Getting the drum parallel

joel · Post by **joel** » Sun Jan 04, 2009 3:43 pm

G'day all,

I've got a 2nd hand Performax 16-32 that I've re-assembled sitting out in my garage. Everything works which is good, but I can't get the drum parallel to the table. As far as I can see there is no fine adjustment for this?

I've been trying to hold it level (or use a piece of MDF to keep the drum level) and tighten the bolts that hold the motor/drum assembly on. But it doesn't work too well.

I don't have a manual and I can't find a copy online.

Does anyone have any pointers? Does anyone know of an online manual?

graham mcdonald · Post by **graham mcdonald** » Sun Jan 04, 2009 4:35 pm

Try shimming the outboard edge of the assembly that holds the drive belt. Run a pice of fairly wide timber through and measure the difference in thickness, and that should give an indication of how much it is out of parallel. I have a Carbatec 16/32 and I had to do that when I got it new. It is probably now .5mm out between the inside and the outside but I suspect that the cantilever construction means there will always be some flex in it. It will mean that thicknessing soundboards and backs will have some discrepancy in thickness, but by flipping the plates after each pass they will end up being a little thinner on the edges and that is usually OK anyway. STill easier than doing it with a plane and a sanding block

cheers

graham

Allen · Post by **Allen** » Sun Jan 04, 2009 5:05 pm

I don't have the 16/32, but the Cairns Woodworkers Guild does, and they have the manual somewhere as well. I had to set theirs up about a year ago now, and as I recall, it's done with some bolts at the base of the housing that holds the drum. They're not obvious, nor easy to access, and it was a total PITA to adjust. Took a couple of hours with 2 of us, and it's just a heck of a lot of trial and error until you can live with it.

With the 16/32 you have to be aware that the further out that you put stock, the more deflection that you are going to get in the drum, even when everything is dead level.

If you get it close, you can always get a piece of MDF that is 16" wide and run it through the sander until its sanded evenly across the whole piece. Mark which side it inboard, and outboard. This piece of MDF now becomes your new platen that is dead parallel to the drum. Run your stock on it as you pass both through the sander.

DarwinStrings · Post by **DarwinStrings** » Sun Jan 04, 2009 5:14 pm

Hi Joel

Unless yours is a different model to my Performax 16/32 yours should have a adjustment as mine does ( see pic ). To adjust it I losened the bolts that hold the sander frame to the base plate not all four but just the two that are closest to the drum or feed belt. I then wound the adjuster down till I could tell by eye that the outer edge of the drum was higher, that is the end of the drum furthest away from the motor. I then ran a piece of wood through close to the motor to get a thickness at that side, Then ran it throught the outer edge and wound the adjuster til the drum just touched the piece of wood being fed through. I just kept feeding that piece through on both extremes of the drum and adjusting slightly till they matched. That is to say i could hear the drum just touching the wood as it was being fed through.
The manual does it differently but this method did me.

Good luck and ask again if you can't manage from that description.

Jim

Allen · Post by **Allen** » Sun Jan 04, 2009 5:21 pm

That's different than the one I had to adjust Jim. That looks like a heck of a lot easier to work on.

Lillian · Post by **Lillian** » Mon Jan 05, 2009 3:53 am

Joel, there is an article on the Joe Woodworker site on your sander that you might find of use.

http://www.joewoodworker.com/performax.htm

There are several other articles, especially about vacuum presses that are interesting as well.

DarwinStrings · Post by **DarwinStrings** » Mon Jan 05, 2009 11:29 am

Well found Lillian. I thought the idea of that spring was not quite right. I will be but replacing it with nuts and bolts myself now.

Jim

joel · Post by **joel** » Mon Jan 05, 2009 2:01 pm

Thanks for the replies guys.

Toejam,
Mine has nothing like what you've shown in the pic. That'd be ideal if I had one. In fact my frame looks completely different from yours. I think mine might be an earlier model.

Thanks for the link Lillian. Great ideas there for setup despite the differences between my machine and the one on the website.

I might have to get a cantilever type thingy (thats a technical term BTW) made up to retrofit to mine

Lillian · Post by **Lillian** » Mon Jan 05, 2009 3:34 pm

Joel, check out this thread on the OLF http://www.luthiersforum.com/forum/view ... 01&t=19706

I think David's sander might be the same as yours.

Kim · Post by **Kim** » Tue Jan 06, 2009 12:59 am

Lillian,

That is a great link to the Joe Woodworker Performax Page. I have been to his site many times and he is one clever cookie, but his tip for set up a 16/32 is real Frank Ford stuff. Thank you

Cheers

Kim

Lillian · Post by **Lillian** » Tue Jan 06, 2009 1:28 pm

You are most welcome gentlemen. I was looking for tips on the 10/20 and came across that one. It's useless for me, but I'm glad that someone could use it.

Allen · Post by **Allen** » Tue Jan 06, 2009 5:54 pm

Lillian, did you find any tips on the 10/20?

I've been living with the belt tracking full to the outboard side. It really bugs me that I can't get it to track the other way, but at least it's sanding level, and doesn't seem to be chewing up the side of the drive belt. Perhaps I should leave it alone, but it's just not in my nature.

ZOOTMAN · Post by **ZOOTMAN** » Tue Jan 06, 2009 7:37 pm

Manuals available here.

http://www.wmhtoolgroup.com/Categories.aspx

Lillian · Post by **Lillian** » Tue Jan 06, 2009 11:29 pm

Sorry Allen, I haven't been looking for a tracking solution. I do remember it being discussed over on the OLF. And I think that they came to the same conclusion you did, just leave it alone, it isn't hurting anything. I'll let you know if I do come across anything though.

Allen · Post by **Allen** » Wed Jan 07, 2009 6:23 am

Bob, I've got the same manual as the one that is downloadable. But the instructions are next to useless as far as setting up tracking goes. Thanks for the effort.

Australian/New Zealand Luthiers Forum

Getting the drum parallel

Getting the drum parallel

Who is online