Product Description

Self-cooling, precision-machined and balanced 5" x 16" extruded aluminum drum. Drum operates at 1,725 RPM. Continuous-duty, motor allows heavier use for longer periods. Precision-flattened reinforced steel conveyor bed. No-give power feed conveyor belt. Zinc-plated steel tension rollers mount next to the drum. Drum height and downward pressure are adjustable, eliminating snipe. 1/16" per turn height adjustment, height adjustment handle allows both radical height changes and minute adjustments for extremely precise sanding thickness control. Infinitely variable feed rate from 0 to 10 feet per minute for surface, dimension, and finish sanding. Minimum of 400 to 600 CFM dust collection recommended. Minimal assembly required. Drum ball bearings are sealed and permanently lubricated. 20 Amp service required. Overload-protected power switch located on front of machine base for easy access. Standard Equipment: One 80 grit abrasive strip; One 100 grit abrasive conveyor belt; TufTool; TRACKERS; Metal stand with shelf; One box Ready-To-Wrap abrasives; 4" dust port.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #15704 in Home Improvement
• Brand: Jet
• Model: 629004K

Features

• Drum sander and stand with 1-1/2-horsepower motor that delivers 1,700 rpm
• Sands stock up to 32 inches wide in two passes and within 1/100-inch uniform thickness
• Aluminum self-cooling drum; reinforced steel conveyor bed; zinc-plated steel tension rollers; aluminum stand
• Includes sander, stand, box of abrasives, 1 TufTool
• 145 pounds; 5-year warranty

Amazon.com Review
How many more projects could you complete in a year if you cut your sanding time by 75 percent? Put down that random orbital and check this out. This open-ended drum sander allows you to quickly sand materials up to 32 inches wide with just two passes through the machine. The 16-32 Plus has a 14 amp, 1-1/2-horsepower, continuous-duty motor, which means it will work harder for longer. The drum operates at 1,700 rpm while the feed adjusts infinitely between 0 and 10 feet per minute. More importantly, Performax invented a special spring clip to hold the end of the sandpaper roll, which makes for quick and easy paper changes, which is much more convenient than the changes of competing systems. And, while it's great for sanding larger boards, this Performax machine can also handle pieces as small as 2-1/4 inches long.

Parallel alignment of the drum is a simple turn of a precision thumbscrew on the side of the machine, while competing machines require two wrenches. Making this adjustment quickly and accurately is critical. When sanding larger boards in two passes, it's best to set the drum slightly off parallel so you end up with a small hump in the middle, which the user can quickly fix with a random orbit sander, rather than ending up with a valley, which ruins the piece. This Performax also features a ceramic tracking guide to reduce the number of adjustments needed during sanding. Worried about snipe? You can adjust the foot-pounds of pressure and/or the contact to the roller. Try that with other drum sanders. Because the machine is of such burly construction and the parallel adjustment of the arm is so simple, the drum arm doesn't suffer from flexing problems. Use this tool instead of a planer, or park them side-by-side in your shop. This tool is a dream for small commercial shops or anyone who just hates sanding. --Nancy Gleason

From the Manufacturer
The patented design of Performax's 16-32 drum sander lets you sand stock as wide as 32 inches on the 16-inch drum in two passes--with results within .010 of an inch uniform thickness. The 5-by-16-inch extruded aluminum drum is self-cooling and precisely machined. The new continuous motor delivers more torque. The drum operates at 1700 rpm. Power feed conveyor belt features "no give" design. Height and downward pressure are adjustable. One turn of the handle equals 1/16 of an inch up or down. Variable feed rate adjust from 0-10 feet per minute for surface, dimension, and finish sanding. The stand is strong and steady.

Customer Reviews

Dream Machine
I read some of the reviews of this sander in which they referred to it being a problem to adjust correctly, and it, like any other precision machine will need to be adjusted to it's correct settings after you put it together. But so far, after running hundreds of small boards through it, (a whole set of kitchen cabinets) I haven't had to adjust the drum at all. The feed belt only needs slight adjustment but you do that mainly with it in motion after the basic tension is in place. In the instructions it says basically to let the outside end of the drum be slightly higher than the motor end so as to not end up with a groove when sanding a wide board. And this works like a dream since generally speaking, every board that you sand will need multiple passes. (at a light setting) So this allows you to start on the "light" end and work your way to the "heavy" end. Of course I'm talking about less than 1/64" difference from one end to the other, but that's a lot when you're sanding. (as someone else said, "this is not a planer")
This sander is powerful, quiet, and solid and it automatically adjust the speed of the feed belt to account for the drag on the motor if you have it set to heavy.
YOU WILL NEED A DUST COLLECTION SYSTEM. A shop vac works but you will be stopping every 5 minutes to clean out the clogged filter. And I would also recommend buying good quality belts. I bought some "cheaper" belts and found, at least with the finer grit, that after not too long, they clog (or fray) and will burn a stripe on the boards. But that's my own fault for trying to be "frugal". (cheap actually) The pre cut belts that come with the sander are far better quality.
I own several JET machines and this one ,like all JETs, did not disappoint.
If you've got a lot of sanding to do and want boards that are perfect, smooth and true this is a great machine for the job. And even though I'm not "rollin in the dough", this was well worth the money.
I highly recommend it.
(and if the JET company wants to pay me to write JET on the roof of my shop, I'd be more than happy to do it because they've made me a believer)

improved model
After reading everything 43 other people had to say about this sander I decided to get one. It came with free shipping a lot faster than expected. Every thing was in good shape. The most common complaint I read about it was its habit of tripping off with very little load. I think maybe Jet has taken steps to correct that. My sander came with an automatic speed control that slows it down when it senses too high current use. I intentionally set it op to sand way too much in a single pass. The light came on and the feed belt slowed to a crawl . It kept right on sanding at that slow rate untill the pass was completed. Took a long time but nothing stopped and nothing was damaged. I think it is a nice feature. I wonder if it can be retro fitted to older sanders. Now that it is available I sure wouldnt buy one that didnt have it.
A nice machine. Not a planer but it isnt intended to be one.


I am adding to my review about two months after I first wrote it. I use the sander almost every day and couldnt be happier with it. I just happened to read an article in an old wood working magazine that other users of drum sanders might find as valuable as I did.
The sanding belts for these machines are pricey. Once loaded with pitch or maybe glue they seem to be worthless.Seven or eight bucks for a new one adds up in a hurry. Get yourself a bottle of Murphy oil soap and rub a little on the belt. Put it in a container of warm water and let it soak over night. Scub it with a stiff brush and let it dry. It comes out just like new. I got a big bottle of the soap at Walmart for $3 or so and have cleaned 5 belts so far and my bottle isnt more than a third gone.A LOT cheaper than new belts. Now I got a little more money for wood. (Dont tell my wife)

Good Quality
Good quality and performance. I couldn't live without this sander. My only complaint is that you have to adjust the tilt of the drum quite frequently. I have heard that this is pretty normal though. Don't waste your money buying the individual rolls of paper. Buy large rolls and cut them yourself. It is at least 1/4 of the price.