Proper Drum Sander Use- Question of the Week

September 5, 2007 | Filed Under Blog, Question of the Week 

This week’s question comes from Rick. He writes:

I’m interested in how you utilize your drum sander in the shop. Do you use it for thicknessing or finish sanding? How does it fit into your work flow when making furniture. What grit do you leave on the drum and do you change grits or just stick with the one? Have you had any luck sanding larger table tops through the cantilevered sander in two passes?

I’ve had the good fortune to acquire a drum sander and want to make the most of it’s capabilities. I understand how most woodworking machines fit into the workflow but this one is more of a mystery….

Thanks for your insight.

And here was my reply:

“Hey Rick. Its probably best if you only consider the drum sander as a finishing tool. Trying to use it as a stock removal tool will result in burnt sandpaper, blown fuses, and a messed up board. I usually leave 80 or 120 grit paper in mine and typically use it after the stock comes out of the planer. It gets rid of milling marks and allows me to dial in the thickness of the piece I am milling. Now, I might change the grit to something like 120 or 180 before I do my final assembly and run all the pieces through. But in many cases I just start sanding with my random orbit sander and progress up through the grits. The other common use for the drum sander in my shop is making very thin stock (either for shims or edge banding). So any time I need to make something that is less than 1/4″ thick, the drum sander is vital. That also means I am able to make my own veneer. I take thin 1/8″ slices right off the bandsaw and run it through the drum sander to smooth out the rough side.”
” To answer you other question, I usually dont run really large pieces through the unit in two passes. There is nearly always a ridge to deal with regardless of how perfect it is set up. So I have done it, but with the knowledge that there will be a nice ridge to sand away with my hand sanders. Despite that one flaw, it really is a valuable tool and I would be lost without mine. Good luck.”

Comments

5 Responses to “Proper Drum Sander Use- Question of the Week”

  1. Brad Nailor on September 6th, 2007 9:33 am

    Marcs’ answer is right on. I miss having a wide belt sander available to me. We would mill all stock 1/16 over and sand everything into final dimension, up to 120 grit. Cuts down on your hand sanding, and gives you consistant material thickness for all parts. Not to mention the ability to sand huge table tops was like a dream! At least even with an open end drum sander you could do everything short of sand the tabletops.

  2. David Caskey,MD on September 7th, 2007 7:27 am

    I have found that I use my drum sander more and more. To me, it is better for the average, casual woodworker than the planner as with the planner you have to start with one surface flat. If you are working with over size boards or glued up pannels, this is impossible in a small shop. The sander is slow but at least solves the problem of one flat side. If I try to use hand tools or smaller sanders, I almost always get a variety of thickness and often have valleys and ridges. With the drum sander if you pay attention to stock feed and drum pressure and take your time you really get a consistent result.

  3. Mike in St. Paul on September 7th, 2007 6:52 pm

    Marc,

    Do you ever see yourself upgrading to a Timesaver (like Norm) or is the more portable drum sander the limit? I’m just curious how big an operation you need before you make the investment in a Timesaver. How much of a difference is there between a decent drum sander and a Timesaver?

    Mike in St. Paul

    P.S. I guess in all fairness, Norm probably got his Timesaver comped so maybe that’s not a fair comparison.

  4. thewoodwhisperer on September 7th, 2007 11:31 pm

    Hey Mike. I could probably “get by” with my Performax sander forever. I doubt I would ever shell out the cash for one of the bigger units like the TimeSaver. But what a nice luxury to have, huh? So if you ever see a big drum sander in my shop, you can bet I didnt pay for it. :)

  5. Vic on September 8th, 2007 11:19 pm

    My own little piece on a drum sander. Thoroughly think through the engineering before purchasing a drum sander. I have the Delta and the problem there is that the table(instead of the drum head) is what moves. Not a problem until you are sanding long pieces that need in-feed and out-feed support. Think about it, I didn’t. Anyone wanna buy a Delta drum sander so I can afford my new Performax?

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