Robert Fuller
12-07-2016, 9:33 PM
I owned a Ryobi WDS1600 drum sander with spring loaded clips for holding the paper. It was a charm to change the sandpaper, and the end clip had a tension spring that kept the paper tight. However, the end clip started letting paper slip (a known problem with age), so I had to replace it.
Sticker shock on new equivalent sanders sent me shopping for a used one. I thought I found a deal on a Grizzly G1079 for $775, with a Jet 1HP dust collector and a Craftsman 10" bandsaw, and a roll of 100 grit 3" wide sandpaper, so I picked it up. The previous owner apparently did not like the spring loaded clip that held the paper, so he wrapped the drums with Velcro instead.
Got it home, cleaned it up, lubed it, and performed a meticulous alignment.
I spent an hour tonite trying to wind a strip of sandpaper on it. Every time I thought I had it, after looking it over, I found the paper ended up uneven in places. I could never get it to lay flat, which was not an issue with the old Ryobi.
I could peel the velcro off and replace the clips, but the problem is that at the end of the drum there is no mating clip. Grizzly's instruction manual said to fasten the sandpaper down at that end with duct tape. That sounds bogus to me, but apparently that is their method.
Alternately I could cut my losses and just buy a different machine that has spring clips at both ends of the drum.
Any suggestions?
Sticker shock on new equivalent sanders sent me shopping for a used one. I thought I found a deal on a Grizzly G1079 for $775, with a Jet 1HP dust collector and a Craftsman 10" bandsaw, and a roll of 100 grit 3" wide sandpaper, so I picked it up. The previous owner apparently did not like the spring loaded clip that held the paper, so he wrapped the drums with Velcro instead.
Got it home, cleaned it up, lubed it, and performed a meticulous alignment.
I spent an hour tonite trying to wind a strip of sandpaper on it. Every time I thought I had it, after looking it over, I found the paper ended up uneven in places. I could never get it to lay flat, which was not an issue with the old Ryobi.
I could peel the velcro off and replace the clips, but the problem is that at the end of the drum there is no mating clip. Grizzly's instruction manual said to fasten the sandpaper down at that end with duct tape. That sounds bogus to me, but apparently that is their method.
Alternately I could cut my losses and just buy a different machine that has spring clips at both ends of the drum.
Any suggestions?