AEM 37" Wide Belt Sander - Any Opinions?

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438
Location
Grand Rapids, MI
So, for whatever reason I keep getting calls for jobs like "I am re-doing my entire kitchen, and I would really love to have butcher block counter tops. Do you do that kind of work?" Of course, I do. However, I don't have a wide belt sander in house, and the sanding usually gets subbed out. Given the fact that I have had a surprising numbers of inquiries of this nature in a very short time span, I think it may be time to invest in a new machine. I am looking at getting a 37" wide belt, (75" length belt). Right now I might be able to get my hands on an AEM. Any experience with this brand? I know that AEM has service and parts support through Timesavers, which seems like a plus. Any and all comments and opinions are welcome. Thanks!

- Hutch
 
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Ok i know you asked for opinions on the machine but i am gonna tell you my thoughts on the whole idea. You aint gonna like my comments but i aint gonna sleep if i dont let you see the other side.

1) Save your capital dont buy a machine at least just yet. January is coming and you gonna need to pay rent on that new shop and things will get quieter. So if you have spare loot right now save it to invest in marketing your business in the leaner time.

2) An enquiry is and enquiry not and order. If you had 4 or 5 orders of this kind or even more under your belt then i would say maybe consider it depending on what cost it involved to sub it out.

3) I am gonna go on a limb and bet you think that you not closing the deals because of cost and that one element you could cut out is the cost of subbing it out thereby making yourself cheaper and you think closing the order. If that is your belief then take out the cost of subbing it and eat that cost initially to test your point. When you have proven it on 4 jobs you have secured because you have now reduced your price and margin due to no subbing cost then yeah i would say consider a wide belt sander. But if i were one of your shareholders i would be saying prove to me you getting a wide belt sander will secure the orders.

Guys in small business are too quick to pull the trigger on new machines. If you were in a business with several shareholders they would ask you questions to support your capital spending.

If you were in a hobby/retired and have the capital then go ahead and have the convenience. But i would argue you better off allocating that coin to another function at the right time rather than buying the machine at this stage.

If on the other hand you were setting up to do cutting boards on a mass production basis and this was going to be the primary part of the business, well then i see it as an essential tool in the business and different story.

Sorry just my five cents to help you keep focus. :) Apologies in advance if i am offending you for my blunt comments.
 
Thanks for the comments guys!

Rob- I don't mind people being blunt, so no worries. I totally get what you are saying. I haven't had an opportunity to close the deals partly due to the fact that I am too busy to meet the necessary timelines. I want to hire some part time help and take on more work. That said, I wouldn't be buying the machine simply "in hopes" of getting the work. It would partly be a purchase of opportunity. (I have found a pretty darn good deal.) I keep going back and forth in my head as to whether it's the right time or not, but I have good work on the books through mid-February, with a bunch of other work kinda floating in limbo (yes, I know that's not work I can count on :) ) In particular, right after Christmas there is a specific customer that I will be contacting to see if she still needs someone to do all new wood counters in her kitchen. If I get this job then there is no question I will buy the machine because of its affordable price.

Whatever happens, I am being careful to leave money in the bank. Thanks!

- Hutch
 
Matt, sorry but I don't know much about what kind of work you do however in my shop a wide belt has stepped me up several notches. I do kitchens, baths and such and have done a maple countertop or two. The additiion of a wide belt to my shop was a very good investment. I save lots of time sanding and can produce work way above the quality that I was able to do before when I only had a drum sander. (YUK) I have a timesavers "speed sander" its an entry level machine but a serious machine none the less.
 
Hey Jim,

That's interesting to hear. Right now my business is producing a wide range of custom products. My niche market is spindle turning/turning replication/architechtural turning. Fine custom furniture meets a slightly broader market, and beyond that what I do is market driven (if someone calls me to make a walnut kitchen island top, I'm not going to say "I don't do that.") So the fact that your investment has really helped you is good to know. Cuz one thing that has been happening is a rapid upswing in phone calls regarding all sorts of custom kitchen work, and right now it's looking like there won't be a "slow season" this year. Now I just have to find some competant and skilled help. It's a good place to be :bliss:, but I definitely have to be very careful not to move too fast.

Thanks, and Merry Christmas y'all!
-Hutch
 
Hey Jim,

That's interesting to hear. Right now my business is producing a wide range of custom products. My niche market is spindle turning/turning replication/architechtural turning. Fine custom furniture meets a slightly broader market, and beyond that what I do is market driven (if someone calls me to make a walnut kitchen island top, I'm not going to say "I don't do that.") So the fact that your investment has really helped you is good to know. Cuz one thing that has been happening is a rapid upswing in phone calls regarding all sorts of custom kitchen work, and right now it's looking like there won't be a "slow season" this year. Now I just have to find some competant and skilled help. It's a good place to be :bliss:, but I definitely have to be very careful not to move too fast.

Thanks, and Merry Christmas y'all!
-Hutch

Moving too fast is something you don't want to do and it is ill advised. Stay within your comfort range of skills and move forward slowly. I've always had a policy and have never once broken it. Pay cash for all tool purchases and building improvements. NEVER FINANCE ANYTHING

I've just recently completed a brand new shop across the state from where we had lived for 28 years, when I get my new house done I'll open the shop for business. We sold out back in June and moved over to be around the grandkids as they grow up. Gutsy move for an old fart. If I can get that done you can surely spring for a wide belt. Check out the Timesavers "speed sander". It's an A frame machine and works great for me.
 
Hello Matt, I don't do woodworking for a living but do have a 24 inch WBSander, 10Hp. Don't buy junk. Be sure to check rubber coated rollers for damage they are very expensive. I assume you have 3 phase power. And good dust collection is a must.
This is my first post.

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Bill, it is a Cresent,30inch. I don't know much more about it. I paid $250. for it .

I think I'm hatin' this guy already. :rolleyes: :rofl:

Welcome aboard, Brian. :wave: Glad to have you here. You've got a great-looking shop there, including that sweet, classic bandsaw. (I'll give you $251 cash for it right now.) :D
 
welcome brian and i too need some info on that sander you have near the tall gray cabinet in the corner looks like you made it out of a tread mill perhaps? better pics andmore info you started something this am:)
 
welcome brian and i too need some info on that sander you have near the tall gray cabinet in the corner looks like you made it out of a tread mill perhaps? better pics andmore info you started something this am:)

That is an Oakley drawer sander. The belt is 16 inches by 15.5 feet. It is powered by two 5Hp three phase motors. I bought it a few years ago. It was listed on Ebay for $1350 or best offer. My best offer was $350. My wife came to the shop and said he accepted your offer. I figured as heavy as it was I could get my money back as scrap. The seller is a nice fellow with a warehouse in Louisville. While I was there he offered me the pump sander for $100. Happy Happy Happy. The drawer sander is very heavy close to 2K pounds. More pictures.

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The gate-stop in the center is removable-it just slides straight up

DSC_0759.jpg


Pump sander

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i think you need to drop over to the shop tour thread sub forumand catch us all up on your garden of eden:) nice shop for sure.. and you got some great deals as well..
 
i think you need to drop over to the shop tour thread sub forumand catch us all up on your garden of eden:) nice shop for sure.. and you got some great deals as well..

Yes, I have probably hi-jacked Matt's thread enough. I need to take new pictures before doing a shop tour I have made a lot of changes. Dust collection is in progress.
 
I need a drawer sander, badly. Karl jealous......






A widebelt is indispensable. I also have a Timesaver's speedsander. You get what you pay for. Its not a great machine, but they are cheap, and it has served me well. I have outgrown it a few times over, and a 43" dual head is the goal for 2013.

You can't push it hard though. Mine is only 7-1/2hp, and it has a lot of trouble when it comes to doing anything that is full width. Like stiles on a face frame. It'll make humps where it slows down just a tad when it hits the stile. I cock everything I can at an angle through it to ease some of that, but... you really can't do much of that if you've got a 34x96 frame going through.

I'll sell you mine cheap. ;)



oh, purple 3M belts. Cheapest belt you can put in any widebelt sander. Short of ignorance, they just don't die.
 
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