Lathe Operated Drum Sander

[Ken Hensley]

Hello All,

I am fairley new to the Creek and still learning when it comes to turning but I came across this home made drum sander plan the other day. It is one of the best designs I have seen so far and wanted to share. Let me know what you think (worth the effort or not?).

http://www.woodturningonline.com/assets/turning_articles/lathe_mounted_drum_sander/lathe_mounted_drum_sander.html

Ken

"He who asks is a fool for five minutes, but he who does not ask remains a
fool forever."

[George Morris]

Wow this looks dangerous to me! A new way to use the lathe. Has any one tried this ? G

[Stephen Massman]

I borrowed this setup from a turning friend. It works great.

The only complaint I have is that it isnt very wide. But that does help allow the 1/2 hp lathe motor be able to drive it without bogging down.

The one I borrowed had the wooden drum attached to a face plate. If I had to make one of these, I would use either aluminum or pvc drum with wood blocks on each end and the head stock side with threads from beall tap.

This is the unit I plan to build at some point. I would opt to use a stand alone motor instead of using the table saw motor. That way it wouldn't tie up the table saw when you are cutting and gluing up other rings.
http://www.shopnotes.com/issues/086/extras/thickness-sander/

[Kyle Iwamoto]

Hmm. Can't use your lathe as a lathe. Can't see the logic in that. :)
My drum sander is 1 HP. I don't think the 1/2 hp would be able to handle the load. Another possible problem is how the sled (thickness) is adjusted. Looks like bolts. It would be hard to adjust and keep it parallel. The sled also looks hand powered. You may have to add a safety stop if the drum grabs something and pulls you hand into the drum.

Just my negative 2 cents.