Baby Grizzly Drum Sander for Segmented Work?

[David Moore CA]

I now have a Jet 10-20 drum sander which I have huge difficulty changing the paper and I am about ready to get rid of it for that reason. I was thinking of replacing it with the Grizzly Baby drum sander since it appears with the hook and loop sandpaper it should be a snap to change the paper? I want the drum sander almost exclusively to flatten segmented rings. I see Grizzly recommends not sanding board shorter than 8 inches so I am guessing I'd need to use a sled with it? I can live with the 12 inch maximum. Anyone see any problems with the Baby Grizzly for what I need? Thanks for your help and hope your Halloween was festive.

[Robert McGowen]

About 90% of my work is segmented and I also have a 10-20 Jet. I have not used it in probably a year though. I personally find that a disc sander is way, way faster to use flattening one side of a ring, I can use it to mate half-rings together, it does not "snipe" the end of a ring, and it is much easier to change paper on. I have both a Jet 12" and a Rikon 12". If you can only get one, save your money and get the Jet.

So to answer your question, I think that you are looking at the wrong kind of sander to do what you want to do. YMMV

[Michelle Rich]

I have a 10-20 and have used over 10 yrs for segmented work..the paper is not hard to replace at all IMHO..it just takes a tad of patience. You could use a regular 6x48 type sander to get one side flat, then glue on your ring to to vessel, then "flatten" the other side on the lathe & repeat..or a hand sander of some sort to flatten one side, then glue to vessel again, etc..no need to buy an expensive sander

[Larry Marley]

Hi David,
I don't know if both models use the same method, but I have the 16/32 and don't find the paper changing that difficult. I use it to flatten rings, sand veneer, and have run small 3" rings through without a problem. With the wider drum you can stagger the pieces to allow for sanding more rings at a time, and the abrasives last me quite a while. I usually run rings through in batches. This helps when using small rings by staggering them on the conveyor into a group, they help support each other and reduce the chance of snipe. So, my thought is: if you are going to change out your sander, maybe you should consider making it an upgrade to a wider model.

Larry

[David Moore CA]

Thanks for the ideas. Michelle, I realize it is me that is challenged by the 10-20 paper changing and others no doubt find it as easy as changing their shoes. The idea of using a disc sander to flatten the rings seems good although I'm a bit wary of ending up sanding my fingertips. I guess no segmenters use the baby Grizzly drum sander?

[Michelle Rich]

How often are you changing the paper? I have 100 grit on there & change about every 6mos??? I don't try to hog, and I keep one of those cleaning sticks handy & keep the paper clean..goes a long way in not having to change the sanding paper. Do you know the segmenting site of the AAW?? You must be a member to go there, but they have had discussions about this topic over & over & over. You might check there, about the grizzly unit. I think most folks who spend $$$ prefer the jet/performax units

[Bob Coates]

I have used disk sander on shopsmith, but when I need to do large rings I made two disks from MDF to fit my powermatic 20" and used the 6" paper from my grizzly 16" glued in strips. One has 100 and the other has 60. the 60 grit really takes out the unevenness quickly. the first one I made I did not get square so has a slight wobble, but works. The paper was attached with 3m spray. A big advantage is that you can run the disk at low rpm -- does less damage to fingers.... I think the problem with small items on the grizzly is that you dont have the infeed and outfeed rollers to keep the board flat.