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Maybe one of you have had to adjust the level on a Performax so it sands to the same thickness across the whole width of the drum. I went out to thickness my Cuban Mahogany back for the 00 I'm building tonight. I bought this Performax 16/32 sander off CraigsList and it's the first time I've used it to thickness a guitar plate (only narrow stock). It is sanding about 0.020" thinner on the closed end than it does the open end. I would have guessed droop of the arm would make it sand thinner on the open end over time but this is the opposite of that.

I don't have a manual. Does the manual cover how to adjust this? A quick look made me think I would need to shim to correct (or possibly remove shims).

Thanks!

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Formerly known as Adaboy.......

Hey Darryl, I had to do a major adjustment on mine when I got it a couple months ago. Mine was about 0.040" higher on closed side.....nasty if doing 16+" pieces...

I took a look at joe woodworkers site here http://www.joewoodworker.com/performax.htm for a great tutorial. I did have to work at it for awhile though, and i was getting frustrated. What I did was get two pieces of angle iron, cut from the same piece if you know what I mean. This way they should be the same height, measure with calipers.

Then I dropped the drum (no sandpaper on) down on the angle so both ends sat firmly on the angle, then I snugged up the holding bolts. This got me well in the ballpark then I used the fine adjust to get it spot on. My sander now is only 0.003" higher at the open end

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I have the same sander. It does that to me when I try to take off too much in one pass. Run it through 4 or 5 times without changing the height and see if it evens out, if it does, make smaller adjustments.

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Old growth, shmold growth!

If it's like my old one, shimming the table is way easier than adjusting the drum.

The problem with those machines is that, due to the flex, you can't really just set it and call it good. It can give you different results each time depending on the wood and the depth of cut.

I've had the best luck running all my plates on sleds. Run the sled through first. As guitarwhisperer said, run it a few times at the same depth. Mark the outside edge of the sled and always run it that way.

Another advantage of a sled is that it will keep you from running the drum into the conveyor. On most of those, the conveyor never stays flat and will hit the drum when sanding stuff thinner than 1/8". Ruins your paper instantly.

If you use a sled, make sure to hang on to the wood or the sander can spit it out. Lining the sled with sandpaper prevents that but keeping a hand on it works too.

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Thanks for the link to that tutorial Rod.

I'm definitely not taking off too much wood per pass, just out of adjustment.

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Formerly known as Adaboy.......

A sled is an interesting thought Kent. Would plywood remain stable enough over time to remain accurate? Seems a tiny amount of warping would mess things up.

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Formerly known as Adaboy.......

Hey Darryl,

I think I just responded to your post over at the KGF too.

I have a 16/32 I bought new a couple of years ago. I leveled the drum on it per the instructions that came with it and it's been fine ever since.

The sled/platen is a good idea, especially on thin stock and/or if your feed belt is a tad worn. I generally don't need or use one for backs and sides, but smaller pieces like head plates, etc, you might find that they can get launched out of the machine across the shop.

I used a piece of MDF and cut a slot about an inch from one end, and put a strip of hardwood in it that sticks up slightly above the surface. This will help stabelize smaller pieces and also keep them from being launched. :p

I don't have a picture of mine, but here is a picture of one I found online.

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Jim Hansen

Good suggestion Jim.......and MDF would likely be an improvement over plywood.

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Formerly known as Adaboy.......

Scanning through the post, so I may duplicate other comments.

The backer board can have sandpaper applied to the side on which the object to sand rests. This helps prevent throwing the object.

The backer board can be flipped end to end and resurfaced on the side without the sandpaper, to accomodate any gradual change in alingment of the machine.

Performax (or Jet) will likely mail you a manual free, or download from the Internet. The machine is made to be adjusted; however, the method is really crude, so I think the backer board is good.

I bought my 16-32 four or five years ago. Same as Jim, once I set it up it has been fine. On mine there are adjustment screws on the lower right hand side by the height adjustment screw. It's an extension of the cantilevered head... loosen a couple of lock screws....adjust...re-tighten lock screws. Pretty easy to figure out once you see what's going on. I also use multiple passes for finish sizing and a sled for real thin stuff.

If you want a copy of the manual, let me know and I'll send you a photocopy. I'd need to find my manual first though.

Tim

As others said, mdf works pretty well but needs to be re-flattened occasionally. I use a lip too sometimes instead of sandpaper but you have to be very careful that your work doesn't ride up over the lip. It gets pretty small and work that isn't flat can easily slip over it. Not good when that happens.....

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http://www.chassonguitars.com

I came home for lunch so decided to look at the Performax again while the lighting is better. It's and older model, model 629002. It's labled Performax 16/32 Plus on the cover.....but I'm unsure if it's the original cover (some older models don't have a dust collection port and this one does so possibly it has been replaced). It has a Leeson 1 HP motor on it.

Anyhow, there is no adjustment lever or locking nuts that you loosen to adjust......nothing. Shimming seems the only option. I'll do some Google searches and see how other folks have leveled these older models.

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Formerly known as Adaboy.......

I found this in a serch online so I'll likely do something similar. Not shims but possibly just as effective.

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Formerly known as Adaboy.......

Sorry, posted in the wrong topic.........

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Formerly known as Adaboy.......

For what it's worth, in case you need it for other adjustments, the manual for hour sander can be found on line for free in PDF at http://ec1.images-amazon.com/media/i3d/ ... 042458.pdf

Thanks Chip. Unfortunately, that manual is for serial number 629004K which is a newer model than mine (629002). Mine doesn't have the adjustment mechanisms found on the later model in the manual you linked to.

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Formerly known as Adaboy.......

I have not used a sled. Good idea. There are some applications where that will come in handy for me.

As I get close (within .010" or so) I typically run things through several times with lowering the drum. It keeps taking the surface down slowly, more smoothly, and more even thickness. To avoid snipe I run pieces end to end touching when doing two sides or two back halves. This keeps both pieces identical and the same thickness end to end.