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I have an opportunity to buy this thickness sander. Apparently it is made in the U.S. so it must be quite a bit older? Not sure if I should make an offer? I think the guy is asking 650 (cnd) but that seems steep.

Thanks

Looks solid... any idea $?

i bought a newer performax 6/32 found on kijiji for 400. most guys around here get theirs used between 4 and 5 i would say 600+ is a little much especially when that looks to be a bit of an older model. is it a 1.5 hp motor? id say offer him 400 and see what he thinks. in the end it all depends on what your willing to spend. i think 650 is a good deal considering the thing was probably 1200 brand new. I don't mind using old tools some of that stuff was built to last i have a 22 year old band saw that works like a charm.

Sometimes used sanders come with a good supply of (new) sanding belt material, so that can be something to put into your calculations.
'Used' can be a pretty wide range- some of these sanders are coming out of small pro shops where they have processed a lot of material; others are from home shops where they were only used a few times.
And Cdn prices tend to be a bit higher than in the US, in my limited experience. So I'd probably offer more than $400.

In any event, check over the unit very well- I learned through hard experience that a little-used sander can have a manufacturing/setup defect that can cause problems once you put it to solid work.

A sander like this is a very useful tool- you will enjoy having one. I recall (?) you have good dust extraction already, which is a must.

Cheers
John

Yeah, I figured somewhere around $450-500 ish is reasonable.
John- Yes I do have good dust extraction. What exactly do you look out for when checking one out?
My first thought was to take a thin back or top like piece and check for how even it comes out on each end, but that is adjustable anyway right?

I'd separate the checkout into two stages (knowing what I do now)...
At the sellers place:
Let it run with the conveyor at highest speed while you are talking- does the feed motor heat up with no load? Is there vibration from the main drum? Does the conveyor speed control work?
Will it sand ? (remember these tools take a light cut..)
Then have a look at the paper clamps- do they work, not mangled...
Drum bearings - slop?
Have a close look at the sleeve bearings for the conveyor drums, and the tension adjusters for the conveyor drums. Cracked/broken bearings or broken castings on the tensioner happen if too much tension has been cranked on.....

At home-
All the above again, and give particular attention to the conveyor rollers, which were a problem with my (not Performax ..used sander). Make sure they are turning freely with the conveyor belt off. They may need a drop of oil. I had to add some shims to keep the bearings from 'squeezing' the ends of the rollers and causing binding.

You can fine adjust the bed to drum distance but I've found it's easier to make up some dedicated carrier boards- they help to keep the sandpaper away from the conveyor. If you thickness the carrier board in the sander (mark the orientation on the carrier) then any 'taper' in the cut is corrected.


Cheers
John

I picked up new Delta 18/36 off Amazon earlier this month for $999 including shipping!

That's a good deal if you are in the USA, but amazon.com doesn't ship tools to Canada and amazon.ca doesn't sell tools yet, last time I checked.

John

I dunno, I sold my 10-20 used for 450. That 16-32 has a stand. $600 gets it, I am sure. If I was in the market I would take $600 green with me to the party and be willing to leave with it as well. It will go for 600.

I'd take a straightedge to check the table and the drum and, if necessary, the conveyor drive roller.

The conveyor belt is tracked way off to the right side; it may need adjustment or replacement. If you can't adjust the tracking nuts to get it tracking well, there may be a problem with the conveyor bearings. None of that's a big deal but are good negotiating points. A new belt is around $60, I think (it's been a while since I sold my 16-32).

If you get it, definitely call Performax, now Supermax, and try to get a pair of the ceramic belt guides. They solve the tracking problem.

Also check the large bolts that hold the drum assembly. They're at the bottom of the cast aluminum arch, near the motor. You use them to adjust the drum parallel to the table. On mine, they ate into the aluminum casting making it difficult to get a really precise adjustment. I solved that by replacing bolts and nuts, using washers under the bolt heads and nuts and carefully torquing them. Worked fine.

If you don't have to replace too many parts, $600 seems reasonable.

Rick
Running Dog Guitars

Just bought that same sander and paid $350...he's asking to much!

You guys in the States are comparing apples to oranges. You have to remember that Edward is in remote Ontario. Make an offer at about 35% less than asking, then dicker back and forth. Don't chase it and you will get it if you want it.

Bob

A 16/32 retails for about £750.00 in the UK that is about 1300 Canadian $ - half price seems a little high for second user machine. If it were 1- 5 years old than maybe. I paid £250.00 UKP for mine secondhand and it is by far the most labour saving device I own.

J

Who ever buys that sander is best advised to modify or replace the top hood. The older models, as shown in the image, only had around a 2 1/2" dust extraction outlet and that is just not enough to prevent the paper gumming up. This is why the later models went to 4", it gets the dust out and lets the belt run cooler. That is a point that should let you barter down the price a bit, take along an image an show the guy the newer model when the time comes to cut the deal if you decide to go for it. As an aside, Boba makes a good point, Canada is not the USA and if the same sander came up here in AU for $650 it would be snapped up real quick.

Cheers

Kim

Don't confuse the new models with the older ones. The older ones were WAY more substantial. That has a Leeson motor on it and it is a real work horse. As long as it is in good shape and runs well you will probably get many many years of use out of this.

One other thing to check. Check the threads and the condition of the shaft and plate where it elevates the drum. I wore mine out (after about 11 years of fairly heavy use) and completely stripped it. It is back in action now, but ultimately it took a trip to a machine shop and a lot of messing around.

_________________
Brock Poling
Columbus, Ohio
http://www.polingguitars.com

Thanks for all the helpful replies.

Just talked to the guy and he says he was asking 750-800 and said the lowest he would go is 600.
Plus it has tracking problems.

That tracking issue wouldn't slow me down. That is a little tricky to get set up right, but it is doable.

_________________
Brock Poling
Columbus, Ohio
http://www.polingguitars.com

I bet those magnetic ceramic guides would work just fine on this. Kim has a good point about the small DC port, but that would not slow me down too much. Brock's point about the threads is a wise one. I bet this tool is at least 6 years old.

Apparently it is 10 years old. Personally dont get how someone can expect to get 1/2(?) of the price they paid for something ten years ago. Whether or not it is a solid tool.

Especially when you can get newer models for that price. Be patient. Keep searching.I bought a 22-44 from amazon with a stand for $999 recently.