Anyone have the Delta 18-36 Thickness sander?

Koa Soprano · Apr 8, 2013

I know Harold O stated he uses one in an earlier thread. I passed up a Performax and Delta on Craigslist a short while ago for great prices, and the Jet 10-20 will cost nearly as much shipped as a new Delta 18-36 I can get locally. Anyone else use one? The design differs from the Performax & Jet in that the drum assembly does not move but rather the table raises and lowers.

thistle3585 · Apr 9, 2013

Dave and Gary Gill have both sanders sitting side by side in their shop. I know they'll use one over the other depending on what they are doing. You might message them. I use a Palmgren 18-36 because the table moves instead of the drum. I had problems with the Performax drum sagging. I know Dave has had to shim his.

Moore Bettah Ukuleles · Apr 9, 2013

The Peformax has a very simple adjustment for leveling the sanding drum.. Once it's set up properly you should never need to readjust it.
Mt neighbor has the Delta and he needs to use a sled in order to sand thinner than .080".
If it were a choice between the small jet or the bigger Delta, I'd get the Delta as I don't see much use for a 10" sander. Of course my vote would go for the bigger Jet/Performax (16/32) if you could afford it.

Koa Soprano · Apr 9, 2013

Moore Bettah Ukuleles said:
Mt neighbor has the Delta and he needs to use a sled in order to sand thinner than .080".

Really? I take ukulele pieces down thinner, though by handplane right now. Interesting to know.

Moore Bettah Ukuleles · Apr 9, 2013

Koa Soprano said:
Really? I take ukulele pieces down thinner, though by handplane right now. Interesting to know.

His is an old machine. It may be different now. My suggestion however is to go bigger rather than choose between the two brands.

Harold O. · Apr 9, 2013

Moore Bettah Ukuleles said:
The Peformax has a very simple adjustment for leveling the sanding drum.. Once it's set up properly you should never need to readjust it.
My neighbor has the Delta and he needs to use a sled in order to sand thinner than .080".

True story on the sled. The feed belt gets drawn upward by the dust collector and begins to rub on the sanding belt when doing very thin pieces. My sled is a piece of 3/4-inch plywood, about 12 x 20 inches (I'm guessing because I don't have a computer in the shop) with self-adhesive sandpaper stuck to the top. With as much range as the Performax has for depth, it works out just fine.

Funny though, whenever I start working on ukuleles big (size-wise) jobs come into the shop, take over the place, and the uke work gets put aside. Get this, a 20-foot diameter plywood circle in 8 easy pieces.

thistle3585 · Apr 9, 2013

Moore Bettah Ukuleles said:
The Peformax has a very simple adjustment for leveling the sanding drum.. Once it's set up properly you should never need to readjust it.

That must be a change from when I had mine. Now thinking about it, I had one in 1999 so I'm sure there are quite a few changes since then so probably should disregard my comments.

Moore Bettah Ukuleles · Apr 9, 2013

thistle3585 said:
That must be a change from when I had mine. Now thinking about it, I had one in 1999 so I'm sure there are quite a few changes since then so probably should disregard my comments.

My Performax is about 10years old. There's a knob located on the housing that is used for leveling adjustment. I had my sander for a few years before realizing it was there.

Harold O. · Apr 10, 2013

Moore Bettah Ukuleles said:
My Performax is about 10years old. There's a knob located on the housing that is used for leveling adjustment. I had my sander for a few years before realizing it was there.

Mine was a floor/demonstrator piece and had a lap or two on it. It also had a nice discount and was setup to use. Good thing I have a pickup, the assembled machine is awkward to transport. And heavy.

Moore Bettah Ukuleles · Apr 10, 2013

Harold O. said:
Mine was a floor/demonstrator piece and had a lap or two on it. It also had a nice discount and was setup to use. Good thing I have a pickup, the assembled machine is awkward to transport. And heavy.

I've transported mine when I've had to give work shops where no sander was available. The base easily comes off with 4 bolts and wing nuts. Still, you're right, it's a heavy buggah.

Anyone have the Delta 18-36 Thickness sander?

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