advice on drum sander

[Jim Cunningham]

I am going to build kitchen cabinets with raised panel doors. I am leaning toward the Grizzly G1066R double drum sander. I have the griz cabinet saw, band saw and Shop Fox holow chisel mortiser, so I am familiar with the brand and am happy with the product.

I would appreciate any advice on competing brands, and especially any comments on drum sanders in general , what to look for , what to look out for, etc.

TIA

Jim Cunningham

[tod evans]

jim, if you are going to be building kitchens for a living skip the drum altogether and start looking at a widebelt. the time savings are well worth the extra initial cost.i think it`s safe to say your compitition is allready using one and in the last 5 years the prices have dropped while at the same time quality has improved.........food for thought. tod

[Dennis McDonaugh]

Jim, I have a performax 16/32 I bought used for $400. At that price its an okay sander, but, in my opinion, it has way too many issues for its normal retail price. I have never been able to adjust the belt to track straight. It creeps one way and 1/8 turn on the adjuster and it goes the other direction. You can't take a very big bite, maybe 1/8 turn on the crank. The drum doesn't stay parallel to the bed so I have to run the piece through once, turn it around and run it through again. Finally, I can't run very fine paper on it or it burns the work piece. Overall, its a pain to use, but it does something I can't do with other machines so I keep it for occasional, must have, use.

[Chris Barton]

Hi Jim,

I have the Performax 22-44 and have had no problems with the unit. You do have to take small "bites" when lowering the drum but, unless you are going to get into 3 phase units, that is true with all sanders. I bought mine new about a year ago and it was worth the money.

[Jim Cunningham]

Todd, I am not going to do this for a living. I am just a hobbiest, and the $1200 is about allI can justify for a tool I won't be using constantly. What is the advantage of widebelt over the drum sander? Aside from the obvious flexibility of being able to sand something wider in multiple passes?

Thanks,
Jim

[Jim Becker]

Like Chris, I have the Performax 22-44 Plus and am very pleased with it. I happen to like the open end design for flexiblity and the 22" wide capacity without flipping covers 99% of what I'd be running through it while allowing me to process wider material.

Wide-belts are nice, but expensive, both to buy and beyond. Drum sanders are much more affordable for many folks, whether you choose an open-ended design like the Performax or a closed end design like the Grizzly or Woodmaster.

[tod evans]

jim, from your original post i assumed you where going into production........my mistake. for hobby use a drum sander is fantastic, i had a woodmaster for a couple years that i beat to death then sold for what i paid for it. if you have the room/electric/dust collection i would suggest a unit that has a rubber conveyor,6" drum minimum,and pulls 20-25 amps single phase 220. i`ve never used one of the "open-ended"machines for the simple reason that i`m hard on tools. i`m sure any make will be a godsend after the belt/ro routine. good luck on your quest, tod

[Chris Cordina]

I built one from parts from performax. Supported on both sides. I did this over ten years ago when they didn't have the ones they have now. I wouldn't be without one now. There is a post , planers vs drum sanders, from yesterday that gives some opinions, including mine twice http://www.sawmillcreek.org/images/icons/icon6.gif. You won't get rid of hand sanding, but it does make getting boards to proper size easy. It wont make a bad woodworker good but will take good and make it perfect.

[Mike Cutler]

The double drum sander is the way to go. I have the performax 16-32, and seemed to have avoided the problems that alot of folks have had with it.
That said though, it's not wide enough for cabinets, unless you will only be running the parts thru individually, and not a final sized door.
If you've been happy with your machines from Grizzly. I say stick with the Griz' double drumsander.

[Mark Singer]

I have the General 24" with a double drum....80 and 120 grit I really like it! It has a powerful conveyer . You still need to go slow...take small passes....great results!