JET 649004K 22X44 Plus Drum 22-by-1-3/4-Inch Sander with Open Stand 115-Volt 1-Phase

"Robusto" pretty much said it. The machine, like any, needs to be setup properly... do NOT bolt it together and assume factory settings to be spot-on.. they may very well be, but it's up to the end user to verify and adjust as neccessary.Read the manual, good tips on developing "feel" for usage and how to adjust.First runs of glued up panels went well, "ground 'em down" to 120 grit on the 22-44 and quickly finished 'em off with my ROS to final prefinishing stage.... still collecting sanding strips, perhaps going to 180/220 will eliminate the need for the ROS during pre-assembly sanding.I don't expect this unit to replace my planers for sizing and "hogging" down the rough stuff, but it should suffice nicely for all flat sanding with minor touch up with ROS prior to final finishing.Assembly went OK, the drum unit is a bit of a load (for this 'ole-man, at least) to get up on the stand, so a helper would be handy.Plastic dust shroud is servicable, it would be nice however, if Jet would redesign the "latch" with less of an interior profile .... allowing more efficient air flow and less dust build up in the center of the drum ..... (my 2hp collector keeps the rest of the drum very clean)Installing the sanding strips require some practice, but I've managed to swap 'em out in about the same time it takes me to change the blade in my table saw. The "Tuf tool" is an optional aid for the interior takeup fastner... I use my fingers to feel the location and pressure of the fastner.Haven't needed to install the feed tables yet, so I can't speak to "concerns" of usability.....construction of same, however, is pretty much in-line with what I've seen used by other manufacturers with this type of accessory and price range. I did opt for less expensive/third party casters... they work just fine.Finesse is the key operative.... not "git 'r dun"Keep the unit maintained and "tuned"Clean it up during and after usage.It should last a long while.

part on the small motor was bent. I was told to use it not happy about that. It still works.

When this thing is tuned and working properly, it's a great machine. Alas, those moments are rare. I spend more time adjusting it than actually using it.First, setting the sanding drum parallel to the table is a pain in the ass. The owner's manual says that parallelism is set at the factory and should not hafta be set by the owner. When I received mine, it was out by 3/8"! This is a huge amount. Obviously, the quality control department was at lunch when my machine was assembled.To set the parallelism, four bolts are loosed and a knob is turned. The problem arises from the fact that there is so much play in these components, that by the time everything is re-tightened, it is out of parallel again. So, to set it is very much a hit-or-miss process.Second, attaching the sandpaper belt to the drum is another pain in the ass. There are two clips that hold the sandpaper, one on either end. The first one is easy to set because it is on the outboard and you can see it and reach it. But the in-board clip cannot be seen. The clearance between the drum and the frame is really tight. Performax supplies a wire thingamajig to open the clip and keep the sandpaper taut. This works kinda. But if you have bear paws for hands, forget it.Third, it's tough to keep the sandpaper taut. Pulling the sandpaper taut, working the thingamajig and pulling the tab into the clip is an exercise in frustration. Then the belts will stretch and need to be re-tightened. And the belts will always rise away from the drum by about 1 mm where they turn into clip. The clip is at 90 degrees to the drum, so, you could crease the sandpaper so it fits better but when you do that, it weakens the sandpaper and it will break. So, with this bump, you really don't have a full 22" because it doesn't sand correctly at the bump in the sandpaper. And forget trying to sand something 44" wide-I'd rather use 36 grit as toilet paper than sand a wide face frame.Fourth, wood burns for no apparent reason. I get these areas, usually 3/8" wide where something attaches itself to the belt and boom, there is a band of pitch that is burned onto the sandpaper and will never come off. This pitch immediately starts gouging the wood. I use a dust collector rated at 1100 CFM and I clean the belt often with a crepe rubber stick. Also, whenever I sand something greater than 6" wide I increase the depth of cut only 1/8 of a revolution at a time (1/128"). I'll also do multiple passes at each depth. So, I've come to the conclusion that this is underpowered. (And no, there are no glue linescausing this.)The automatic feed limiter doesn't solve this problem. In fact, if the feed limiter kicks in, at least 50% of the time, I'll get a wide swath of burn marks. So, I always feed so slow the feed limiter doesn't kick in.Fifth, the belts break long before the abrasive is gone. And given the cost of these belts, it makes using this machine too expensive.Now there are a few good things. The tracking of the conveyor belt is easy to set and it stays there. I've never had a problem with the flex in the cantilevered design. Snipe is an easily managed issue. And when it is perfectly adjusted, the belts are taut and new, it is a beautiful machine.One reviewer mentioned that he never uses his planer anymore. I think this reviewer has spent way too much time in the finishing room without the exhaust fan turned on. Using this to true and square lumber would take 10X as long as a jointer/planer.Another reviewer mentioned that this machine will leave a surface ready for staining/finish. Well, maybe, depending on the particular application. But one reason I got mine was to flatten doors after glue up. Because the rails run parallel to axis of the machine, the resulting sanding marks are perpendicular to the grain direction. Most people, myself included, find this objectionable.In conclusion, unless you like fiddling with your machines more than you like working wood, stay away from this.UPDATE A friend reccommended that I not use the crepe rubber to clean my belts. This has helped reduce burning a lot. So, I would now give this machine 3 stars and strongly reccommend that you do not use the crepe rubber pad sold by Griizly for cleaning drum sanders.

The sander functions well for what it is intended to do. I think it should come with the table extenders as without them, any larger work is difficult. These should not be an accessory sold seperately. Longer tables would be even better, perhaps as an accessory. I would add it. The paper is difficult to change.