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These look like the same machine. Anyone know? And is one brand better? From viewing many posts here I've observed many Performax 10-20's, and reviews I've read are generally positive except for belt tracking problems. Anyone have input/opinions? I'm thinking of giving myself a XMas present.

CrowDuck

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Chris Nielsen
Soquel, CA.

Yup, Performax = Jet, all part of the WMH Tool Group.

I'm real happy with mine, though I think I'd probably have gone for the 16/32 if I weren't tight on space (and money at the time). But I likely won't replace it soon even if I get to move into a bigger shop.

Like Hesh said, good dust collection is a must, so budget for that.

And also, this may be a personal preference, but I wouldn't bother with anything above 80 grit on the sandpaper rolls, 60 or 80 would be good to keep around. Anything higher is easy enough to do by hand or with an ROS, and most of your finish sanding has to be done after the guitar is together.

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Jonathan Kendall, Siloam Springs AR

I also have one I love it, try to find the infeed/outfeed tables for it they realy make it better. No snipe! Take light passes at a fast rate to avoid burn marks, the tracking is very sensitive.

Hesh, most of the times burn marks are from excessive build up on the sandpaper. I clean my sandpaper with those rubberized sticks and that eliminates the burn marks....

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Peter M.
Cornerstone Guitars
http://www.cornerstoneukes.com

I use the fastest feed rate that the depth of cut will allow.
I sometimes have a problem with the paper loosening then overlapping. Anyone have a cure for that?
Ive never had tracking problems with mine.

Thanks

Al

I've got a 16-32, but the situation is much the same. I agree with Al and the other posters above. Use the fastest feed rate that won't bog the machine down. High capacity dust collection is essential. I also find that certain woods- like maple and walnut, burn easily. I expected rosewood would also burn because of the oil content, but so far, so good. It is also important to keep the paper cleaned with those rubber eraser sticks.

Also, these machines are not for bulk wood removal. You can go to 60 or 80 grit paper, but the amount of dust is huge. And the wood is very rough- takes a lot of time to go through the grits to get it smooth again. A good plane or power planer is better for this job.

Jet owns Performax...

Gene

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Gene

Politicians and diapers must be changed often, and for the same reason- Mark Twain

The only objection I have read re the 10-20 is the inability to sand joined tops and tops and that joining thinned backs and tops is more difficult and the joint my not be as strong. Is this true? How do owners of the 10-20 deal with this?

Thanks Hesh and all. Can't wait to read more

[QUOTE=Hesh1956] Not at all Bob. I sand joined tops and backs all the time.

The machine is set up to sand up to a 20" wide piece you just have to put it through twice.

Some people have reported a bit of a ridge when using double pass sanding but I never experienced this. And the ridge was easily removed with a ROS according to the posts that I read about it.

the machine is factory set up to sand something like .002 thicker on the outboard (open) end for exactly this reason - to blend two sanding passes together.

Some folks who have had the 10-20 and moved up to the 16-32 indicate that they prefered the 10-20 over the 16-32. Perhaps they will chime in here.[/QUOTE]

Yep, that's me folks, I had a 10-20, upgraded to a 16-32 and almost immediately regretted it. I could never get the accuracy with the 16-32 that I had with the 10-20. Like Hesh I had no problem sanding joined backs and tops they just went through twice, and any ridge disappeared by just showing it the ROS. I think the shorter length of the cantilever lent itself to greater accuracy. I always ran mine at a fast feed rate but a light cut. Remember they are really finishing sanders not thickness sanders, so don't try to hog off too much in one pass.

I've now gone got rid of the 16-32 and gone back to a Wagner, or hand plane.

Colin

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I don't believe in anything, I simply make use of a set of reasonable working hypotheses.

The more I use my 10-20, the more I like it. I use it mostly with 24 grit and remove wood to thickness as fast as much bigger drum sanders I've used. It's a mean little machine! So far, I haven't felt the need for anything bigger, though I probably will eventually.

The 24 grit does leave deep scratches, but I've found that if I run a piece through a few more times at slightly different angles after I've just about reached my target thickness (leaving the drum where it is) it levels the surface a fair amount and greatly reduces subsequent sanding/scraping.

Hesh, a coarser grit might solve your burning problems.

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Todd Rose
Ithaca, NY

https://www.dreamingrosesecobnb.com/todds-art-music

https://www.facebook.com/ToddRoseGuitars/