Oh yeah, this was also dropped off today. A little easier to manage, fortunately.
:tool: :tool: :tool: :tool:
:tool: :tool: :tool: :tool:
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Dang BAS, A tool here, a tool there.
You surely are becoming a great collector of toyls.
Seriously, That's Awesome~!
You surely are becoming a great collector of toyls.
Seriously, That's Awesome~!
Another nice score Bas! :eusa_danc:eusa_danc:eusa_danc Man, I can't wait to see what you get for Christmas! :swoon: :rotflm:
Bas,
Now that REALLY SUCKS!:rolf:
Congrats! You will love it!
I know that's been on the ole wish list for a long time!
Sweet!
Matt
Now that REALLY SUCKS!:rolf:
Congrats! You will love it!
I know that's been on the ole wish list for a long time!
Sweet!
Matt
What timing! I am planning to purchase one of those soon. I can't understand why one would buy a 16" that isn't open on the end? Is it easier or better for some reason? I have never even seen one of these much less used one. What advantage does the Jet have over the Grizzly? Let us know how it works!
YOU ROCKETH
YOU ROCKETH
Let me give you some first impressions. I've only ran a few boards through it, so I'll update this once I actually get some projects done with it.
As for an open/closed sander, this appears to be a matter of accuracy. The open end allows you to sand material twice as wide as the drum, but it's not as solid as if the drum was supported on both sides. There is some amount of flex/ sag. From what I can tell on my machine, that flex is minimal. The biggest open ended sander available is the 22-44 machine from JET, after that you can only get closed machines, so there's clearly a limit there. For a hobby shop, 16" is pretty good. You can easily sand prepared stock, doors, cutting boards, box parts etc. and handle wider pieces like tops for end tables in two passes. It won't do something like a dining room table top, that's when you'd go to a cabinet shop or find a friend
Grizzly makes a closed 12" baby drum sander that gets good reviews, but its 18/36 machine does not. But, that's partially because very few people seem to own one. Delta has a comparable 18/36 machine that seems to get mixed reviews; some think it's great, others have major issues with it. I'm inclined to think that it had some initial problems that have been worked out over time, which is not uncommon. The Grizzly and Delta machines have fixed heads, the tables move up and down. This reduces the amount of flex, but it also means it's really difficult to build infeed/ outfeed tables. BTW, when I say "flex", we're talking about deflection of maybe .003" over a span of 16". That's not a lot. The bottom line is that I don't think you can go wrong with any of them. I chose the JET because of the sale, the fact that I got free shipping (because of the other item I bought) and because this model has been around practically forever. It's hard to argue with success. I also think that most people that have problems with their drum sander expect too much. It is not a wide belt sander. You have to feed the stock slowly, and don't plan to put forty 8 foot tabletops through it every day.
Enough opinion, onto the review:
Packaging was excellent. The machine comes in two boxes, one for the stand, one for the sanding system. Each item is individually wrapped in plastic and well protected in Styrofoam. The sanding head is secured to two pieces of plywood at the bottom, and a wooden block secures the drum. The manual is well written and has sufficient detail in the diagrams. That doesn't mean I didn't get a couple of things wrong along the way...the long bracket goes OVER the short bracket....
Installation & setup for this machine was a breeze. Most of the time is spent assembling the stand. There are four brackets and four legs that are connected via nuts and bolts, as well as a shelf. The metal is quite beefy, the holes are well machined, and comes together with minimal effort. It is definitely a step above the normal machine quality you see in the standard woodworking equipment. The rest of the assembly consists of mounting the sanding head (which comes in one piece) with four bolts and attaching the conveyor system wth four bolts. I purchased the infeed/ outfeed tables, to support longer stock. That's definitely a good investment, unless you plan to build your own tables. It bothers me that these tables aren't standard, I don't like getting nickled and dimed. I also thought the system came with casters - those are extra as well. That actually wasn't an issue, I had a spare mobile base that's perfect for this application. All in all, assembly takes about an hour. The sanding head/ motor unit is heavy but certainly something you can lift by yourself, although a helper wouldn't hurt.
The manual tells you to release some of the conveyor tension before using it. That takes a minute (leftie loosey righty tighty) and that's about all the tweaking you need to do. I attached the dust collection hose, started the machine, and ran a piece of oak through it. It came out sanded. That sounds simple, but that's all the machine does...it sands. As I get some more experience with it, I'll break out the digital calipers and see how accurate it is from end to end, i.e. if I sand a 16" board the thickness should be uniform on either side. Changing the sanding paper looks pretty easy. Just release the clip that tensions the belt, unwrap, clip the new belt on, wrap, and then insert into the clip. There is a special tool for handling the clip, but I think my fingers will do just fine. Accessing the drum is straightforward, so running one of those cleaning sticks won't be difficult.
If you've never used a drum sander, it is typically not used for finish sanding. It is commonly referred to as a thickness sander, although it is definitely NOT a planer. It's great for sanding something like an end grain cutting board, or making sure the rails and stiles for a panel are flush. You'll still need to go back and hit it with the ROS for the final result.
So far, I've been very happy with the machine. It is definitely a luxury, but hey, isn't that what a hobby is supposed to be? Fun? :tool: Anyone that wants to check it out before buying one, feel free to stop by the shop.
Bas you're pretty much dead on with the delta/girzzly machines I currently have the Delta (keyword currently). The big weakness is the table elevation on the delta is a major PITA. I'm literally about to chuck mine as the gears and bushings are just not cooperating. The grizzly elevation mechanism does look better than Delta's but still same basic concept. It worked great sanding a tabletop when flipped end for end but not sure if it's worth the hassle over the Jet style sanders.
Bas I think we're doing our part to keep the economy going there's another gloat coming soon from my shop too :embaresse. Guess it's the gloating time of year:tool:
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