Powermatic has added a feature-packed 22” drum sander, model PM2244 drum, powered by a 115-volt, 1-3/4-hp motor.

This is not your father’s drum sander, as it features a control panel that displays the power status, belt speed and sanding depth. Separate indicators show when the conveyor belt is moving and when the sanding drum is rotating. A “feed logic” continuously monitors the load on the drum motor and automatically regulates the speed of the conveyor motor to maintain the highest feed rate without overload, according to the company.

But wait, there’s more.

“Beyond the control panel, this machine has taken the frustration out of aligning the table to the drum carriage,” product manager Katie Davidson says. “The parallelism fine-adjust (feature) allows the user to simply turn a knob to adjust the alignment of the table. We have also improved the clips for the paper changes so no secondary change tool is necessary.”

The sander has one 5” diameter, 22”-long sanding drum and an infeed/outfeed table that offers 37-1/2” of material support.

Other features include a secondary ‘absolute’ depth scale, emergency stop, independent feed and drive motors, closed stand with storage, removable drum, and built-in casters.

The drum sander retails for about $2,500.

For information, visit www.powermatic.com.

This article originally appeared in the February 2016 issue.