Drum sander - thinking of moving the right hand side clamp.

[julianf]

So, my drum sander is designed for 103mm wide paper.

Standard paper here seems to be 115mm.

What this means is that you either have to trim 12mm off the edge, or the end of the paper ends up in the wrong place as you wrap it around the drum.

It works fine (obviously) if you trim it, but its just tedious. The length is almost 3m, and you need a nice edge, so it takes up more time then i really want to spend.

Im wondering if anyone else has done this? It seems like a load of effort, but i cant think of another solution, other than constantly chopping up paper.

Ive seen some paper in 4" width, but none that will last any time at all on a drum sander. Id be happy if anyone has a drop in solution, of course!


Thank you.

 

[Terry - Somerset]

Never used a drum sander but one thought would be to trim the length of the abrasive so that the 115mm fits correctly when the drum is wrapped. That way the cut will be at the edge of the drum where I assume the accuracy of cut is relatively unimportant.

 

[Alpha-Dave]

2 obvious things:

1) Adapt to 115 mm rolls: my drumsander uses 3” rolls. I just took the one that came with it and used it as a template. I’m certain that any width could be wrapped into a cylinder, just the angle on the ends would vary. Get some cheap paper (ikea do a roll for £1, or toolstation etc. sell painterpaper), cut some 4” strips and play around until you get the angles and lengths right. This could also be done with maths, but you will need to know the diameter and length of the drum.

2) Stick to your current method, but find a better way of slitting to width. Some sort of dual-roller system with a Stanley knife bladeor wheel-knife at the right point would be ideal. Possibly made from an old clothes mangle.

Good luck!

 

[julianf]

Never used a drum sander but one thought would be to trim the length of the abrasive so that the 115mm fits correctly when the drum is wrapped. That way the cut will be at the edge of the drum where I assume the accuracy of cut is relatively unimportant.

It does not work like that - if you use wider paper, as you say, the length decreases, but then the end point moves.

I, in error, thought you could then just change the angle of the coil, but it doesnt work like that - the angle (and i cant really justify this, but experimentation proves it to be correct!) is fixed. So with a fixed angle, and fixed width, the end point moves. Theres no other way around it.

 

[julianf]

2 obvious things:

1) Adapt to 115 mm rolls: my drumsander uses 3” rolls. I just took the one that came with it and used it as a template. I’m certain that any width could be wrapped into a cylinder, just the angle on the ends would vary. Get some cheap paper (ikea do a roll for £1, or toolstation etc. sell painterpaper), cut some 4” strips and play around until you get the angles and lengths right. This could also be done with maths, but you will need to know the diameter and length of the drum.

2) Stick to your current method, but find a better way of slitting to width. Some sort of dual-roller system with a Stanley knife bladeor wheel-knife at the right point would be ideal. Possibly made from an old clothes mangle.

Good luck!

As above, the angle is fixed. I dont really know why, but it is. If you wrap a paper of [x] width around a cylinder of [y] diameter, you have no option as to the angle. Its set. I thought it wouldnt be, but experimentation shows that is is.

The angle on the end is set by the circumference. This will, no doubt, mathematically equate to all the other data, but my algebra is way way off being able to demonstrate it. Suffice to say it was a surprise to me also. The width of the paper sets the angle. I guess its something to do with having to move along one width of the paper with one length of the circumference (one turn) plus whatever the angle adds? Whatever, it works out as a fixed distance / angle that you cant change. Which makes the end point change. Which makes me want to cut another slot.


Or, as you say, #2, find some real quick way of trimming 12mm off the edge of a 50mm roll.

 

[Alpha-Dave]

Ah, I think I get it.

Fully agreed that for one drum diameter and one roll width there will only be one angle that fits. The issue must be that you are finishing on a part-full turn, so the trimming would be more complex. What I don’t know is the complex end would lead to weakness and a risk of detaching during use.

It may be possible that other ‘standard sizes’ could fit your diameter and width, but that would need experimentation or maths.

 

[Inspector]

You are correct in that the cut side of the sandpaper is the circumference of the drum. The angle changes with the width of the sandpaper. The wider the paper the fewer wraps around the drum. The endpoint changes with a change in the width of the paper. If there is no drum rib in the way you can cut a new slot and reposition the clamp to use a wider or narrower strip of paper.

The only alternative I know of is to change to Hook and Loop paper. You have to find a hook strip to adhere to the drum, keeping the start clamp so the tip of the paper doesn't get lifted in use. The tail end then sits wherever it lands at the end. The downside to it is higher cost sandpapers and the surface is soft so you loose some of the flattening ability as the paper is more inclined to follow the surface rather than knock off the high points. It is also harder to find.

I would just move the end slot and clamp if you have to.

Pete

 

[MARK.B.]

I have seen a friend of mine cut huge sanding belts down in width very quickly and with surprising speed , He simply laid out the belt on a scrap piece of ply ,marked the chosen width and then with a very thin 1mm metal cutting disc in an 4 1/2" angle grinder ,he simply slit the belt end to end cleanly and quickly. Not saying you should use this method but it worked well for him. The lucky pipper has access to used belts that look to me to have had very little use at all.
Almost forgot to add,clamp the ends of the belt in some way to prevent it trying to slip.

 

[Yojevol]

My sander takes 3" belts and I have a good stock of 6" wide abrasive. I've made a jig which is like an open ended tray about 15" long and 6" wide to take the paper. A rectangular sheet of plywood 6" x 9" also fits in the tray on top of the paper. The plywood has a central slot cut in one end which takes a Stanley knife. I pull the paper through the tray 15" at a time and cut it down the middle with the knife. It's a bit tedious but only takes a few minutes. My belts are about 2m long.
Brian

 

[Alli]

Have you tried bndabrasives.co.uk They offer a custom belt service. I've not used this service but have bought a roll for my machine and I think I got twice the length for the same price as what Axminster is asking, so might not be to expensive

 

[SkinnyB]

Done exactly this!
I blogged it:

I ended up re balancing the drum with blutac inside the drum, adjusting the weight until the drum no longer vibrated.

https://skinnerdesigns.blogspot.com/2017/02/jet-22-44-plus-drum-sander-modification.html