Supermax 19/38?

We all have different experiences and different likes….so I hope this does not offend you. Two or three years ago I decided I really wanted a DS. An older friend of mine was spending 6 to 7 months in florida in a warmer climate. He had a Delta DS, he said I could use it while he was gone and see if I liked it, then I could pay 400.00 to keep it. The very first thing it did was jam, it had issues staying level while raising the feed table. My wife heard some explatives coming from the garage an told me to go to Acme and buy the one I really wanted. Before my shop rag could hit the floor, I was off. Long story short, I bought the Supermax. They were having a sale that day and I even met the company president. It is an awesome machine, worth every dime I paid for it. The intelli-sand does work well, and I couldn’t imagine a 6" port working any better. There simply is no dust coming from it all. It is easy to adjust, stays adjusted in the position that it was set at, and if you get too aggressive intelli-sand slowes it down to the point where it sin’t going to burn or at least not as much. I have burned some cherry, but I have problems with that on all my tools. I will say though, the wixey type read-out depth of cut is kind of a PITA though. I measure the boards after they come out and do not use it.
Sorry to say my Delta DS experience was a lot less than ideal, and this machine was instantly awesome and easy to use. I don’t think you will regret buying it. After talking to the President (he is the son of the guy that invented what is now the Jet DS), I realized they were not some huge conglomerate , but rather a smaller, kinder, gentler version of a huge company. I have actually called him and asked him a question…..they are awesome. Just my .02….
Good luck Fred! Let us know….
Mike

I have had the Jet 16/32 for about 4 years now. It is a workhorse in my shop. Sure, sometimes the paper is a pain but mostly it just runs and runs. I did do a hook and loop on the drum and the paper goes on much easier. Changing paper is still my least favorite job but it is much better than the Performax 10/20 that it replaced. I HATED that 10/20!!!

Heh…see this is why I love this site. Not a question of which of these two but, tell me about your experiences and ….essays of insight… brilliant. Hook and loop…cool.

I also have the jet and love it.
I also worked on the delta in classroom setting and it was fine. I like the open frame of the jet though.
I must say I use it much more that the planer and almost more than any other too besides the table saw.

The drum does need to be paralleled to the bed from time to time.

If I were to buy a new one I would go for a dual drum. and wider too.

Thanks, folks. I know Delta had a lot of trouble with their model, especially the first iteration, fortunately mine had none of those problems over the years. I had bought it second hand but unused for $500, and it was worth any penny. I’m kinda of not considering the Jet models fearing they may have done some cost engineering on the Performax (sounds like that may not be the case). Anyway, I think I may pull the trigger on the 19/38 sometime this month. Any other opinions out there? Ellen, with that H&L conversion do you still use the strips or is it a different paper you install? I’ve seen postings where once the H&L was installed, it made the drum “soft” and didn’t sand as cleanly as the harder aluminum surface.

I still use the strips… and yes, the drum is a little softer but I have not found any major difference in the quality of the sand.

I got a Jet 16/32 recently and I like it lot, except that it’s a little difficult to fasten the paper strips on the inboard end, but I’m still inexperienced with that, so I might get better at it in time. I’m not sure about the hook and loop because I’ve heard it can slightly round over edges, and I don’t really know at this point if that is an issue worth worrying about. Otherwise a great machine at a reasonable price point.