Performax drum sander

I know, I know, call on me!

Barry Irby

I faced this problem A year or two ago. Went to WoodCraft and bought what they said was an OEM belt. Fought with it tooth and nail. Tried everything I could think of to get it to run and track properly. Took it off, put it on, turned it around, put tape on the rollers. Cursed and shed a few tears. Finally called Jet and spoke to one of their techs. Asked for help. He said NO!. He had spent entirely too much time helping people try to make Brand X belts run properly. He insisted I buy a Jet belt even though it was significantly more than the WoodCraft version. I got one and put it on, ready to do battle. I was oddly disappointed that it ran perfectly right off the bat. Well almost. I still have to move it over about once every eight hours.

Jet bought the design from Performax. So, to be clear, go to Jet and buy the belt. It was money well spent.

PS, The belt was very slick on the back and must be snug to drive the wood through.

Re: Performax drum sander

DizD

Get the OEM belt. I tried one thru Klingspor Woodworking Shop at about 1/4 the price - it was a disaster. Lasted maybe 6 weeks. I think I got mine thru ereplacement parts.

Re: Performax drum sander

KenK

Just to add another data point, I had exactly the same experience as Barry and Diz. Save yourself a lot of frustration and get the OEM belt - I believe it is a 3M brand.

Re: I know, I know, call on me!

Paul Blackwell

I've gone to the Jet website, and searched for a drive belt for the drum sander, and have been unable to find one listed. Do I have to call to get results?

Re: I know, I know, call on me!

DizD

I just checked - ereplacementparts.com has the belt under the Jet tab. I've used them for several parts and always satisfied.

I just looked at Ereplacement site

Barry Irby

The price is higher than I remembered, but it appears to the the identical belt to the one I got.

I would call Jet and see if they have the same thing cheaper.

Even at the high price I would not hesitate to buy another one.

Re: I just looked at Ereplacement site

Hank Knight

I ordered a drive belt from Jet back in MAy. I couldn't find it in their online store, so I called Customer Service. They were very helpful and knew exactly what I needed. As I recall it cost about $150.00. It works fine on my Performax 16-32.

Re: Performax Conveyer

Mark Mandell - Gone Round In New Jersey

Counter to o9ther's experience, a Klingspor belt has been doing just fine on my 22-44 Pro for the last 3 years. Stabilized to the outside edge rather than centered but otherwise doing well. When it goes I'll get a new one from JET.

Re: Performax Conveyer

Barry Irby

The rollers that drive the conveyor belt are not crowned and as a result the belts must be VERY precisely made. If you are lucky and get a brand x one that is accurately made, you will be fine, but if their quality control is off it will not run properly. If the belt is a true cylinder, good, if it's even slightly conical, not so much.

I bought one from WoodCraft and after I thought it was tracking tried to sand a piece wider than the conveyor. In other words, could not see the conveyor and the belt sidled over and crashed into the frame, ruining it. Wood craft would not honor the warranty, blaming it on me. Bought a second one and struggled with it for months. Sand something, move the belt, sand something move the belt. They would not take that one back either. I kept it too long.

I did have a previous brand X belt that lasted a few years, far less than the original, but a reasonable time. That experience convinced me I could get away with a brand X belt. Not anymore.

Re: Performax Conveyer

Paul Blackwell

I got to thinking about your post about the roller not being crowned. How do you think adding tape to the front roll in the center to simulate a crown would work? Not the drive roll.

Re: Performax Conveyer

Barry Irby

I tried it. Put tape on the out feed roller. Very carefully started with one wrap about 3" in from the sides, they two wraps, then three, Etc toward the center. Tried it on the drive roller as well. Did one, both, and either. Did not work. I grew up on a farm and we had equipment that ran on belts. The rollers were crowned and the belts were slightly cupped to match the shape of the roller. The belts may have worn in and acquired their shape, but it was there. The materials of the belts were flexible enough to deform "properly".

The original conveyor belt for the Perfomax had a belt that had some sort of fiber looking backing and a lapped glued seam. I nursed that belt along with a partially failed seam for years. The belt I bought from WoodCraft appeared similar. Apparenlty it was not properly made and was a very slight cone rather than a perfect cylinder. I ruined at least two trying to get them to run.

The belt I got from Jet is some sort of film and is made by 3M. Has the wavy butt jointed seam. It runs well, but you must be careful and not allow it to "crash" into the guides along the underside edge of the conveyor assembly. It will shred the edge of the belt.

The only thing I don't like about the 3M belt (aside from the price) is the fact the backside is very slick and the so are the tiny drive rollers. The belt must be very snug to create enough friction to make it reliably carry the wood through. Some sort of grippy coating on the drive roller seems like a good idea and I have considered spraying it with contact cement or something but am concerned it attract sawdust. I am concerned about cranking down on the tensioners to hard and bursting the belt.

On a side note, I also have a Grizzly dual drum sander. It has it's own problems. Changed it from loading sandpaper directly on the aluminum drums to the hook and loop system. I could write at least a chapter in the book about that problem. Putting the sandpaper on was essentially a two person job and I have no one to help. The conveyor on this sander is interesting. Some sort of rubber belt with a textured surface. Tracks and works very well. One thing that makes it interesting is that the drums turn in the direction that drags the wood through and the conveyor resists throwing it through and controls the speed. The sanding drums have about a three HP motor but the one on the belt is very small, maybe a 1/4 HP.

I think you should quit trying to reinvent the Performax and improve it, buy the 3M belt and get on with wood working. I would rather work in the shop and on the shop.