For those that have aligned your performax via the joewoodwooker method

[Derek Voigt]

So I was reading up on methods for aligning my drum better and step 1 of the Joe woodworker method is to remove the " spring from the adjustment knob and install (2) 5/16-24" nylon lock-nuts and washers on each side of the drum adjusting bracket".

Can someone help me understand how making this change allows you to be able to adjust the drum without the need to loosen the the 4 bolts that hold it on?

Also, just for clarification, if sanding something wider then 16" the drum would have to be adjusted higher on the outboard side (according to the manual). Is that correct?

Thanks,
Derek

[Vilas Schroeder]

When I aligned mine, I ran pieces of wood through one on the inside and one one the ouside, checked thickness with a caliber, adjusted and redid the process until the pieces were equal in thickness. I do sand pieces wider than the sander that requires being turned end for end and re-run and they come out good. Biggest problem is warped or twisted material.

[John Coloccia]

Just read the JoeWoodworker method. It's really turning this into a major big deal that it's not. The adjustment knob works fine. I suggest you put slight pressure on the cantilever side of the drum while adjusting to make sure you overcome any friction. Align with a straight edge (slip underneath the drum flat until both side barely cause the drum to move), tighten down and done. It's very simple and should take but 15 to 20 minutes the first time. Do a test cut and measure with calipers. Make a fine adjustment if you have to.

If you're doing wider pieces, I suggest kicking the outer edge up just slightly so you get a feathered cut. I don't know that it says to do that in the manual, but it would make sense if it did. I would set is maybe .002" higher or something like that. It really doesn't take much. Dead flat would be fine to but you'll never get it dead flat. Think of it as a tolerance of +.005", -000".

[Robert Reece]

I just adjusted mine last week.
I agree Joe Woodworker is complicating this thing.
I took two scraps of wood about 2" tall, that I knew to be identical (run it through your planer).
I lowered the inboard side until the drum just barely kissed the wood scrap.
I put the other scrap on the outboard and adjusted knob until it just kissed that scrap.
When I tightened the four bolts, the outboard side kicked up about .010".
So I put a 0.010" feeler gauge on top of the inboard scrap.
Then adjusted the outboard until it touched the scrap.
When I tightened the four bolts, everything was perfect.