I can still smell the pitch that bled out of that first test board. Pop the breaker, lean close, warm cedar dust curls into the air and sticks to your beard. Pure shop perfume. That moment happened the night I dragged a gray-green Ryobi WDS1600 off the back of a trailer and onto my concrete floor. The previous owner had sworn it was almost ready. He lied, of course, yet that was half the fun. A few evenings later the motor hummed, the conveyor crept, and I heard fresh paper kiss maple. Tiny scratch lines ran arrow-straight. I grinned like a kid who just figured out dovetails on the first try.
You bought one, or youre about to, or you just want the thing in the corner to stop chewing up panels. Good. Set a mug of coffee on the bench and keep reading. This walk-through explains what the Ryobi WDS1600 actually does, how to square it up, how to coax the feed belt back to center, and how to swap in a new gear motor when yours taps out. When you reach the end you should feel calm and a little eager. That hum you hear in my shop? Youll hear it too.
What Makes the Ryobi WDS1600 Worth Your Time
A single drum hangs off one side of the frameopen-ended, cantilevered, call it whatever you like. The design lets you run a door panel twice, once on each half, and land a flat surface thirty-two inches wide. Beats hand sanding with a block of cork any day.
Quick Specs
- Drum width: 16 inches
- Two-pass width: 32 inches
- Max thickness: roughly 3 inches
- Conveyor pace: about 2 to 10 feet per minute, knob adjustable
- Shortest part with carrier: 2-1/4 inches
Everyday Jobs
- Level fresh glue-ups
- Flatten end-grain cutting boards
- Tame planer snipe
- Sneak thin stock down for box sides or guitar backs
- Whisper veneer to final thickness with a carrier board
The planer hogs material, the WDS1600 polishes the result. Saves sandpaper, saves shoulders, saves time.
Sizing Up a Used Machine
Truth time. Many second-hand units hit the market missing a feed motor, speed board, or both. If the big drum motor turns and the conveyor belt is present, a few hundred bucks feels fair. No drum motor? Walk away or pay scrap price.
Good News
- Open-ended capacity for home shops
- Simple mechanical guts
- Replacement work-arounds still exist
- Capable of pro-level surfaces
Less-Than-Good
- Bog-prone if you crank depth too far
- Shim dance required for an even cut
- Drum clip near the motor hides like a spider in dark plywood
- Parts can take a hunt to track down
- No oscillation, so scratch lines stay straight unless you vary feed angle
Used or not, the bones remain solid. Tweak it right and the results look showroom smooth.
That Open EndBlessing and Fickle Friend
The one-arm design lets you double the sanding width; it also flexes if you lean on it. Table-to-drum parallel is the name of the game. Shim under the open side mount until a feeler strip shows equal drag left and right.
I keep two shim thicknesses on the pegboard: five-thou and ten-thou slices cut from soda cans. Cheap, easy, effective.
Full Setup: From Dusty Shell to Dialed-In Workhorse
Below is my ritual for every WDS1600 that wanders through the door.
- Plant the Machine
* Level casters or stand feet
* No rocking allowedshim the base if the floor waves - Vacuum and Degunk
* Unplug everything
* Suck chips from cabinet corners
* Scrub the drum with a rubber cleaning stick
* Wipe conveyor with mineral spirits, wait till dry - Test Parallel With the Kiss Method
* Raise drum clear
* Place a flat board under the closed end
* Lower drum till paper just scuffs blue painters tape on the board
* Slide board to the open end, repeat
* Difference equals shim requirement - Shim the Open Arm
* Crack the two bolts at the mount
* Slip in or yank out a shim strip
* Tighten, re-kiss, smile when both sides match - Conveyor Belt Tracking
* Spin belt by hand
* Center on rollers
* Use the twin tension bolts at outfeed: quarter-turn nudges only
* Power on, watch five minutes, confirm stability - Speed Control Check
* Dial from slow creep to brisk crawl
* If nothing moves, the board or motor fled the scenewell fix that later - Dust Collection Hookup
* This drum spits fines like a bakery sifter
* A real collector keeps grit cool and lungs happy - Calibrate Height Scale
* Use calipers on test blocks
* Bend the pointer to match reality
* Trust test passes more than numbers, always
Once the groundwork is done, grab fresh abrasive.
Wrapping the Drum Without Losing Your Temper
The paper clips on the Ryobi look innocent until you jam your knuckles for the third time. Heres a painless sequence.
- Cut or grab a pre-sized strip for a sixteen-inch drum.
- Lock the open-end clip firsteasy side.
- Wedge a scrap dowel under the drum so it wont spin away.
- Spiral the strip with steady tension, edge-to-edge, no gaps.
- Feed the tail into the hidden motor-side clip.
- Tug snug, release dowel, rotate drum one full turn to double-check lay-flat.
If the clip feels tired, bend the tab for extra bite or add a wrap of fiberglass strapping tape at each end. Belt-and-suspenders thinking saves mid-project rewraps.
Depth of Cut: Less Is More
The WDS1600 is not a planer, so forget giant bites. Five-thou passes on maple, maybe eight-thou on soft pine, are plenty. Heat is the enemy. Hot abrasive clogs, burnt wood smells like ruin, and bearings suffer.
Guidelines
- Dial depth with the motor running; lower till the drum just grabs the board then back off a hair
- Match passes on both faces of a panel to avoid warp
- Slow the feed if swirl marks appear
- Move to finer grits rather than hog deeper with coarse paper
Treat the machine kindly and it sings.
Grit Progression That Works
Skip grits and you chase scratches all afternoon. Follow a simple ladder.
- 60-gritlevel glue lines or planer tracks
- 80-griterase 60-grit scars
- 120-gritprep for finish
- 180-gritdelicate woods, veneer, or pre-hand-sanding touch-up
Dense stuff like hickory cuts slower. Cherry loads paper with resin; clean it often or scorch lines appear.
How to Dodge Conveyor Dips
That shallow belly across the width? Usually operator error.
- Keep the conveyor rubber supple and clean
- Employ a carrier board for small parts
- Maintain gentle, even hand pressure during entry and exit
- Light passes, always
- Wax carrier boards so pieces glide rather than grab
If the belt surface turns slick like an old tire, swap it out. Fresh rubber grips, tracks, and saves headaches.
Thin Stock and Veneer: Handle With Care
Anything below quarter inch behaves better on a sled.
- Build a dead-flat plywood carrier with a stop strip at the leading edge
- Add cork for grip
- Tape veneer grain-side up
- Two-to-three-thou passes only
- Same number of passes across the sheet to hold thickness
Slow and steady, no exceptions.
Wood-By-Wood Observations
- Mapleruns hot, start at 80, clean paper often
- Oakcooperative, open grain ventilates dust, 60 then 80 then 120
- Walnutsmooth, watch for swirl after 120, ease feed speed
- Cherryloads quickly, keep the rubber stick handy, finish at 120
- Pinesoft, easy to gouge, shallow cuts, more passes
End-grain boards need 60-grit patience. Dozens of light bites beat two heavy ones.
Troubleshooting: Real Problems, Real Fixes
| Symptom | Likely Culprit | Quick Remedy |
|---|---|---|
| Conveyor stalls | Over-tight belt, wild tracking, deep cut | Loosen tension, center belt, lighten pass |
| Ridged surface | Paper overlap, drum wobble | Rewrap, dial-indicator check, replace bearings |
| Burn marks | Loaded abrasive, poor dust flow | Clean paper, improve extraction, shallow depth |
| Uneven cut on open end | Arm flex, missing shim | Insert five-thou shim, retest |
| Belt drifts | Outfeed adjusters uneven | Quarter-turn nudge, monitor five minutes |
| Dead speed knob | Blown fuse, missing board, motor failure | Replace fuse, install aftermarket controller, swap gear motor |
Parts Sources and Clever Work-Arounds
Feed motors hide inside a gear head. Look for ninety-volt DC units around one-fifteenth horsepower spinning forty-ish RPM. A Dayton model from Zoro matches bolt spacing with minimal fuss. Wires splice with crimp connectorscolor code matters, use heat shrink.
Control boards? Any DC motor controller rated for input voltage and current works. Mount it in the switch cavity, drill the panel for the speed pot, and youre back in business. Get a licensed electrician if wiring diagrams read like alien script.
Conveyor belts pop up on generic parts sites. Measure width and length, then order rubber, not abrasive. Store rolled belts in a dark cabinet; sunlight turns rubber into a hockey puck.
Drum clips almost never appear new, so bend old ones back into shape or reinforce with tape. Takes five minutes, saves a paper explosion mid-project.
Maintenance Rhythm That Keeps You Smiling
After Every Session
- Vacuum chips
- Hit drum with rubber stick
- Wipe conveyor if any glue smear shows
Weekly
- Verify belt tracking
- Confirm shims stayed put
- Spin drum by hand, feel bearings for grind
Seasonal
- Check electrical connections
- Re-tension conveyor
- Lubricate height screw with dry lube
- Inspect dust hood gasket for gaps
A stitch in time saves a Saturday of cursing.
How It Stacks Up Against Jet, Performax, and SuperMax
| Feature | Ryobi WDS1600 | Jet/Performax 16″ | SuperMax 16-32 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price on used market | Low-to-mid | Mid-to-high | High |
| Open-end flex control | Shim only | Micro-adjust lever on newer models | Rigid casting |
| Drum wrap system | Spring clip, tight reach | Easier clip access | Patented quick-clip |
| Parts availability | Sporadic, DIY options | Good | Excellent, new stock |
| Oscillation | None | Optional on some | Standard on many |
Grab a Ryobi if you crave value and dont mind tinkering. Grab a SuperMax if your wallet outweighs your patience.
Projects That Shine on This Machine
- Dining-table panelsmatch thickness across multiple leaves
- Frame-and-panel doorsno proud rails, no deep recesses
- Edge-banded plywoodflush in two passes, no tear-out
- End-grain cutting boardschip-free, perfectly level
- Thin drawer bottomsdial exact fit with a carrier board
I once flattened a walnut tabletop, 24 by 60 inches, with no planer snipe left. Two passes at 80-grit, two at 120, then straight to finish. The customer ran a hand over the grain and nodded, slow and satisfied. That moment alone justified every shim and curse.
Pro Tips You Will Probably End Up Repeating
- Keep a pencil in your apron; squiggle across the panel so you actually see where the drum has kissed
- Clean abrasive every other passtakes ten seconds, saves dollars
- Label shim thickness with a Sharpie; five-thou looks a lot like ten-thou under poor light
- Store spare paper strips in a zip bag with a desiccant pack; moisture curls paper, curses follow
- Use a digital height gauge for repeat parts; trust but verify
- Slow feed plus shallow cut beats any single aggressive crank of the handwheel
Find your own cadence, yet these habits never hurt.
Questions Folks Ask While Leaning on the Bench
Can this sander handle panels wider than sixteen inches?
Yes. Feed one half, rotate the board, feed the other half, keep depth identical both times, and feather the blend line with the final grit.
How deep can each pass be?
On hard maple, five-thou. On softer spruce, maybe eight-thou. When the drum motor grunts, you have gone too far.
What grit is best for final?
120-grit leaves a clean surface ready for random-orbit finishing. Sensitive species may benefit from 180.
Is end-grain safe?
Sure. Use 60-grit, light passes, clean paper often. End-grain loads quickly.
My conveyor feels slick. Now what?
Replace it with fresh rubber. Till then, use a carrier board to help parts feed evenly.
Are Jet or SuperMax wrap strips compatible?
Often yes. The clip shape differs, so you may trim the tail and add tape. Works fine with patience.
Feed motor vanishedoptions?
Ninety-volt DC gear motor, forty-to-fifty RPM output, matching bolt pattern. Dayton offers a good candidate.
Speed board missingoptions?
Aftermarket DC controller with suitable rating. Mount inside the switch box and wire up the pot.
Open end cuts deeperhow to fix?
Five-thou shim under the open-end mount, retest.
Paper loosens mid-runwhy?
Tail overlap or lazy clip. Rewrap, trim clean, add tape insurance.
Final Push: Fire It Up and Listen
The Ryobi WDS1600 will never boast chrome knobs or smartphone apps. It asks for twenty minutes of setup, occasional shim checks, and deliberate light passes. Give that and it pays you back with panels flatter than the cast-iron jointer bed they started on. The machine purrs, dust roars through the duct, and the shop smells like hard work done right.
When you send your first perfectly leveled cutting board through and the grain flashes under the light, snap a photo. I want to see that grin.