spindle sander on drill press

[Michael MacDonald]

just how bad is a sanding attachment for the drill press? would the sideways pressure have an eventual impact on the accuracy of the quill or life of the bearings? I need to sand four small table apron curves in the short term... and running out for a dedicated spindle sander is a longer-term idea... perhaps I should just stick with straight lines for now?

[Will Overton]

I used a set for many years with no noticeable effect on my now 20+ year old drill press. The idea that sideways pressure is bad for a drill press may be true to a point, but the bearings aren't made out of marshmallows. More importantly, if you let the sandpaper do its job, you won't be applying a lot of pressure anyway. Just take your time and don't be tempted to put your weight behind it.

[glenn bradley]

Will speaks true. I even made a special table (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=155011&d=1278261847) for one of my DP's. If you let the sandpaper do the work and don't bear into it, I see no issue. I now have a dedicated machine but the DP really let me find out if it was something I would value or not ;-)

[Chip Lindley]

A DP is great for off-hand drum sanding. I purchased a set of various sized drums from ? Woodcraft ? years ago that use regular sandpaper held in a slot with a locking cam.

IF one was to use their DP for heavy sanding on a daily basis, perhaps the bearings might be affected. But for casual use, don't waste your time fretting.

More than bearing wear, IMO, the big problem with side-thrust operations tend to loosen chucks held by their taper only, with no locking collar on the quill. A Jacobs 33 taper is very shallow, and designed only for using a DP chuck as it was intended.

The big drawback of drum-sanding on the DP is that there is no oscillation. Sanding marks on the stock must be delt with.

[Mike Harrison]

I'll go along with the crowd. I also made a table for my DP, though not nearly as fancy as Glenn's, makes it alot easier to use. As glenn said, let the paper do the work. The DP shows no ill effects from sanding, after 20 years.

[Keith Westfall]

The big drawback of drum-sanding on the DP is that there is no oscillation. Sanding marks on the stock must be delt with.

When you get close to the end of the sanding, just run the quill up and down a wee bit...

[Jeffrey Makiel]

My drill press is over 20 years old, and, it's a Harbor Freight model! It did lots of spindle sanding and polishing over the years. No issues.

I recently bought a small benchtop spindle sander for the oscillation feature. Nice, but I would not say that it is a 'must have' tool in my small shop.

-Jeff :)

[Myk Rian]

I think the whole bearing issue is a Wives tale. You hear people advising against it, but never see the proof of damage. I suppose if that was all the DP was used for, there might be an issue after awhile.

[pat warner]

Tho a drill press is not designed for radial (sideways) loads, it can take it.
And it can take it forever if you don't want to use the tool as a drill press.
On the other hand if you want to drill precisely and accurately over time, then don't use the drill as a sander.
The bearings can take it but the spindle assembly may not. There are are strange wear and stresses applied to the rack & pinion and the spindle pulley assembly.
These worn parts express themsleves as the belt is tensioned and just where the belt resides. On the upper pulley set the stress is the greatest.
Precise quill plunging will be replaced with stixsion, vibration and some loss of feed control. No close drilling in your future? Then don't sweat it.
Expecting to get metal shop drilling (http://patwarner.com/images/holding_jig.jpg)out of woodworking drill press? Then don't do it.

[Michael MacDonald]

pleasantly surprised at the comments... thought there would be more negative.

pat's comments seem ominous, but the final statements about precision perhaps are geared toward a level of precision I can't achieve anyway with my bad eyesight and wonky try square... so hmmmm.

perhaps I will give it a try... I think the woodcraft spindle package is only $20 or so... can't hurt... and if I get a dedicated spindle sander for christmas, I can at least use the drill press spindle as a back-scratcher...

[Van Huskey]

I will echo everyoines comments. My gut tells me Pat is correct and not to expect milling machine accuracy after a lot of sanding BUT most WWers don't use highly accurate drill presses to begin with nor do they need them, so it becomes a wash.

[Lee Schierer]

I have a Homecraft drill press that is pretty old. About 6 years ago I decided to replace the bearings in the quill. It turns out they were 2 oillite bushings which are certainly rated for side loads. I use my drill press periodically for spindle siding. I still have no measureable run out after 6 years. I do let the sandpaper do the work as I hate trying to sand off burn marks. If you use the right grit and speed I see no reason not to use spindles in a drill press.

Even a milling machine which is intended to had side loads eventually needs the bearings replaced to maintain accuracy. If you do heavy side milling that rebuild will occur sooner rather than later.

[Prashun Patel]

It's fine to do. I used one extensively before I got an OSS.

Couple points:

Go lightly and quickly. Without the oscillation, you will burn yr piece right quickly.

Don't try to hog out material. Use it to smooth only.

[Michael MacDonald]

good advice... anyone know if HD has a package of drum sanders? couldn't find it on their website... have to get up off my duff and visit... feh.