Is there a spindle sander on the market that can do this?

[Glen Blanchard]

I do a fair amount of pattern routing, and there are times when the router is not the best tool for the job (e.g., heavily figured woods). Hence, I purchased a pattern sanding drum (used on the drill press) to handle those times when a router is less than ideal. However, the drill press is a bit of a compromise when used in this way IMO. A spindle sander would be ideally suited for this, however it would require 2 things.



that someone (the manufacturer???) sells a set of pattern "followers/bearings" for use with their spindles
An over-ride on the sander to stop the oscillations (as I don't see how such a thing could work with the spindle oscillating)


So I am wondering if someone makes such a sander. Does anyone use a spindle sander to "pattern sand"? If so, how is this accomplished?

[David Kumm]

The old Kindt Collins spindle sanders were made to do that. The oscillation turned off and all the spindles were steel rather than rubber. If you find one used and with all the spindles and throat plates it will bring tears to your eyes. $2500-4000 used but far and away the pick of the litter. Dave

[mickey cassiba]

The Delta edge sander 31-396 also has a drum sander attachment( I believe it's included). Be forewarned that these machines have had multiple issues, including non-functioning oscillation(p'raps a plus in your situation). They come up on CL regularly. The spindle(drum) end does not oscillate. The oscillation can also be disabled. Addition of a pattern bearing should be pretty straightforward.

[Edward A Miller]

You might consider mounting a sleeve at the base of the sanding drum and under-sizing your patterns so the pattern rubs the sleeve while the workpiece is being sanded. Think in terms of using a router with a sleeve that guides off a template. Just an idea; I haven't tried this.

[Peter Quinn]

My minimax shaper has a slow speed for pattern sanding, you can buy a sanding sleeve with bearing, and it doesn't oscillate. Could be a possibility? You need a speed around 1500RPM to avoid burning, several euro shapers offer this.

[david brum]

I'm intrigued by these oscillating drill presses (http://www.grizzly.com/products/Oscillating-Drill-Press/H0625). They seem to provide the same function as a spindle sander (I've never used one). They also have adjustable speed and allow the oscillating function to be disconnected. You could also use your existing sanding drums.

[Stephen Cherry]

Maybe it's time to consider a shaper. I would think about a three phase machine, where a vfd could be used to slow down the speed. Then it may be possible to use sanding drums with bearings, if you could find the right size drum. Also, shapers would allow the cutter to be flipped over and the the machine ran in reverse with either a shaper cutter or sanding drum so that you are always working "downhill". Another advantage would be the ability to use a byrd cutter with a bearing, like this one:

226685


I got this one at oella saw for a good price, and it works great. This is a 4x4 inch, but they make smaller and bigger. Not cheap, but it should last for a long time. If you add up the cost of router bits over time (or even abrasive), this may be the less expensive solution.

[Van Huskey]

The short answer to both questions is no, however there I have seen indutrial machines that will do this but the prices are steep.

If I were doing what you are doing I would use a shaper a rub coller and a spiral cutter head, they are designed for exactly what you want to do.

Edit Stephen beat me to it while I was letting my dog out!

[glenn bradley]

The diameter available for shapers may be a deal-breaker. I assume you are doing sharp curves or your tearout issue would be manageable. For larger sweeping curves the cutter shown in Stephen's post is favored by a few pros (at least I've seen them in use or in the background of pictorials). For tighter curves in figured woods a template bit with upper and lower bearings is my solution. The reversing figure does not allow continuous cutting and that is a bit of a hassle. A small price to pay for exceptional figure though ;).

[Van Huskey]

The diameter available for shapers may be a deal-breaker. I assume you are doing sharp curves or your tearout issue would be manageable. For larger sweeping curves the cutter shown in Stephen's post is favored by a few pros (at least I've seen them in use or in the background of pictorials). For tighter curves in figured woods a template bit with upper and lower bearings is my solution. The reversing figure does not allow continuous cutting and that is a bit of a hassle. A small price to pay for exceptional figure though ;).

If that is the case and he does need a smaller cutter (most of the spiral cutters are about 4" in diameter) he could adapt or make a sanding spindle for a shaper and just use a rub coller under it.

[Peter Quinn]

Amana's spiral pattern shaping head is 2.44 inch diameter, the sanding head is 2 3/8" diameter. That will get you in a few places the bigger heads won't. On curved joinery work you often have no choice but to stick to rigid patterns for things to fit properly, such as arch top doors. But for lots of things I cut close to the line, shape or flush trim what I can with a spiral head, and sand the rest freehand on the spindle sander. Like corbels or shelf brackets for instance. They have to be close in appearance, but will never touch in use, so the eye can not compare them that accurately. I mention this because I used to jump through hoops trying to pattern shape these things until a senior man at work insisted it was a folly. It takes a lot of patience and some skill to sand to a line, but it's often worth considering.

[johnny means]

You want this.

http://www.amanatool.com/shaper/sandingdrum-61293.html