DELTA 31-255X X5 18-Inch 1-1/2-Horsepower Drum Sander, 120-Volt 1-Phase

by Delta

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

The Delta 31-255X X5 Drum Sander is perfect for any serious wood worker. The easy-to-read motor controls, 2-speed drum, Outboard Shaft table adjustment and variable speed feed belt (1 to 12 feet per minute) are so easy to use that we wish we had had one back in grade school. The handy 4-inch dust port collects most of the dust associated with fine sanding, so you won't have to waste time cleaning up. -- C. Dwight Barnett

From the Manufacturer

DELTA 31-255X X5 18-Inch 1-1/2 Horsepower Drum Sander, 120-Volt 1 Phase

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 32 x 23 x 30 inches ; 190 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 190 pounds
• Shipping: This item can only be shipped to the 48 contiguous states. We regret it cannot be shipped to APO/FPO, Hawaii, Alaska, or Puerto Rico.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B0000A25X6
• California residents: Click here for Proposition 65 warning.
• Item model number: 31-255X
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #243,338 in Home Improvement (See Top 100 in Home Improvement)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

143 of 150 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars New Machine, Old Problems, September 12, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: DELTA 31-255X X5 18-Inch 1-1/2-Horsepower Drum Sander, 120-Volt 1-Phase (Tools & Home Improvement)

I bought one of these new drum sanders but ended up not keeping it. There were several issues, some solvable, some not.

First, the table raising mechanism has been revised on these newer models. The cog belt now has two idler pulleys at each end of the machine presumably for better belt wrap. The table height mechanism worked fine on my machine, and there is a substantial portion of the owners manual dedicated to solving problems in this area.

The primary problem with the machine was with the sanding drum. The drum that came with the machine had 3 problems:
- The drum was not properly balanced
- The drum had runout (out of round) by .007 (1/128) inch.
- The drum was machined such that the wall thickness varied by almost 2:1 around the circumference of the drum.

The drum vibrated noticably when running unloaded. The runout in the drum caused the machine to shake severely when sanding. The runout may not sound like a large amount, but it is recomended to sand as little as 1/256" at a time with finer grits, so the drum would engage the work piece and then release it as it rotated. The drum support is very stiff vertically, but the 4 sided box construction is not rigid front to back and can move quite easily.

Delta customer service was very responsive and shipped a new drum assembly to my door. The replacement drum had the same wall thickness variations and runout problem, but was better balanced.

Once the machine was set up and running, I ran a handful of test pieces (red Oak) through it. The sander had a problem with snipe more severe than a planer. The work is held down onto the feed belt with a pair of pressure rollers. The initial part of the work is sanded while it is being held down by only the infeed pressure roller. When the work reaches the outfeed pressure roller, it is pushed more firmly against the table and this is where the snipe ends. Snipe is not uncommon with drum sanders and the fix for this is to adjust the pressure rollers. Unfortunately the pressure rollers are not adjustable on this machine.

It looks like a nice design on paper, but it's performance in the shop was not up to par.

77 of 81 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Delt Drum Sander, September 10, 2003

By 

"dpearcy4" (Tucson, AZ United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: DELTA 31-255X X5 18-Inch 1-1/2-Horsepower Drum Sander, 120-Volt 1-Phase (Tools & Home Improvement)

I too had problems right out of the gate with the table elevation mechanism. I had read the unfavorable reviews but decided to buy anyway based upon Fine Wookworking's favorable review.
My machine was improperly set up right out of the box. I spend several very frustrating hours taking the machine apart, properly setting up the indexing belt and adjusting the table mechanism.
Once I got everything corrected it works great, but for what I paid, it is extremely frustrating to have to spend hours correcting what was to have been "factory assembled and adjusted".

58 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Most problems with machine are due to incorrect setup & use, March 25, 2005

By 

Sawdustmaker (Yonkers, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: DELTA 31-255X X5 18-Inch 1-1/2-Horsepower Drum Sander, 120-Volt 1-Phase (Tools & Home Improvement)

I recently bought a 31-250 and initially experienced the same problemss that seemed to plague many who have written about their negative experiences ie, difficulties with table raising mechanism, belt tracking, stalling, sniping, etc. From previous good encounters with Delta tech support, I decided to give them a call.

The call lasted 5 minutes, and the rep covered all of the material necessary to effect a proper setup.

In setting up the feed table, the first consideration is that it has to be level. using a block of wood underneath the feed table at each of the four height adjusting screws, one must look for a "just makes it" fit between the top of the machine base and the bottom of the table support. Anything more than 1/64" will spell trouble.

Next, the cast iron feed table must be firmly attached to the support and the timing belt tension released so that the vertical alignment of the height adjusting screws can be accomplished. Each screw has a bushing that is secured to the tool base with two small carriage bolts. Looking at the feed side of the machine, the bushing for the right screw, and the bushings for the two rear screws must be simultaneously loosened, but not removed. Then you give the feed table a good shake to re-seat/re-align the bushings. Tighten each of the bushings, then re-tension the belt as per the manual. The table should be easy to raise/lower with just a single hand and moderate force. If binding persists, try aligning the bushings with the table elevated at a different height. It may take one or two tries to get it right.

The feed conveyor has a tendency to track the belt to the open end of the machine. With a new belt, or one that is misbehaving, the only way to set the belt is to tighten the tension on the open end side of the belt as per the instructions - enough to resist moving when pinched, but not so tight that you cannot stop it with enough pinching force. The motor side of the belt must be loose enough to prevent tracking to the outside - even if it is a little loose or floppy. Then run the feed conveyor for at least 5 minutes at high speed to ensure that the belt tracks correctly. For the first 2 hours of use on a new belt it is important to monitor the tracking as the belt breaks in.

The total time to set up the machine was about an hour and a half, including the phone call to Delta.

I did not experience any snipe problem at all. There is a kit that is available from Delta at no cost that corrects the pressure on the feed roller to help minimize snipe.

On a dedicated 20 amp circuit directly connected to the wall outlet, I was able to hog off almost 1/32" in one pass with an 80 grit belt on a piece of oak that was 12" wide, without the machine bogging down or stalling.

In short it is a solid machine. While the table may be a little fussy to set up initially, a few extra minutes spent getting it right gives you extremely precise results. The table mechanism can be adjusted to be perfectly smooth throughout its entire 4" range of travel. Don't even think about using this machine without a 1 hp or greater dust collector.