Dual Drum Sander Recommendations

[DWSmith]

I want to replace the 22-44 Performax sander I now have in the shop with a heavier duty 24" dual drum sander. I have studied and compared the Grizzly, Woodtech, General, Steel City and PowerMatic from Internet descriptions and photos.

Does anyone on this forum have a similar unit and what are the recommendations?

 

[Bill Clemmons]

David, I have the Performax 37x2 dual drum sander. If I had it to do over again, I think I would op for a wide belt sander rather than the "wrap-around" type. Changing the belts can be quite a PITA. It would have to be easier to change a single belt than wrap those 3" strips.

HTH

Bill

 

[robliles]

David,

I recently purchased the Woodtech 25" dual drum sander. This was a replacement for a Performax 22/44 single drum unit. There are a couple of things about this machine that you might want to know. First, it requires a 30 amp circuit. I have just enough electrical experience to be dangerous so this was not too big a problem. If you don't have the ability to wire it yourself, that is an additional cost involved. Second, the owners manual for this machine is probably the worst manual I have ever seen. Unless you are good and figuring things out for yourself, this might be a problem. I did have to adjust the trailing drum to be parallel with the leading drum as it came pretty mush out of line. Beyond all this, I am very satisfied with this machine and have found more and more uses for it. I was a little worried about having a 25" width limit but soon realized that I was would rarely ever need capacity wider than 25" and could work around it when I did. I don't find having to wrap the drums too much trouble and can do so in just a couple of minutes. Good luck on your search for a good sander. I like mine.

Rob Liles

 

[toolferone]

I have the grizzly 24' dual drum and I am not a huge fan of it. My biggest issue is how the sandpaper mounts. It is very awkward with one person if you don't have the velcro method, and with the velcro the instructions have you using strapping tape to keep the ends from coming loose and flapping around. There is no adjustment for the drums at all. The rear drum uses a piece of felt to have it sand lower then the 1st drum. You can down load the instruction manual on there web-site if you want to check it out.

 

[DWSmith]

Mostly my concern is dollars. The plan is to update the dust collection in its entirety in the next two months, add a second cabinet saw for ripping, get an updated drum sander and some other things. I want a wide belt sander but the shop I work with in High Point has a very nice 37" wide belt sander that I rent time on so buying a wide belt is somewhat out of the question. Power isn't a problem, I have a bank of 3 transformers and another bank or 6 just outside the shop so I can get just about anything I want.

I was looking at the Grizzly variable speed 24" dual drum sander but Toms review has soured me there. Woodtech looks pretty good but I am a little thrown off by it. Don't ask my why, I just don't know. I saw a General sander but there aren't any dealers around so it is a bit of a crap shoot there although I found some reviews for the General unit that sound promising.

Does anyone know of a General dealer in the state?

 

[Mike Wilkins]

I am also looking at the same type sander for myself to replace my Performax 16-32. All the machines in this category appear to be similar except for the Grizzly, which I have not heard any positive comments on. My short list of machines as of today are the Woodtek and Laguna. I like the idea of running 2 consecutive sanding grits, which should cut down on sanding, except for the final finish sanding stage.
I have only seen one of the Woodtek machines outside of the showroom, and the owner says I should get the 37" machine. I don't think I would need that much capacity, and it has a much higher power requirement than I have in my shop.
I hope to have a gloat soon. Hope you do too.

 

[DWSmith]

My research into the dual drum sanders has failed to come up with any reviews that seem positive. So rather than continue down that path, I am going to switch gears and look for a wide belt sander. Primarily I have been considering a 24" wide belt sander since I can use a 37" wide belt sander in High Point for the big jobs and keep the power requirements at a minimum.

So far a Grizzly 24" is looking good but that may change. I can get a two head sander off an auction but In'm not real convinced about buying a big piece of equipment like that from an auction.

 

[eyekode]

Not sure how you feel about used but with the economy like it us you see pretty good deals often. Irsauctions comes to mind.
Salem