Performax 16/32 sander noise

[Derek Voigt]

I bought a used Performax 16/32 drum sander about 3 years ago. It has been a pretty good machine over the years, aside from a few issues. Recently I have been getting a rattle (for lack of better word) coming from the sander when it is on and has a piece running through it. There is no noise with no load on it, but once a work piece get loaded the noise starts.

I can't seem to find the source of the noise. Nothing appears to be loose with the sander off, however under a moderate load there were some weird sanding marks in the work piece, so maybe that is indicating that the drum (or whole head assembly) is moving slightly.

Maybe a bearing or something is starting to go? Any ideas on what the problem could be or how to fix it?

Thanks,
Derek

[Shawn Pixley]

Rattling? Doesn't sound like a bearing to me. Does it sound like it is from the drum or the conveyor? You could try to differentiate this by putting a scrap under the drum with the conveyor off. Lower the drum to get a cut and if the rattle exists it is in the drum. Otherwise, it is in the conveyor.

[Bill Orbine]

I bought a used Performax 16/32 drum sander about 3 years ago. It has been a pretty good machine over the years, aside from a few issues. Recently I have been getting a rattle (for lack of better word) coming from the sander when it is on and has a piece running through it. There is no noise with no load on it, but once a work piece get loaded the noise starts.

I can't seem to find the source of the noise. Nothing appears to be loose with the sander off, however under a moderate load there were some weird sanding marks in the work piece, so maybe that is indicating that the drum (or whole head assembly) is moving slightly.

Maybe a bearing or something is starting to go? Any ideas on what the problem could be or how to fix it?

Thanks,
Derek

Sanding marks as you say could be dirty or worn sanding medium.... Is it clogged up with glue or do you have poor dust extraction?

[Derek Voigt]

OK after getting to play with the sander more this weekend, I can say that it is not the conveyer, and it is not the sand paper itself, the paper is in pretty good condition, not burnt or clogged and I have excellent dust collection.

The house that holds the drum does seem to be vibrating alot under load. I can't tell if it is more then normal or not. There doesn't seem to be anything loose anything with excessive movement that would contribute to this. The connection there the drum connects to the motor does have a some rotational movement, but I think I remember that being there before.

So I'm stumped on this one. I'm out of sand paper but might try to change it out and see that that makes a difference. Even though the paper looks good, maybe it is just worn out.

[Bill Huber]

I have a 10-20 and my DC is not the best in the world so that my be the reason I get saw dust inside the drum and it will start to vibrate until I vacuum it out.

I converted a shop vac tool to clean out the drum, I tap on the drum with some scrap and vacuum it out.
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthre...ghlight=vacuum

[Ralph Y Thorne]

Make sure the sanding belt is tight to the drum. I've found occasionally the belt will stretch. The latch nearest the motor is designed to compensate for this, but if the belt is too loose you have to stop and re-wrap the belt. The machine makes a thumping noise when this happens and you can see marks on the wood being sanded.

[Derek Voigt]

This could be the most likely culprit... the paper is a little loose and I can't seem to make it tighter. But is was also a piece the i cut to length poorly because i was in a rush and couldn't find the instructions on how long to trim it and the measurements of the cuts to make.

[Steve Peterson]

It took me a few tries before getting reasonably tight wraps on my 22/44. The little hook tool is useless for me. It is easier to reach in with a finger to open the clip. The trailing clip is self tightening, so it helps to push the sandpaper in as far as it will go and the clip will continue pulling as it runs.

Save a piece of sandpaper that is cut to the perfect length and use that one as your marker for future pieces.

Steve

[Derek Voigt]

OK, just an update on this... Noise is still there even with sanding belt adjustment. But I did some checking between mine and the floor models at the local woodcraft and rockler and I noticed that I have some play between the black couplers that in between the drum and the motor. The floor models I looked at are solid, zero play between these ares, but I can get a good 5 degrees of play in mine.

Anyone have any experience working with this? I really don't want to pull my sander apart to get that them. I may just try some duct tape around the couplers to limit the movement.