Customer Reviews

JET 638003 22-44 Pro 22-Inch 1-3/4-Horsepower Drum Sander, 110-Volt 1-Phase

5 star:		(4)
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3 star:		(1)
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This is a BIG HEAVY sander. Just getting it into my basement shop was a task. A friend and my wife had to help me slide it down the stairs, even then I still almost lost it, my new sneakers' grip saving the day. I was also pleasently surprised that they've upgraded numerous things, most importantly, the motor to 1 3/4hp. Set up was minimal and straighforward. I did have some problems with the conveyor belt tracking properly, Performax quickly shipped me a new one and when that one was just as bad as the first, they overnighted me another one. I sanded a few pieces of pine and oak to test its accuracy and power, satisfied, I concentrated my efforts on a "real" task: a 2" thick 2' x 6' solid maple butcher block I'm using to build a workbench. The top was given to me by a friend and was used as a bench top in her house. It had a coating of paint splattered all over it. Two passes on each side, with 80 grit paper, had brought it down to bare wood. The "line" where the drum ended at 22" was barely noticable and hand sanded out quickly. I am thoroughly impressed with this machine, it is a little expensive but well worth it in the long run. You know the old tool adage: buy quality and cry once, buy cheap and cry everytime you use it. This is a good one, get it.

I am anxiously awaiting delivery of my Performax 22-44 pro drum sander which I recently ordered, and am looking forward to evaluating its performance. One thing I would like to point out to those interested in this or any product, what shows in a picture on the web site doesen't mean that that's what your going to get.The picture of the Performax 22-44 Pro Drum
Sander shows casters, in and out feed tables, etc. I assumed were a part of the complete package. I was wrong to assume. Pictures portraying a package should state "Shown with Optional accessories not included."

Revised 1/8/04
I had the usual problems that others commented on when I first brought home my 10-22. The conveyor belt initially tracked hard left against the tracker no matter how it was adjusted. PerformaX tech support had me reverse the belt and it still tracked hard left. I removed the conveyor table and returned it to the service department where I bought it. Sitting on the workbench supported by its mounting bolts, the belt quickly adjusted to perfect tracking. When I replaced it on my machine it immediatly went back to hard left tracking. I played with the mounting bolt tension to no avail. Another call to PerformaX netted me a new belt within two days and after a minor adjustment, the belt has tracked perfectly ever since. You can tell just how perfect your tracking is adjusted by holding a ball point pen to the feed roller immediately adjacent to the edge of the conveyor belt as the roller revolves. The mark left on the roller will very quickly indicate what drift, if any, is occuring. I like the way the ceramic trackers leave a light white residue along the edge of the belt if tracking is off. It shows they are doing their job and gives you a quick indication that readjustment is needed. They trackers should not come into play at all if your adjustment is dead center. Think of the trackers as an extra measure of safety.

When properly adjusted, this sander lives up to the hype. You quickly learn how much wood to remove in one pass. Any mill marks from the planer or jointer are removed in one pass. It does a nice job of sanding edges on stock up to four inches wide.

The machine really has to have a dedicated 20 amp circuit. Attached to a 15 amp shared circuit, it easily stalled out. I removed the electrical cover from the motor and found a clear diagram for rewiring the motor for 220 volts. Of course, you would then want to install a separate switch to power the drum as feeding 220 into the conveyor motor would quickly destroy it. It's nice to have the 220 volt option even though the factory warns against it. My sander is working so well that I see no reason to make the change.

Sandpaper changeover is very easy and quick. I like the way the right hand clip helps take up any slack in the wrapping of the abrasive.

I just completed biulding my oldest daughter a red oak dishwasher cabinet for her new house. All the trim for this was quickly sanded on the 10-22. I'm also finishing up an oak bar and This sander really saves time.

I recently sanded some 16' x 6" red oak boards to box in a beam. using auxillary infeed and outfeed rollers. As the end of the wood came off of the the several rollers I had set up on the infeed side, the sheer physics behind the length and weight of these boards, transmitted this to the wood under the drum. This made for an extremely small "gouge". A handheld oscillating sander quickly fixed these very slight imperfections which only showed under close examination with a light. I've never seen any sign of this when working with lengths up to the more usual 6' - 10' lengths we commonly encounter in our furniture crafting.

I've been mulling over a precision drum sander for years and finally pulled the plug on the 22-44. Aside from its 350lbs delivery weight, I had no problems getting it set up and the digital gauge calibrated. I haven't set it up for 220V use and think it would aid the drum, but so far the 110V has been handling the stock I've been passing through.

This machine is solid and the mobile base and casters are far and away superior than the any of my other mobile bases. Lock the casters and the machine won't budge. Cutting papers is a pain, but a sheet will last the hobbyist a long time. There are also gum rubber sheets you can pass through to clean the drum.

It is amazing how much time this machine saves since it not only brings the wood to finish grade sanding (with proper paper), but can dimension with extreme precision.

I have been extremely pleased with this tool. It was very easy to setup and came with a well written User Guide. The PRO model is very heavy duty and a good choice for a medium duty workshop. This will save you lots of time with finish sanding and dimensioning. Some reviewers took issue with the belt tracking - I have no complaints and found this to work well. I do recommend you order both the casters and infeed-outfeed tables when you purchase the Drum Sander.