Preliminary Semi-Gloat

I see this particular model on CL all the time. In fact there is one on sale right now.

http://ventura.craigslist.org/tls/2586274174.html

Is this a good price? I am hoping to find one between $450 to $500.

Just for Ha Ha's I did a quick search in my area and found a Delta 18/36 and a Jet 10/20 . Anyone have experience with either?

I have the jet/performax 10/20.

I like it. Its a nice little unit. I haven't really had a need to get the bigger one yet, but still kind of wish I had it's big brother.

One thing to bear in mind with all of these open ended drum sanders, there is flex in the head. Grab the drum from the open end and try and bend it. You can move it sometimes upwards of a sixteenth of an inch.
It is the weakness of this design. But it is the give part of having a sander of this type small enough to fit in most small shops as opposed to the behemoth I have in mine. Therefore it is even more critical to take very light passes when sanding to ensure parallelism. going through the grits 80 100 150 220 will move pretty quickly. The 80 really brings it down fast.
Those prices look pretty fair. They would be worth checking out and trying first before you buy.

And don't confuse these with being a planer. Yes you can take material down to size, but that's not what they are good at. You will overload the machine and cause the breaker to pop if you try to remove too much material.

Like Rich says, light passes are what they are all about.

Vaughn,

I will PM you my address and pay shipping to Idaho.

With a 3 HP Oneida DC and room in my shop, I can do it justice and you and your friend Les can drop by and use it any time you want.

Thanks Ken. You are such a giver. All give. No take. Give, give, give. I'll let Les know he's got friends all over the place.

Rich (and others), thanks for the suggestions and advice. All duly noted.