Who Sands using a drill press??

[Matthew Curtis]

Does anyone use there drill press to sand? I was pondering bying some sanding drums for my grizzly G7946 floor model drill press.

What are some good ones and what sizes will give me the most bang for my buck?

Thanks

[Bruce Page]

Matthew, Look into a spindle sander like the Delta BOSS, Rigid, etc. They are vastly superior to a stationary drum in your drill press. In my experience, the sandpaper loads up quickly without the oscillating feature.

JMHO

[doug faist]

Matthew - I tried it for awhile with a Delta 17", but ultimately gave up and bought a relatively cheap oscillating spindle sander.

Two things made me drop the idea. One, the quill is not designed for the hard, sustained lateral motion you're likely to use, and two, dust collection, even though I built an auxiliary table with a dust port, was pretty much useless. Fine dust everywhere including up my nose!

There are small spindle sanders with good dust collection out there and used ones can be had for not too much money.

I'd look around at alternatives before you buy a bunch of drum for the drill press.

Doug

[gary butcher]

I use sanding drums on mine, I have a mixture of normal and pattern drums ranging from 2.5" - 0.5"

http://www.woodcraft.com/Family/2000276/2000276.aspx

http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/2000257/21038/RoboSander-2-Dia-x-3.aspx

I also use these rotary shapers which work pretty well

http://www.woodcraft.com/Family/2005165/2005165.aspx

I can't say which will give best bang for buck as it depends on size and application purposes. They're not too expensive though.

[Joe Broadway]

I sand on it all the time. I picked up 2 sanding drums and an assortment of spindle sandpaper from Keim Lumber. As others have said, using a dedicated oscillating machine would be preferable, but since I only have about $10 invested in the drums, I'm quite happy.

[Prashun Patel]

I did it for a while. I wouldn't invest in a lot: I got a 2" Vermont American rubber drum and some Gator sleeves for all of $12. A worthy investment.

If you're serious enough to get more, I suggest getting a cheap OSS.

Other probs with drill press sanding: You'll burn easy, since the drum doesn't move and heat builds up, so you gotta move quick. This is mostly a prob on tight curves.

Also, you'll be limited to the 2"-3" height of whatever drum you get. An OSS gives you a good 6" or better of sanding.

But yes, in a pinch, you can certainly do it. I STILL do it.

[Van Huskey]

Just buy what you can find cheap, the drums are more or less the same and the abrasives load up too quick to bother with high quality stuff. That said if you begin to use it often go ahead and get a OSS, they are lightyears ahead of the drill press kludge.

[keith ouellette]

I had used my jet frill press a few times with a drum sander attachment and it worked ok. I even had a piece of plywood with a hole cut out to use as an auxiliary table for the drillpress/drum sander

But when I built a rocking chair I realized the drill press just wouldn't do anymore

for $99 you can get the HF occ. drum sander and its worth every penny. works great and has plenty of power for most sanding.

[Bill White]

Did it until I got the Ridgid sander. I was worried about the side loading on the DP. It is pretty tough on the bearings.
Bill

[Rod Sheridan]

I've done it for years, it isn't the best however it's been OK since I don't use it that much.

Soon I'll have a new shaper in the shop that has sanding drums that use strips of sand paper, so I'll probably stop using the drill press........Rod.

[Myk Rian]

The only times I use the DP with a drum sander is for sharpening lawn mower blades. Otherwise, I use my Ridgid belt/drum sander.

[Kyle Iwamoto]

The only times I use the DP with a drum sander is for sharpening lawn mower blades. Otherwise, I use my Ridgid belt/drum sander.


Just curious why you don't use the OSS for the mower blade?

I use my Delta DP all the time with a Delta drum kit. BUT it's all small delicate jobs. If you want to do heavy duty sanding, I would get the Rigid. Pretty cheap and a lot of people like it. I want to get one someday. I also bought the Robo sander, the drum saning pattern sander. Works only OK. I would not recommend that.
Whatever you decide, get the sanding belt "eraser" it's a tremendous belt/disc/drum saver. Takes most of the loaded up junk off really quick.

[Kent A Bathurst]

.........I've done it for years, it isn't the best however it's been OK since I don't use it that much......


Ditto. Works fine for small, occasional projects.

[Montgomery Scott]

I use the DP for sanding drums as I haven't used them enough to justify an OSS. I have also used the drums in a drill or flexible shaft to do other shaping operations that couldn't be done on an OSS any way.

If you think you'll do this operation frequently then an OSS makes more sense.

[Myk Rian]

Just curious why you don't use the OSS for the mower blade?
I don't want to screw up the Ridgid drums on the blades.
Wood only. :)

[glenn bradley]

I thought I was going that way and even built a special table (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=104456) for one of my DP's to dedicate it to sanding. My wide array of drums have gone almost totally unused. It works in a pinch but is not a replacement for a tool designed for what I was trying to do. I would base your decision to go forward and spend money on how much sanding you are expecting to do this way. If it is very little, forge ahead ;-)

[Pete Bradley]

I was worried about the side loading on the DP. It is pretty tough on the bearings.
Bill
Not really. Most of the drill presses discussed here have single row radial ball bearings. Those bearings take a radial load at least as well as the axial load imposed by drilling.

For chucks with a taper and no screw collar, there is some risk of popping the chuck out.

Pete

[Don Morris]

As a couple others have said, I do it with a drum sander on my DP for selected small tasks, but not a lot. If I were to have a big need, I'd go for the spindle. But for a once in a while task, the DP seems to have handled it fine over the years.

[Jason White]

Tried it once. Hated it!

Went right over to Home Depot and bought the RIDGID oscillating sander.

That machine is the best $200 I ever spent!

Jason


Does anyone use there drill press to sand? I was pondering bying some sanding drums for my grizzly G7946 floor model drill press.

What are some good ones and what sizes will give me the most bang for my buck?

Thanks

[Terry Welty]

Me too.... used my drill press for several years... broke down and bought the Ridgid Oscillating Sander recently... Dumb, Dumb, Dumb... why didn't I do it years ago... the drums work great, but the oscillating belt sander really kicks butt!! Really a great tool... large, tilting table, good dust removal... works better than sanders costing much, much more...

[Jeffrey Makiel]

Not really. Most of the drill presses discussed here have single row radial ball bearings. Those bearings take a radial load at least as well as the axial load imposed by drilling.

Pete

Good post Pete...you beat me to it. I often hear of this concern in theory, but never heard of an actual incident. Basically, all ball bearings have an inherent radial load capability (even if it is not published) that is well beyond a person's ability to apply to the spindle.

-Jeff :)

[Jim Rimmer]

Bought some drums a few years ago and used them right after I got them; haven't used them since. I would like to get the Ridgid OSS when I can make room for it.