Grizzly sander

[Rick Moyer]

Anybody have any experience with this sander? I apologize for not searching first, kind of a whim post:o



http://www.grizzly.com/products/12-Baby-Drum-Sander/G0459

It's about the limit right now of what i'd consider spending. Don't need anything big but don't know what the compromises would be. Mainly interested in reducing orbital sanding time, as well as possibly thicknessing to smaller than my planer (DW735) likes.

[Jim Finn]

I had that drum sander and the motor that drives the feed belt kept dying. It was costing me over $100 a year to replace those motors. They just last until out of warranty. After three motors I threw the whole sander out. It does a good job of sanding . It is slow and produces a LOT of dust.

[Clarence Martin]

That feed motor is only 1/8 HP. Would it be able to fit a larger motor so that it would not burn out ?

[Jim Finn]

It is a special little 120 volt motor with a differential gear and variable speed. Grizzly sold me a different "better one" that lasted no longer than the opriginal and wanted to sell me yet another "better yet" motor. It is obvious they are just trying different stuff and not finding a solution... at the buyers expense. The Grizzly guy is great but out of warranty is out of warranty.

[Rick Alexander]

I realize you might not have the room or the capacity with your power but I found a dual drum 24 inch on craig's list for $600. Substantially better machine for the same money. The one I found had the original sandpaper on it - albeit worn out completely but otherwise in perfect condition. I put hook and loop on it, tightened the drum belts a little, and adjusted the rollers correctly and never looked back. Just can't beat it for sanding raised panel doors or your resaw sheets.

I watched Craig's list for about 4 months before anything came up I could afford. Might not work for your area but around here they seem to come up fairly often.