Converting Drum sander sandpaper to hook and loop? have you done it?

[ken masoumi]

I'm wondering if anyone has switched their drum sander sandpaper from cloth-backed to hook and loop? if so do you have any regrets?
2 years ago I bought the conversion material to switch to hook and loop but I'm still hesitant. the regular 80G paper that came with my drum sander is reaching the end of it's life so now I have a choice of either installing the H&L on the drum or order another roll of cloth backed sandpaper. the cloth backed type is easier to remove if something goes wrong but with the hook and loop, I'm worried if I didn't like it for any reason, I would have a heck of a time removing that sticky stuff, I have also heard most drum sander users like to have that firm /solid feel of the cloth backed paper for their drum sander than the spongy feel of H&L.
Would you switch to hook and loop ?
I appreciate all your comments.
Ken.

[glenn bradley]

As usual, the first response is not a direct response to your question :D. Converting to hook and loop will really loosen up your accuracy for dimensioning (the drum is now "spongy"). If you only use the machine to sand and specific dimensions (thicknesses) are not your concern, no problem.

[ken masoumi]

I use it for both(mainly sanding but occasionally as a thicknesser) ,the funny thing is, before I bought my drum sander, I remember many DS users were of the opinion that a drum sander should be used only for sanding and not as a thicknesser/planer but now that I have used it for both operations I find nothing wrong with using my drum sander for dimensioning wood.

[Cary Falk]

I am never going to convert my sander to hook and loop. for the very reason you mentioned.

[jim mills]

I'd skip the H & L, but if you are looking for something different, I've heard goods things about using abranet.

[Bradley Gray]

If the 80 grit on your sander lasted for 2 years I would stay with it.

[John TenEyck]

I have a friend who converted his 26" double drum sander to H&L and he loves it. He did it because the clips on his made changing the sanding strips a real PITA. Now it's a snap and he said the paper lasts a lot longer because it runs cooler. He also reports no problems using it to bring his stock to precise final dimension.

John

[daryl moses]

If the 80 grit on your sander lasted for 2 years I would stay with it.
I was going to say the same thing.
I don't use my drum sander very often and I still change it every couple of months.

[ken masoumi]

I'm still undecided ,may install the conversion kit and see if I could still use it , if not, I'll spend a couple of hours and remove the sticky strip and reinstall the cloth back sandpaper, I was told about that spongy feel when I wanted to convert my 12" disk sander to hook and loop but I went ahead and converted it and to my surprise it was just fine, of course a drum sander is not the same thing so I thought before I go ahead I would ask here but it looks like no one has made that change .
Thank you all for your comments,sincerely appreciated your inputs.
Ken.

[Wade Lippman]

I've been tempted to try hook and loop. I just made a couple end grain cutting boards and putting four grades of sandpaper on was a real pain. If I only had to change every couple years I wouldn't consider H&L. In fact, I would probably sell the drum sander.

[ken masoumi]

If I only had to change every couple years I wouldn't consider H&L. In fact, I would probably sell the drum sander.
Ouch, that hurt.just kidding . I do use it more often lately but the first year I probably used it for a couple of hours,I also spend 10 minutes(at the end of the day) cleaning the sandpaper thoroughly after each use but over all that drum sander is not heavily used in my hobby shop just like the rest of the tools I own,the jointer knives are 3 years old still sharp,the bandsaw blades are 5 years old and still good(sharpened a couple myself last year),I only spend 3-4 hours a day in my shop, 2-3 days a week.after all I'm retired and life is good.

[Jeff Bartley]

Ken,
I have a performax 16/32 that has Abranet on the drum. Changing the paper on this sander was never an issue for me. In a package deal I picked up a double drum grizzly sander that had hook and loop on the drums and last weekend I realized I could wrap a drum with the Abranet and try out the sander. Comparing the two sanders is sort of apples to oranges as the grizzly has a rubber conveyer belt and drums spin in the same direction as the conveyer. But after tuning up the grizzly it functions just fine where the hook and loop is concerned. However, in use I'm not convinced the hook and loop gets you much further ahead in terms of speed in changing paper, both ends need to be taped. I'm pretty sure I can change the paper in the 16/32 as fast or faster than the hook and loop on the grizzly.

[ken masoumi]

. after tuning up the grizzly it functions just fine where the hook and loop is concerned. However, in use I'm not convinced the hook and loop gets you much further ahead in terms of speed in changing paper, both ends need to be taped. I'm pretty sure I can change the paper in the 16/32 as fast or faster than the hook and loop on the grizzly.
Hi Jeff, it's good to know that your drum sander works just as well as it did with the regular sandpaper, that's mainly the reason why I started this thread, I'm not after a quicker way to change the sandpaper, I can live with changing the sandpaper every few months no matter how long it takes,just didn't want to convert to H&L paper and find out that I caused more harm than good, if my DS still functions the same, I'll be happy.
Thanks again.
Ken.

[Jeff Bartley]

Ken,
This was not your question but in my experience the best improvement of any drum sander is the use of Abranet abrasives. It's worth every penny!

[ken masoumi]

Ken,
This was not your question but in my experience the best improvement of any drum sander is the use of Abranet abrasives. It's worth every penny!
I have used Abranet sanding discs with my ROS for the past 2-3 years and like them a lot , didn't know they also sell 3" sanding rolls, the h&L sanding strip I have is not a bad make either .it's Klingspor brand which is the same brand I use on my 12" disc sander, very good quality , and durable.
I'll find a local distributer for Abranet, thanks Jeff.