convert performax drum sander into a below the table drum sander?

[Jesse Tutterrow]

I recall a tip in a woodworking magazine where someone removed the top cover of their drum sander and added a table with a slot in it. This allowed them to sand items that would not fit between the drum and the moving belt.

Has anyone done this? If so how well does it work?

If one did this and then added Velcro on the drum would this be the same as a V-Drum sander?

Thanks in Advance, Jesse

[Paul Johnstone]

I recall a tip in a woodworking magazine where someone removed the top cover of their drum sander and added a table with a slot in it. This allowed them to sand items that would not fit between the drum and the moving belt.


I don't think this is safe. You are now just relying on your hands to hold the wood. Looks like a good opportunity for kick back, since there's no holddown rollers.

I think sanders like the sandflee are designed to sand small things.. Any piece of wood that is too thick to fit under the drum is likely to be difficult to handle.

Also, dust collection would be a nightmare.

Can you use a belt sander for this purpose?

[Kyle Iwamoto]

What are you trying to sand that wont fit between the head and table?
I would think you could do that, but I do agree that it would be unsafe and a belt sander would be just as effective. Maybe a jointer? It's designed for that.

[Rob Wright]

You mean like a sand flea from stockroom supply? http://www.stockroomsupply.ca/shop/drum-sanders.html?SID=e302724e1723a70fc9179f1d3c33b060

[Jesse Tutterrow]

I recall a tip in a woodworking magazine where someone removed the top cover of their drum sander and added a table with a slot in it. This allowed them to sand items that would not fit between the drum and the moving belt.

Has anyone done this? If so how well does it work?

If one did this and then added Velcro on the drum would this be the same as a V-Drum sander?

Thanks in Advance, Jesse

The long story:

I own the performax 16-32 drum sander. Over the last 5 years I probably have used it a total of 2 hours. I don't like it! It is hard to get the sandpaper tight on the roller and under the clip. The paper keeps loosening and slipping on top of itself. This causes uneven sanding. Dust gets forced onto the sand paper clogging it. The bottom belt that moves the wood through the sander has developed bubbles (places where the belt has deformed).

I loaned it to a fellow woodworker last spring and he was going to buy it in the fall. His wife decided that she needed a new minivan instead. So, I need to go and repossess it. But, I don't like it. I don't trust it.

So, In considering all of this I recalled a tip that I had read in some woodworking magazine about someone who had temporary turned his drum sander into a below the table sander. I think he said that he needed to sand the sides of some drawers (or maybe boxes).

My thought was "could I turn this useless Performax sander into a V-Drum sander. Like the sand flea (or the bigger V-Drum sander that the stockroom sales). This would involve two different things:

1. create a table to sit on top of the drum.
2. Add Velcro to the drum so that hook and loop sand paper could be used.

The Woodworking show is in town this weekend, and Stockroom Supply will be at the show with their show discounts.

So, I need to determine if I can make a V-Drum sander out of my performax or if I should peddle it and by the V-Drum sander.

Now back to my original questions:

1. Has anyone tried making a table to above the drum?
2. Has anyone tried adding Velcro to the drum itself?

Any constructive advice would be appreciated.

P.S. Sorry if this response sounds abrupt, it has been a bad day, of a bad week, of a bad winter.
St. Louis don't bother plowing the subdivision streets, so the snow packs down and forms ice. Leaving in the morning the van bounces back and forth in the ruts and I feel like the ball in a ping ball machine and sometimes I can't even get back up the hill to my house at night. Just my tax dollars at work.

[Jesse Tutterrow]

Exactly. Can I turn the Performax into a V-Drum sander?

[Kyle Iwamoto]

You may be trying to take off too much with one pass. The sander is NOT a planer. You have to take very light cuts on it. 1/8 turn or so.

IF you put velcro on the drum, I would imagine that it would add so much variance in thickness and hardness to the paper that you may be better off using a belt sander. I would think it impossible to get an flat, even finish, which is the only thing the sander is good for. I understand your pain in getting the paper tight. It takes a little effort and a small learning curve. I tighten the paper after the first couple passes.

[Jonathan Spool]

If you don't like it, it is too valuable to canabilize. Better to sell it and build your own V Drum sander

[keith micinski]

I can't believe I just read that someone doesn't like a 16-32. It is EASILY my favorite tool that I have ever bought

[Neil Brooks]

I can't believe I just read that someone doesn't like a 16-32. It is EASILY my favorite tool that I have ever bought

Somebody else doesn't like the DeWalt DW735 :(

I tend to agree: I'd sell the 16-32, and then fab up what you're talking about. There's a good market for the 16-32's. Lots of people actually DO like them ;)

[Stephen Cherry]

The long story:

I own the performax 16-32 drum sander. Over the last 5 years I probably have used it a total of 2 hours. I don't like it! It is hard to get the sandpaper tight on the roller and under the clip. The paper keeps loosening and slipping on top of itself. This causes uneven sanding. Dust gets forced onto the sand paper clogging it. The bottom belt that moves the wood through the sander has developed bubbles (places where the belt has deformed).

I loaned it to a fellow woodworker last spring and he was going to buy it in the fall. His wife decided that she needed a new minivan instead. So, I need to go and repossess it. But, I don't like it. I don't trust it.

So, In considering all of this I recalled a tip that I had read in some woodworking magazine about someone who had temporary turned his drum sander into a below the table sander. I think he said that he needed to sand the sides of some drawers (or maybe boxes).

My thought was "could I turn this useless Performax sander into a V-Drum sander. Like the sand flea (or the bigger V-Drum sander that the stockroom sales). This would involve two different things:

1. create a table to sit on top of the drum.
2. Add Velcro to the drum so that hook and loop sand paper could be used.

The Woodworking show is in town this weekend, and Stockroom Supply will be at the show with their show discounts.

So, I need to determine if I can make a V-Drum sander out of my performax or if I should peddle it and by the V-Drum sander.

Now back to my original questions:

1. Has anyone tried making a table to above the drum?
2. Has anyone tried adding Velcro to the drum itself?

Any constructive advice would be appreciated.

P.S. Sorry if this response sounds abrupt, it has been a bad day, of a bad week, of a bad winter.
St. Louis don't bother plowing the subdivision streets, so the snow packs down and forms ice. Leaving in the morning the van bounces back and forth in the ruts and I feel like the ball in a ping ball machine and sometimes I can't even get back up the hill to my house at night. Just my tax dollars at work.

Sounds to me that it could be made to work, but if you were not able to get the performax to work as it came, it may be more than you want to take on to rework the machine into something else. One thing that I try to do with all of my machines is to really learn how they work, how to change the tooling, and how to align them. The sander is like anything else. It takes time, patience, an open mind, and a realization that most of these machines are not plug and play. You need to learn how they work and how to service them to allow them to perform well.

[keith micinski]

Somebody else doesn't like the DeWalt DW735 :(

I tend to agree: I'd sell the 16-32, and then fab up what you're talking about. There's a good market for the 16-32's. Lots of people actually DO like them ;)

Ha, my only defense would be to admit that I think the problem with the planer is more my problem then the planer. And not liking it isn't a strong enough word. I hate that planer with a passion. Also I don't hate the execution of the planer... ah who am I kidding its the exact same thing as the posters thoughts on his 16-32. I still can't believe someone doesn't like that sander though.

[Van Huskey]

One word will solve both your problems: WOODMASTER I promise you won't loan anything with that name on it to a friend!

[keith micinski]

It sounds like the poster was wanting to find a way to make what he thought would be a more useful sander. I think the consensus is, rather then trying to modify the 16-32 sell it and get something else.

[Bob Potter]

I posted about this problem of keeping the paper tight on my Ryobi 16 x 32 drum sander a while back. I have had no problem with this sander except keeping the paper tight. I have tried to pull it tight with a needle nose pliers but ended up breaking the end of the paper off. So I have been taking double stick tape and wrapping it around the drum in a spiral about an inch apart and than wrapping the paper around the drum. This has worked for me in keeping the paper tight and making it last a lot longer. I have not had a problem with uneven sanding. It may not be the right way of doing things but it has worked for me.

Hope this helps, Bob

[Mike OMelia]

Sell it. It is worth way more than the sandflea. You will have the tool you want and some money leftover. Don't ruin that machine. In the hands of people who understand it, it is way effective.

The most common complaint I hear is about tightening the paper. And, I struggle at times to get it tight. Take some time to study the mechanism by looking at it and the drawings in the manual. Figure out how to use that wacky tool. I do not use it. I finally got it in my head how it works and can do it by hand. Normally, the problem is the cut belt is a bit too short. (not enough tip to grab on to). Of course, if you buy the more expensive precuts, then this should not be an issue. I have owned two of them, I saved the factory delivered belts as templates.

[Stephen Cherry]

I posted about this problem of keeping the paper tight on my Ryobi 16 x 32 drum sander a while back. I have had no problem with this sander except keeping the paper tight. I have tried to pull it tight with a needle nose pliers but ended up breaking the end of the paper off. So I have been taking double stick tape and wrapping it around the drum in a spiral about an inch apart and than wrapping the paper around the drum. This has worked for me in keeping the paper tight and making it last a lot longer. I have not had a problem with uneven sanding. It may not be the right way of doing things but it has worked for me.

Hope this helps, Bob

The performax has a special clip that will keep the paper tight if you give it a chance. Not perfect, but I never have any real problems with it.

[Richard Coers]

It's my feeling that the reason the sand flee works so well is because you are not making a hard contact between the drum and the paper. The velcro cushions it, and the grit does not cut to full depth. Sand something on a hard drum, and the grit cuts to full depth. I can get a much finer cut with 120 grit on a stroke sander than 120 grit on a thickness sander. I'm not forcing the grit into the wood, but gently passing the platten over it. Sell the Performax.

[Jeff Monson]

I recall an old "shopnotes" or "wood" mag that had an article on that. It was a box that attached to the top
of a drum sander. I'll see if I can dig it out of an old issue (it has to be 3 or 4 years ago).

On a side note, I think you should spend a little more time with the 16-32, I have a 22-44 and couldnt be happier with it.
Although it did take some time to get the bugs out, proper paper installation, feed rate and depth of cut....all can be a pain but once you get to know the machine and its intended purpose its really hard to beat.

[Chip Lindley]

The long story:

...I don't like it! It is hard to get the sandpaper tight on the roller and under the clip. The paper keeps loosening and slipping on top of itself. This causes uneven sanding. Dust gets forced onto the sand paper clogging it....I don't like it. I don't trust it.

So, In considering all of this I recalled a tip that I had read in some woodworking magazine about someone who had temporary turned his drum sander into a below the table sander. I think he said that he needed to sand the sides of some drawers (or maybe boxes).

My thought was "could I turn this useless Performax sander into a V-Drum sander. Like the sand flea (or the bigger V-Drum sander that the stockroom sales). This would involve two different things:

1. create a table to sit on top of the drum.
2. Add Velcro to the drum so that hook and loop sand paper could be used.

The Woodworking show is in town this weekend, and Stockroom Supply will be at the show with their show discounts.

So, I need to determine if I can make a V-Drum sander out of my performax or if I should peddle it and by the V-Drum sander.

Now back to my original questions:

1. Has anyone tried making a table to above the drum?
2. Has anyone tried adding Velcro to the drum itself?

.

And what would make your "ho-made" V-sander any different? Same drum; same sandpaper. A Velcro drum covering and felt-backed sand paper is the way to go. My Woodmaster has it as standard.

IMO, sell the Performax as-is, while it is still in one piece. Take your chances liking a V-Drum.

To my way of thinking, V-Drum is to jointer, as real drum sander is to thickness planer. The V-Drum can smooth one surface, but has nothing to reference thickness. Corners can become thinner, and varying thicknesses can develop if you tarry too long in one spot. While all this goes on, a conveyor-fed drum sander ensures that constant thickness is maintained while smoothing one surface. I would think the real uses for a V-Drum would be few, compared to a more robust self-fed drum sander. I Love my Woodmaster!

Just my .02.

[Jesse Tutterrow]

Thanks All,

I think that I will end up selling the Performax and will buy a V-Drum sander at the woodworking show this weekend.

--Jesse

[Paul A Jones]

195134
This may hae been metioned as it came from one of the woodworking Mags.

[Mike OMelia]

Look, the Performax line of drum sanders are probably the best values out there. Your complaints are common. And each one of them has an answer. First, I will assume you are using a DC with the machine. Second, depending on hardness of wood, take no more than 1/4 to 1/3 turn of wheel with each pass. Patience!! Third, on some turns, take several passes, flip the wood and rotate the wood on entry. Fourth, use an "eraser" bar to clean the drum regularly! Sappy & oily wood can/will reduce life of paper (use eraser more often). Use of velcro has its adherants and detractors. It will lead to hotter paper (since heat sink is now insulated). Also, given the soft underpad, hard and soft grain lines may become elevated with respect to each other. But, it stays on nicely. It's also more expensive. If you will study the pull down mechanism you will better understand the tightening process. If you cut the replacement paper a little short, you may never get it tight. And, yes, items taller than 3.9" just will not go through.

Finally, I think your idea of the top sander (like the sand flea) has SOME merit. But you must solve DC problem. If you can do this in a non-destructive way, go for it. I look forward to seeing your solution. Really! I need an answer for that. (btw, kick back is not a real problem if designed like sand flea).

Mike

[Mike OMelia]

195134
This may hae been metioned as it came from one of the woodworking Mags.

This is cool! Kind of what I was picturing in my mind as I typed my last response. But, what I don't get, as well as with the sand flea, is why the outfeed table is not slightly elevated with respect to infeed table (as in a a jointer). Maybe this is because we are talking thousandths.

[John Coloccia]

Shoot, if I lived near you I would come out, get it tuned up and show you how to easily wrap the drum. Maybe there's a nearby Creeker that can help you out. It's a nice machine once you get to know it.

I believe I remember reading that someone had converted the drum to hook and loop. If I run across it again, I'll post it here. It really is very easy to wrap the drum tightly, though, once you see how to do it. Maybe I'll get some ambition and make a little video on setup of for this family of sanders.

[Mike OMelia]

Make sure you do the Joe Woodworker alignment thing of the drum. That would be cool to see in a video.