How many more projects could you complete in a year if you cut your sanding time by 75 percent? Put down that random orbital and check this out. This open-ended drum sander allows you to quickly sand materials up to 32 inches wide with just two passes through the machine. The 16-32 Plus has a 14 amp, 1-1/2-horsepower, continuous-duty motor, which means it will work harder for longer. The drum operates at 1,700 rpm while the feed adjusts infinitely between 0 and 10 feet per minute. More importantly, Performax invented a special spring clip to hold the end of the sandpaper roll, which makes for quick and easy paper changes, which is much more convenient than the changes of competing systems. And, while it's great for sanding larger boards, this Performax machine can also handle pieces as small as 2-1/4 inches long. Parallel alignment of the drum is a simple turn of a precision thumbscrew on the side of the machine, while competing machines require two wrenches. Making this adjustment quickly and accurately is critical. When sanding larger boards in two passes, it's best to set the drum slightly off parallel so you end up with a small hump in the middle, which the user can quickly fix with a random orbit sander, rather than ending up with a valley, which ruins the piece. This Performax also features a ceramic tracking guide to reduce the number of adjustments needed during sanding. Worried about snipe? You can adjust the foot-pounds of pressure and/or the contact to the roller. Try that with other drum sanders. Because the machine is of such burly construction and the parallel adjustment of the arm is so simple, the drum arm doesn't suffer from flexing problems. Use this tool instead of a planer, or park them side-by-side in your shop. This tool is a dream for small commercial shops or anyone who just hates sanding. --Nancy Gleason
