Jet 22-44 Drum Sander - help needed with setup/usage

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03-19-2013, 2:33 AM
Steve Imber

Jet 22-44 Drum Sander - help needed with setup/usage

Hi Everyone,

I'm looking for some info from people who have Jet (Performax) drum sanders. Mine is a 22-44 but I guess the particular issue I have may have come up with the 16-32 model as well.

The issue - when I lower the drum head down to sand to approx 3mm or less, I hear contact between the sanding belt and conveyor belt. This only happens on a certain section of the conveyor belt and it appears to be around the "join" in the conveyor belt. The belt seems to have a slight "bulge" upwards both in front of and behind the join. As this is a new machine (< 4 months old) and hasn't been heavily used, I don't think this has been caused by wear. I noted that my previous Jet drum sander had the same issue.

My question is whether other Jet owners have experienced this issue and if so, how they rectified the issue. I don't believe this is a drum alignment problem. I feel confident I have aligned the drum correctly and accurately. I believe I have tensioned to conveyor belt as per the Jet manual. I'm wondering whether further tensioning the conveyor belt may lessen the "bulge" but I am wary of overtensioning and perhaps bending the rollers.

As a final question, am I asking too much to be able to sand guitar back and sides down to 2mm without using some sort of sled (which would probably eliminate the isue)? Although Jet describes the lower limit as 0.8mm, is this just not possible given the conveyor belt construction?

Would a poly belt fix this issue if they are available for the 22-44?

I hope some experienced drum sander users will be able to shed some light on this issue for me both in terms of set up and usage when they sand guitar backs and sides or similar thin strips down to final thickness.

Thanks,
Steve.
03-19-2013, 2:58 AM
Bill Wyko

I have one and have experienced the same thing, while it is anoying, I've never done anything about it. I've also had belts tear into pieces when going thin and close to the closed end. I think the sled is the safest bet.
03-19-2013, 5:28 AM
Herr Dalbergia

Hello,

I have the same machine 22-44 and use it for the same thing...building guitars. And mine is exactly doing the same stuff like yours...

The belt being normal sandpaper is of course a bad idea from yet. It reacts on temperature and humidity changes, it stays rolled up where it was against the rolls for a while, then you get a bulb..and so on....but actually it all doesnt matter. But yes, I am also using a sled, just makes it more accurate and easier to use for me.

If you ever find a poly belt, let me know ;)

cheers, ALex

https://picasaweb.google.com/115793185519493121307
03-19-2013, 8:16 AM
John Coloccia

I've been looking for a poly belt and never found one for the 22-44. Anyhow, I've found that my dust collection sucks the conveyor into the drum, so I close the blast gate a little when it's idling and open it back up with it's running pieces. It's extremely annoying. The other solution is to use a sled. Mine is just wood with sandpaper on it. I called up Jet and gave them a piece of my mind about their spec, and they completely blew me off...and they've never updated their specs so I can only assume they don't care if their specs are accurate. It's completely bogus. You pretty much need to use a sled, and I'm not happy because I was going to buy a better unit but balked because their minimum sanding thickness meant I didn't need a sled....but I do need a sled.

Bottom line is that I wouldn't buy it again if I had it to do over. I do instrument building on mine too, btw. It's when sanding sides and tops/backs that I run into the issues. It's fine for everything else. I've recently started putting heavy duty Abranet on mine and it's incredible. I just wish if hit it's specs because if it did it would be a really great machine.
03-19-2013, 9:09 AM
Cary Falk

Why not get a new conveyor belt for some place like industrial abrasive? They will custom make any size for you. They are about half of what an OEM belt is. That would be half of Grizzly prices are so that would be about 1/4 Jet prices. :DI have on on my Grizzly 18/36 with no issues. I have sanded things down to paper thin.
03-19-2013, 9:41 AM
Dick Mahany

Mine does the same thing also. I built a new top cover with a 6" port and have an aftermarket conveyor belt on it. As noted earlier, I can hear it worsening when my 3HP cyclone is running. I have only sanded down to ~0.060" and not had problems, but I do like the sled idea and think that's next on my list.
03-19-2013, 10:24 AM
Carl Beckett

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cary Falk

Why not get a new conveyor belt for some place like industrial abrasive? They will custom make any size for you. They are about half of what an OEM belt is. That would be half of Grizzly prices are so that would be about 1/4 Jet prices. :DI have on on my Grizzly 18/36 with no issues. I have sanded things down to paper thin.

I have purchased replacement belts from them, and it worked well. There will always be some type of seam though, so not sure how much is a problem for you....
03-19-2013, 10:52 AM
John Coloccia

I've had hit or miss results with aftermarket belts. They're a little bit cheaper but I've found that the Jet/Performax belts consistently track well and the aftermarket belts sometimes do and sometimes don't. One idea I had, though I haven't pursued it yet, is modifying the unit to have a little spring loaded bearing hold down on either end of the drum that will press down on the conveyor when the drum gets close. It's on The List.
03-19-2013, 11:37 AM
Dick Mahany

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Coloccia

I've had hit or miss results with aftermarket belts. They're a little bit cheaper but I've found that the Jet/Performax belts consistently track well and the aftermarket belts sometimes do and sometimes don't......

I can understand. My original Jet belt never tracked consistently and wound up getting damaged for about 1/2" along one edge. The aftermarket belt tracks perfectly, but it doesn't grip stock as well as the original. Maybe I'll go back to an OEM next time.
03-19-2013, 9:41 PM
Steve Imber

Quote:

Originally Posted by Herr Dalbergia

Hello,

I have the same machine 22-44 and use it for the same thing...building guitars. And mine is exactly doing the same stuff like yours...

The belt being normal sandpaper is of course a bad idea from yet. It reacts on temperature and humidity changes, it stays rolled up where it was against the rolls for a while, then you get a bulb..and so on....but actually it all doesnt matter. But yes, I am also using a sled, just makes it more accurate and easier to use for me.

If you ever find a poly belt, let me know ;)

cheers, ALex

https://picasaweb.google.com/115793185519493121307

Hi Alex,

re: source for a poly belt - I have searched for a while and the only reference I can find to a supplier was in this post at NCWoodworkers Forum (http://www.ncwoodworker.net/forums/s...ad.php?t=47013). This probably won't do me any good as I live in Australia but the post does mention a business in AZ (with web details) where they have been purchased and there is a few pictures to show one fitted to a Performax 22-44. The post was from late last year so I don't know whether they advice is still current. I have looked at the web site but there is no specific mention of the belts - I guess you will have to e-mail or phone. Let me know if anything pans out with them (maybe they will post international :))

Regards,
Steve
03-21-2013, 1:11 AM
Steve Imber

Hi Everyone,

just a quick post to say thanks for all the info supplied. After finding no info when googling on this issue, it has become apparent that this is a common issue with Jet/Performax drum sanders.

Anyway, thanks again!

Regards,
Steve.