Drum Sander: please give me your advise

[Susumu Mori]

Hi all,

I'm seriously looking into a drum sander.
My short list is Supermax 19-38, Jet 22-44, and Woodmaster 2675.
There is a wide range of price ($1,300-3,000 with the Woodmaster most expensive), but if the Woodmaster gives me something that is worth the price, I'm fine. I'm old enough to ask something good and last for the rest of my life.

On paper, the cantilevers look better due to the extra capacity. However, Woodmaster is in a different league in terms of the power and weight. They all share similar foot print, though.

I am a hobbyist. I'll use it every week, but not every day. I expect to use it for general sanding purposes, but I don't think I'll sand big doors or face frames over 24 inches. I do cabinet doors and big drawers occasionally, but they don't go beyond 24 inches. The only wide things are, of course, table tops. So, my questions are;

1) I'm not in a production shop. Mostly right duty. Is a Woodmaster too much?
2) I believe the closed design of Woodmaster, as well as the larger motor, should make meaningful differences. Can it remove more materials in one pass? Does it give smoother surfaces without burn marks? Or is it just a matter of durability?
3) What is your opinion about sanding a table top with cantilevers? I think we need to remove a good amount of materials for a table top. I can flatten the top with a hand plane and ROS. Is it really practical to replace a hand plane with a cantilever sander? Does it really shorten the time?
4) With a Woodmaster, I guess I have to prepare a table top as multiple pieces of less than 24-inch width and join them?
5) My understanding is cantilevers are not really for any thicknessing. How about Woodmaster? Can I use it for a minor adjustment of the thickness or to establish a flat surface?

I'd appreciate your experiences and advises.

[Robert LaPlaca]

I own a Woodmaster 2675, it's a really nice drum sander, very powerful especially with the 5 hp motor on the 26" width machine. Having said that, Even with all that power and stiffness of the frame I would say that .005 to .010" is the most material you are going to successfully remove with the machine, any more material removal will most likely burn the paper, I believe its just the nature of the drum sander, it doesn't have the large sandpaper surface area of a wide belt machine to allow the heat to be disbursed..

I use the machine to prep shop sawn veneer, it works well for that purpose.

I would say for any panel glue ups I do, they can be cleaned up with a sharp card scraper and a ROS..

[Susumu Mori]

Thanks Robert,

One confirmation. Do you mean 0.005-0.01 by one pass? Or the total amount you realistically deal with?
Even though 0.005 sounds small, you can do 0.02 by four passes and if a cantilever can remove only 0.002 at a time, the reduction from ten-pass to four-pass would be significant. I just make up these numbers but if I can hear from the cantilever camp, that'd be quite interesting.

[Robert LaPlaca]

We are talking about a .010 in a single pass, I am guessing at this number, typically we move the table up in 1/4 a turn increments, but I bet I am not far off... Any time I have attempted to just push the envelope, by attempting 1/2 to 3/4 a turn, we have either shredded the paper or have burned the paper..

[Bruce Page]

I have the WM 2675, picked it up in near mint condition off of CL for $1500. I had a Delta 18/36 cantilever. Those are the only two I have run. There is no comparison between the two other than they both sand wood. The WM is built like a tank. With a coarse grit paper you can take a heavy pass – not planer heavy but 2-3 times what I could with my 18/36. It is a big machine with a big foot print, so keep that in mind. Good dust collection is required, I have a 1200 cfm portable and it barely keeps up.

[Susumu Mori]

Thanks Bruce.
Do you have occasions when the 26-inch width of the Woodmaster is limiting?
How do you use the two sanders? If you need to pick one, I guess it would be the Woodmaster?

[John TenEyck]

I have a Delta 18x36. It will take off 0.010" in a pass (1/6th turn of the crank) but it also will burn the paper if you do it much on something like cherry. No drum sander is a planer, and they work much better when taking off around 0.005" or less. You will not be able to be to take half the number of passes with the Woodmaster compared to a cantilevered sander. Drum sanders just don't dissipate heat very well, as noted already; doesn't matter if it's fixed on both ends or cantilevered. Lots of folks get disappointed with their drum sander when mostly they just don't understand and work within their limitations.

John

[CPeter James]

I have had two drum sanders. Both were bought used. There is a steep learning curve to these to get to know the limitations of the machine. I have been involved in the purchase of two different machines that had exactly one board run through them and when it tore the paper off, were shuttled to the corner until the owner got tired of looking at them. Patience is the key. They will do a wonderful job if you learn to operate them properly. I find mine one of the most useful machines I have.

CPeter

[Bruce Page]

Thanks Bruce.
Do you have occasions when the 26-inch width of the Woodmaster is limiting?
How do you use the two sanders? If you need to pick one, I guess it would be the Woodmaster?

Only once, when I made a 32" island counter top for my daughter. I just ran it through in two pieces, joined them with biscuits and gave it a light sanding with my ROS. I sold the 18/36 when I bought the WM. The 18/36 is a decent sander and will deliver good results but it requires more patience. My WM can surface a board in half the time as my 18/36 could. The 18/36 would blow the paper off if pushed too hard. I have never had that happen with the WM and I have pushed it pretty hard. They both generate heat but the WM's Velcro drum and larger drum diameter does a better job dissipating it.

[Chuck Saunders]

In my best Crocodile Dundee voice "thant's not a drum sander mate, now this, this is a drum sander" just picked it up on Saturday301282

[Susumu Mori]

What's the:eek:

[Susumu Mori]

Thanks you all.

I guess the message I got is, there is inherent limitations of drum sanders and nobody can escape from it, but within the capability of drum sanders, Woodmaster has some edge over cantilevers. The issue is, whether the edge is significant, which depends on how to use them, I guess. Extra power of Woodmaster is welcome but it comes with the weight and size, better or worse. Converters, such as Bruce and others in previous posts, prefer Woodmaster to cantilevers. So I'm tipping toward Woodmaster (with twice as much $, it should be better). I need to decide before a promotion ends on 12/8. I have to think hard if I really want to straggle with a 500+ lb machine to my basement again (we did it with a bandsaw and a jointer/planer, which was terrible experience). I think I have enough space but maybe will get rid of the TS, which I no longer use...