sander with the parts sold by Ken Timms. Everything went smoothly and it seems like the machine is working at least as good as new.

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George :-)

Nice! Hopefully Colin found the parts kit too.


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