Drum sanders

[Karl]

Hi folks

Anybody got any recommendations for a small scale shop drum sander.

I have been doing more and more work with solid wood, but all that hand finishing and sharpening can get a bit tedious - especially when the dreaded tearout comes along.

So i've been thinking of investing in a small drum sander - like this one or this one. It doesn't need to have massive capacities - 8" wide sanding is the most i'd need.

Any comments/recommendations welcome.

Cheers

Karl

 

[JonnyD]

I have a larger version which has a 3ft bed but i presume the operation is the same. It is great for dealing with interlocked grain and getting panels flat and evenly thicknessed. The finish isn't perfect as you get very tiny beat marks across the wood a bit like you get from a planer but not as pronounced. I generally finish the timber on a large sliding bed pad sander or use the random orbital sander for final finishing. Overall it does the donkey work and saves a lot of time.

Jon

 

[dunbarhamlin]

Hi Karl
I've got the 16-32.
Fiddly to calibrate/level, but a good tool once set (just check it after a knock if you need accuracy to a within few thou.)

If your working up to 8" wide, I'd try for the 16" rather than the 10", as there's a knack to getting the paper even and it does stretch a little in use, which can give uneven results on the outer inch or so (the way it runs, this manifests on the right hand side inbound)
Also, for a slightly more agressive cut, feeding the work slightly skewed will give cleaner results, so the width is good to have.

Just as I guess is the case with a P/T, it will snipe the ends a little, especially if taking an agressive cut, so if I'm running stuff through that's already to length, I either keep it fed with multiple parts overlapping (so there's always stuff under the rollers) or use longer scrap strips either side.

Resinous/oily stuff can be a pain with streaking - have to regularly clean the drum and keep the stuff moving at a decent lick - especially rosewoods, ebonies etc.

With a finer paper, can get pretty good results with a very light cut.
Oo - much cheaper to buy rolls over paper.
Make sure you've got a good sucker.

I use mine for instrument plates (between 60 and 140 thou depending) and, as you intend, for stuff that's being a puppy to plane - taking it to within a whisker and then just a once over with an ultra fine set smoother.

Cheers
Steve

 

[Steve Maskery]

https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?t=1868
S

 

[Limpet]

Hello there, I also looked at drum sanders for a while but thought they were a bit too expensive so I made my own.

The idea was to accomodate guitar tops backs and sides etc. As such it will sand about 450mm wide and from about 30mm in thickness down to zero.

I hope the picture works and if anyone would like any more details just shout. OK?

Limpet

 

[OPJ]

Hi Limpet. Because you're only just joined, the site won't allow any of your images to be shown until you've posted just a couple more messages; it's a Spam Trap, basically. Once you've made a few more posts, it'll be visible to all; no need to edit or re-post it. :wink:

If anyone's looking for a Jet drum sander, they seem to pop up on eBay on a pretty much weekly basis. It's all about finding one that's near you.

 

[Limpet]

Thanks for the info OPJ

 

[OPJ]

Ah. Just noticed you've got your tags the wrong way round though - it should be

at the end of the link. :wink:

 

[Limpet]

Well I`ve had a few goes at editing the link but to no avail.
It`s gotta be me, I`ll come back to it later when I`ve looked for some instructions on how to do it.

Cheers
Limpet

Huzzaaahhhhh. Success at last.

But I`ll try to size them a bit smaller in the future

 

[Karl]

Olly - any ideas on guide prices for the Jet ones on the bay?

Cheers

Karl

 

[OPJ]

Karl, the smaller ones I've watched in the past seem to go for between £300 and £400 approximately (they're about £600 new).

Limpet, nice to see you've got the photo up and working - have you got any more shots of this? It looks very interesting. Did you work from any plans? How much did it cost to build?

 

[Limpet]

="OPJLimpet, nice to see you've got the photo up and working - have you got any more shots of this? It looks very interesting. Did you work from any plans? How much did it cost to build?

No plans as such, just scribbled some sketches down one evening and worked from there.
Obviously it was modified a bit as I went along but not too much and it seems to work okay.
I still only have rough sketches to hand but I suppose I could generate some working plans/drawings if required.

As to cost it was designed around bits and bobs I had to hand and the timber was largely salvaged from a blackboard surround that was being thrown away from the school where I work. I love recycling.
It does require access to a metalworking lathe but it`s by no means precision engineering.

I`ll take some more detailed shots ( I`ll try to make them a bit smaller )
and point out the more expensive components.
You`ll be able to see how it works and if it`s worth bothering with.

Limpet

 

[BradNaylor]

I've got this one

I can definitely recommend it and it doesn't actually take up much more room than the ones you are looking at.

It does however, sand up to 24" wide.

I use it mainly for doors and glued-up panels. Its areal time-saver for production jobs.

Pop in and have a play with it if you're over my end of the county!

Cheers
Dan