I paid 400 for one of these about ten years ago. Never regretted it. It's quiet, dependable, leaves a good surface, great for getting a whole lot of parts down to a really uniform thickness and/or width. Mine is also on wheels. :-) I understand that this model had some problems but for some reason it doesn't appear to be consistent. The machines that have problems have horrible problems and apparently just can't be fixed. The ones that don't have problems seem to just run on forever. You and I have apparently gotten good ones.
Yeah Dan, I agree. Seems to be the luck of the draw sometimes. I really haven’t done much since the video to upkeep the machine. I do check for a tight belt every time I use it and it needs a tweak here and there to keep it aligned but other than that, it’s a solid machine! Thanks for watching! Pete
I bought mine new in about the year 2000. I really have only two complaints with the machine. First, the clips that hold the sandpaper on are difficult to use: I have to use locking pliers to hold them open while feeding the sandpaper end into it. The second is that the surface texture off the machine is poor. At 80 grit, there are heavy striations from the sanding, regardless of how light or how many "finishing" passes are taken. It doesn't improve with finer sandpaper, just simply takes longer. Hence, I don't bother with anything finer than 80 grit. I use an aggressive random orbit sander to remove the striations: there is no way at all that what comes off the machine could be mistaken for finish sanded.
I'm surprised other owners of this sander haven't responded with how terrible this sander is. Most blogs I've read describe problems with the table elevation design. The plastic gears get just a bit worn and the belt starts jumping teeth. That means constantly having to re-parallel the table. The tracking for the feed belt adjustment is very finicky as well. Wouldn't recommend this sander to anyone.
I guess I am lucky. The previous owner must have babied this then because I haven had any problems. I did have to to re parallel the table when I first got it but it’s been working fine for me. I’m still keeping an eye out for these wear issues, thanks for letting me know what to look for.
Just got a used Performax sander it's a much, much better design... I'm getting rid of my Delta...it works OK, but you have to be careful of the bottom rubber belt skipping teeth...otherwise you have to go through the table alignment procedure, which is a royal pain. I think Delta came up with this design to get around patents...Can think of no other excuse for such a poor design.
Bought one new about 15 years ago. Has worked like a dream. Only thing replaced was a feed belt. The glue came loose on it. Found it easy on internet for 30 bucks. Sounds like a lot of misuse going on, remember, it's not a planer
@@earlqueen7585 NOPE, not a planer, furthermore, its not even a sander. All these people talking about plastic gears is not a MISUSE issue. Its a piece of where methane gas comes from.
I just picked one up, the roller bars have crazy wear on them. I’m doing some stories on IG about the repair. I’m pretty sure you’re having this same issue. It’s a really bad design. (Same name on IG)
I'd be more concerned about the very poor design of the table elevation mechanism... It's horrible!!! I've spent more time adjusting and fixing this thing than sanding stuff.
I wouldn't pay to much for this. I had a spring paper holder break which has made it pretty useless. Took me about a year of on line searching for a replacement since it has been discontinued. Haven't been able to get the new one installed as yet but once I do, it will be looking for a new owner. I am ready to order a 19-38 SuperMax.
I have a Delta 31-250 belt sander and needed to change the feed belt. I've tried everything I can think of and still can't get the new belt to track. I think I need to know what the setting should be for the (two bolt) setting on the side opposite of the drive motor. Do you have any ideas?
Hi Harry, I ran into this issue when I first got the sander. The feed belt would slip and be pulled to the side and get bunched up. What I did was follow the manual and loosen both tension set screws until they were the same distance and the belt was loose, then extend them until they force the feed belt to just catch on the rollers. Then I adjusted the screws to put a tiny bit of pressure on the rollers watching to see if it tracks off course. For me the left side needed more turns to tighten the belt because it was tracking to the right. The left side of the belt was too loose. The tension applied will pull the belt to that side so be careful to not tighten the screws to far out from each other. You might need a new feed belt if it’s too stretched out. The book says turn the set screws to the same amount but my belt was a bit stretched out on one side. It took a bit of fiddling but it was not too bad of a chore. I hope this helps, thanks for watching! Pete
Tracking of the belt was horrible and the elevation started skipping on the belt , worse machine I have ever owned , no wonder it was discontinued , I couldn’t get it out of my shop fast enough
Hello. Do you know where to get sanding belts for this sander. I have one exactly like this one. Delta has belts supposedly for this machine but those belts are about and 1" or 2" to short. I have not had any success in making belts for this sander.
Hi Jeff, I found some replacement belts on Amazon. They are the 2 inch by 137 inch version. Links are in the video description section. Thanks for the question and for watching!
Hi Ed, You might have something broken or loose. I would check to see if the belt is on correctly and tight, if the drum itself is loose in it’s bearings and if the motor is having issues. My sander shakes a bit and is loud but I wouldn’t say it’s unusable or dangerous. Good luck, let me know how it goes. Pete
Hey there, I recently bought a used one of these, as well, seems to work great except that the speed adjustment knob is missing (the screw is there). The guy had been using a screwdriver to adjust the speed. but it's pretty stripped. I have found a replacement knob online, but I don't see how it attaches to the screw? Any insight on this? Just trying to figure out if it's worth buying the knob, which it will be if there's a way for me to attach it to the machine. The screw itself doesn't seem to be listed as a separate part, so I assume it must be part of the switch box assembly? Best of luck with your new toy, and thanks in advance for any help you can give me!!!
Hey Ralph, I just took a look at the feeder control knob. The knob seems to be press fit on to the shaft, I pulled it off and there is some rubberized glue holding it in place. I was expecting a set screw but there wasn't one. A cheap replacement knob or a quick homemade one would work. It the shaft is broken then buying a new switch might be your best bet. I think the speed controller part is called a potentiometer. Feel free to email me some pics if I'm off base.
Hi Fred, I sold the drum sander a while ago so I can’t measure it to make sure, but a quick search on google says the drum is 5 inches in diameter and the length it 18 inches. I’m not 100% sure on these measurements as the drum is not made anymore from Delta. Anyone out there please comment and correct me if I’m in error. Hope that helps, and thanks for watching! Pete
I just bought one of these and love it but for one problem. The sanding tapes I bought as replacements seem to be the opposite of those shown in the video. That is, the slanted side of the tape is in the opposite direction, requiring it to be wrapped in the wrong direction. and VERY difficult to install. Any suggestions?
Not quite sure about the paper issue, I only used the tape that was from Delta and was recommended for my sander. Here is a link : www.amazon.com/31-817-Pre-Cut-Sanding-Strips-Sanders/dp/B00004TQFR
@@PetesGarageWorkshop Of course Delta recommends there own sandpaper... It's their product! It doesn't matter what brand of sandpaper you use or what side of the drum you start from when wrapping it.
If you are having trouble with your sandpaper by rolls and cut your own. I got my paper from the “Red Hill Corp” I believe that they are in Ohio. I’ve had very good customer service here. It usually took about 3-5 days for delivery. They have many other types of paper for many types and styles of machines. Good luck and hope you have a great day.
I never could get mine to work. Gave it to my brother who could never get it to work. Just got it back from my brother today and I am going to (attempt) to remove the plastic lid and make a table for the top and use it like a jointer. LOOK up flat master. Also going to velcro the drum and use that type of paper. For this machines intended use, it is garbage. But maybe it can be turned into something worth while. I would not recommend anyone buy one of these used. It truly is a pile.
I haven’t used it with plywood yet. If you take very shallow depth passes I bet it would work, as long as you don’t go through the first layer. Good luck!
I do, some of the comments are spot on in my case. The clips that hold the paper onto the drum are getting looser. I noticed after a more aggressive sanding grit like 80 grit will pull the paper out sometimes. I usually run 180 or 220 grit as use the sander as a final leveling sand for picture frames. Not much else going wrong with it for me. I’m not running it like a production shop though.
@@PetesGarageWorkshop Thats helpful, does it get heavy use? I have someone who is valuing it way too high despite any of ther apparent issues reported by others. may I ask what you paid for it?
I’ll be honest I got a sweet deal from a buddy of mine. He just wanted the space back, I had to force the $$ on him. I have seen my sander on Craigslist for 600. I don’t use it very heavy, mostly finishing sanding.
Hi Aaron, I would venture a guess and say, in good condition, no rust, $200-$500. This model is an older one and in the comments here have said, it has its quirks. I apparently got a fairly decent one, which may be an outlier. I’m sure the other commenters will have an opinion on the price! Good luck and thanks for watching! Pete
Hi Ron, Thanks for the comments. I bought one of those M2 mesh masks a while back, I have had a couple other brands and the M2 is very comfy and convenient ..when I remember to use it.
Scott Speidel the whole belt “table” comes off. There are 4 Allen bolts accessed from the top with nuts. Unplug the belt motor. Once the whole “table is off, loosen the belt tension set screws and the belt will come right off.
![BabyChiefDoit - Wonderful Time (Official Music Video) [Shot By @Rxllo]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/_Bfqt3zV2KE/mqdefault.jpg)
I paid 400 for one of these about ten years ago. Never regretted it. It's quiet, dependable, leaves a good surface, great for getting a whole lot of parts down to a really uniform thickness and/or width. Mine is also on wheels. :-) I understand that this model had some problems but for some reason it doesn't appear to be consistent. The machines that have problems have horrible problems and apparently just can't be fixed. The ones that don't have problems seem to just run on forever. You and I have apparently gotten good ones.
Yeah Dan, I agree. Seems to be the luck of the draw sometimes. I really haven’t done much since the video to upkeep the machine. I do check for a tight belt every time I use it and it needs a tweak here and there to keep it aligned but other than that, it’s a solid machine!
Thanks for watching!
Pete
I bought mine new in about the year 2000. I really have only two complaints with the machine. First, the clips that hold the sandpaper on are difficult to use: I have to use locking pliers to hold them open while feeding the sandpaper end into it. The second is that the surface texture off the machine is poor. At 80 grit, there are heavy striations from the sanding, regardless of how light or how many "finishing" passes are taken. It doesn't improve with finer sandpaper, just simply takes longer. Hence, I don't bother with anything finer than 80 grit. I use an aggressive random orbit sander to remove the striations: there is no way at all that what comes off the machine could be mistaken for finish sanded.
Thanks for the review! I just found one of these for sale and am heading to pick it up tomorrow AM!
Your Welcome! I hope it works out as good for you as it did for me.
I'm surprised other owners of this sander haven't responded with how terrible this sander is. Most blogs I've read describe problems with the table elevation design. The plastic gears get just a bit worn and the belt starts jumping teeth. That means constantly having to re-parallel the table. The tracking for the feed belt adjustment is very finicky as well. Wouldn't recommend this sander to anyone.
I guess I am lucky. The previous owner must have babied this then because I haven had any problems. I did have to to re parallel the table when I first got it but it’s been working fine for me. I’m still keeping an eye out for these wear issues, thanks for letting me know what to look for.
Just got a used Performax sander it's a much, much better design... I'm getting rid of my Delta...it works OK, but you have to be careful of the bottom rubber belt skipping teeth...otherwise you have to go through the table alignment procedure, which is a royal pain. I think Delta came up with this design to get around patents...Can think of no other excuse for such a poor design.
Bought one new about 15 years ago. Has worked like a dream. Only thing replaced was a feed belt. The glue came loose on it. Found it easy on internet for 30 bucks. Sounds like a lot of misuse going on, remember, it's not a planer
My feelings exactly!!!
@@earlqueen7585 NOPE, not a planer, furthermore, its not even a sander. All these people talking about plastic gears is not a MISUSE issue. Its a piece of where methane gas comes from.
Thanks so much for this vid!
Great review
Thank you, I didn't see a video for this specific model when I bought it and thought RUclips needed my take on it!
I just picked one up, the roller bars have crazy wear on them. I’m doing some stories on IG about the repair. I’m pretty sure you’re having this same issue. It’s a really bad design. (Same name on IG)
Not seeing the video on your IG, can you link it?
Be very wary of this machine. Since it is discontinued, replacement parts are hard to source.
I'd be more concerned about the very poor design of the table elevation mechanism... It's horrible!!! I've spent more time adjusting and fixing this thing than sanding stuff.
I wouldn't pay to much for this. I had a spring paper holder break which has made it pretty useless. Took me about a year of on line searching for a replacement since it has been discontinued. Haven't been able to get the new one installed as yet but once I do, it will be looking for a new owner. I am ready to order a 19-38 SuperMax.
I have a Delta 31-250 belt sander and needed to change the feed belt. I've tried everything I can think of and still can't get the new belt to track. I think I need to know what the setting should be for the (two bolt) setting on the side opposite of the drive motor. Do you have any ideas?
Hi Harry,
I ran into this issue when I first got the sander. The feed belt would slip and be pulled to the side and get bunched up.
What I did was follow the manual and loosen both tension set screws until they were the same distance and the belt was loose, then extend them until they force the feed belt to just catch on the rollers. Then I adjusted the screws to put a tiny bit of pressure on the rollers watching to see if it tracks off course.
For me the left side needed more turns to tighten the belt because it was tracking to the right. The left side of the belt was too loose. The tension applied will pull the belt to that side so be careful to not tighten the screws to far out from each other. You might need a new feed belt if it’s too stretched out.
The book says turn the set screws to the same amount but my belt was a bit stretched out on one side.
It took a bit of fiddling but it was not too bad of a chore.
I hope this helps, thanks for watching!
Pete
Tracking of the belt was horrible and the elevation started skipping on the belt , worse machine I have ever owned , no wonder it was discontinued , I couldn’t get it out of my shop fast enough
Hello. Do you know where to get sanding belts for this sander. I have one exactly like this one. Delta has belts supposedly for this machine but those belts are about and 1" or 2" to short. I have not had any success in making belts for this sander.
Hi Jeff, I found some replacement belts on Amazon. They are the 2 inch by 137 inch version. Links are in the video description section. Thanks for the question and for watching!
I bought a used machine a week ago and it shakes like crazy and is really loud. Do you have an idea of what I need to check to fix it?
Hi Ed, You might have something broken or loose. I would check to see if the belt is on correctly and tight, if the drum itself is loose in it’s bearings and if the motor is having issues. My sander shakes a bit and is loud but I wouldn’t say it’s unusable or dangerous. Good luck, let me know how it goes.
Pete
Hey there, I recently bought a used one of these, as well, seems to work great except that the speed adjustment knob is missing (the screw is there). The guy had been using a screwdriver to adjust the speed. but it's pretty stripped. I have found a replacement knob online, but I don't see how it attaches to the screw? Any insight on this? Just trying to figure out if it's worth buying the knob, which it will be if there's a way for me to attach it to the machine. The screw itself doesn't seem to be listed as a separate part, so I assume it must be part of the switch box assembly? Best of luck with your new toy, and thanks in advance for any help you can give me!!!
Hey Ralph, I just took a look at the feeder control knob. The knob seems to be press fit on to the shaft, I pulled it off and there is some rubberized glue holding it in place. I was expecting a set screw but there wasn't one. A cheap replacement knob or a quick homemade one would work. It the shaft is broken then buying a new switch might be your best bet. I think the speed controller part is called a potentiometer. Feel free to email me some pics if I'm off base.
Would you mind commenting what the drum's diameter and length are? Thank you in advance if you can!
Hi Fred,
I sold the drum sander a while ago so I can’t measure it to make sure, but a quick search on google says the drum is 5 inches in diameter and the length it 18 inches. I’m not 100% sure on these measurements as the drum is not made anymore from Delta.
Anyone out there please comment and correct me if I’m in error.
Hope that helps, and thanks for watching!
Pete
@@PetesGarageWorkshop Thank you! I must not have been using the right search terms. I could find it for the Jet 18-36 but not the Delta.
I just bought one of these and love it but for one problem. The sanding tapes I bought as replacements seem to be the opposite of those shown in the video. That is, the slanted side of the tape is in the opposite direction, requiring it to be wrapped in the wrong direction. and VERY difficult to install. Any suggestions?
Not quite sure about the paper issue, I only used the tape that was from Delta and was recommended for my sander. Here is a link : www.amazon.com/31-817-Pre-Cut-Sanding-Strips-Sanders/dp/B00004TQFR
@@PetesGarageWorkshop Of course Delta recommends there own sandpaper... It's their product! It doesn't matter what brand of sandpaper you use or what side of the drum you start from when wrapping it.
I'm having the same issue with mine... I'm ready to throw it in the trash, buy a 60' roll of 2" strip sandpaper and custom cut it.
If you are having trouble with your sandpaper by rolls and cut your own. I got my paper from the “Red Hill Corp” I believe that they are in Ohio. I’ve had very good customer service here. It usually took about 3-5 days for delivery. They have many other types of paper for many types and styles of machines. Good luck and hope you have a great day.
I never could get mine to work. Gave it to my brother who could never get it to work. Just got it back from my brother today and I am going to (attempt) to remove the plastic lid and make a table for the top and use it like a jointer. LOOK up flat master. Also going to velcro the drum and use that type of paper. For this machines intended use, it is garbage. But maybe it can be turned into something worth while. I would not recommend anyone buy one of these used. It truly is a pile.
can you pls tell me if this is a good option for plywood
I haven’t used it with plywood yet. If you take very shallow depth passes I bet it would work, as long as you don’t go through the first layer.
Good luck!
do you have an update report on performance over the last couple of years?
I do, some of the comments are spot on in my case. The clips that hold the paper onto the drum are getting looser. I noticed after a more aggressive sanding grit like 80 grit will pull the paper out sometimes. I usually run 180 or 220 grit as use the sander as a final leveling sand for picture frames.
Not much else going wrong with it for me. I’m not running it like a production shop though.
@@PetesGarageWorkshop Thats helpful, does it get heavy use? I have someone who is valuing it way too high despite any of ther apparent issues reported by others. may I ask what you paid for it?
I’ll be honest I got a sweet deal from a buddy of mine. He just wanted the space back, I had to force the $$ on him. I have seen my sander on Craigslist for 600.
I don’t use it very heavy, mostly finishing sanding.
How much is this worth? I'm looking for one. thx
Hi Aaron,
I would venture a guess and say, in good condition, no rust, $200-$500. This model is an older one and in the comments here have said, it has its quirks. I apparently got a fairly decent one, which may be an outlier.
I’m sure the other commenters will have an opinion on the price!
Good luck and thanks for watching!
Pete
Still need a mask mask as that thing is throwing out some dust.... but other than that a great review.
Hi Ron, Thanks for the comments. I bought one of those M2 mesh masks a while back, I have had a couple other brands and the M2 is very comfy and convenient ..when I remember to use it.
Is the worst tool I ever have in 30 years.
@@alaskacabinetry9300 Amen on that!
Can someone point me to a video of how to change the stock feeding / conveyor belt?
Scott Speidel the whole belt “table” comes off. There are 4 Allen bolts accessed from the top with nuts. Unplug the belt motor. Once the whole “table is off, loosen the belt tension set screws and the belt will come right off.
Take a close look, the 4 bolts are NOT the bolts at the top of each screw post. (The posts that raise and lower the bed). Don’t mess that up!
Thanks infinite craftsman I will give this a try tomorrow. I really appreciate that tip!