Drum Sanders and Pam Spray

[Lance Chase]

Hey Everyone, I recently was reading my owners manual for my Grizzly Dual 24" Drum Sander and was totally blown away when I saw in the troubleshooting to stop the paper from clogging to spray it with Pam Cooking Spray. My question is this, Has anyone tried this and does it work? I am using 80 grit on the front drum and 120 on the rear. Thanks for looking

[Dave Zellers]

I certainly have never heard of that but that doesn't mean much.

One thing I don't think I'll be doing with my drum sander is spraying Pam into the machine with the paper on the roll. That would build up on the surrounding parts and make a gummy mess it seems.

But I'm open to hearing that it works and spraying it outside before installing it I suppose. :eek:

Super Max says you can soak their paper in mineral spirits to remove the pitch from sanding pine.

[Charles Coolidge]

Interesting, I wonder if Bostik Glidecoat would work?

[John K Jordan]

I wonder what Pam would do to some finishes if transferred to the wood.

[Jerry Miner]

I think SOMEBODY should try this and report back---- so the rest of us don't have to risk screwing up our projects!

[Bill Dufour]

I have some old spray oil with garlic. I used to have french bread in a can spray. some sprays have flour in the mix as a pan release.
Bill D.

[Dave Zellers]

I have some old spray oil with garlic. I used to have french bread in a can spray. some sprays have flour in the mix as a pan release.
Bill D.
Come on man! If it worked, how would we know if it was the oil or the garlic?

[Nick Decker]

I don't allow Pam on my cooking utensils, and it certainly won't find its way into my shop.

[glenn bradley]

I have definitely read about spraying bandsaw blades with cooking spray for the same reasons. This was on the blade manufacturer's site IIRC; yeah, here it is:

2. “Pam” spray-on vegetable shortening is a great lubrication for 3/4″ WIDTH AND UNDER band saw blades on vertical saws. (EXAMPLE: Delta, Grizzly, Jet, etc.) Unplug the machine. Spray Pam vegetable shortening on a rag and wipe on both sides of the blade while turning the upper wheel by hand.

BUT, we are talking about operations in the very rough stages of lumber preparation. Way before it starts to resemble something one would begin milling for furniture parts.

[Carlos Alvarez]

I've heard of doing this with floor sanders, which is then followed up with heavy cleaning/degreasing before a re-finish. I guess most of us wipe down our wood before finishing also?

[Lance Chase]

Yeah I don't know if I want to try this. I think I will pass. If anyone does try it Please lets us all know if it worked and or how bad it was to clean up the wood and machine. Thanks Guys

[Steve Demuth]

I would not use Pam - it's an oil based product, and while I don't think Canola oil in the quantities that would come off a sanding drum would affect finishing, I really don't want to find out otherwise. And, like any vegetable oil, it does dry to a gummy consistency, albeit a very thin one. But I do use spray Teflon on my drum sander for the same purpose. Works brilliantly - less sawdust build up, and as a consequence, I burn things much less often when using finer grits on the drum. I also use it on table saw blades, where it significantly reduces the rate at which pitch accumulates, and on exposed jack threads on my drum sander and planer, as a non-stick lubricant.

[Carlos Alvarez]

But I do use spray Teflon on my drum sander for the same purpose.

Which one? How much and how often?

[Randy Heinemann]

Maybe Pam will work as a finish on bowls? When I have a bowl I don't care about I'll try it sometime.

[Carlos Alvarez]

Maybe Pam will work as a finish on bowls? When I have a bowl I don't care about I'll try it sometime.

It doesn't cure, it just goes rancid and becomes a sticky mess. Curing oils change their structure to basically a polymer, while non-curing oils just become a horrible mess.

[Steve Demuth]

Which one? How much and how often?

DuPont Teflon® Non-Stick Dry-Film Lubricant Aerosol.

I spray it on the drum sander when I mount a new belt, and give another quick shot maybe every 20-30 minutes of sanding, after a quick pass with a cleaning rubber. It doesn't take much. Caution is warranted in application - the stuff is way North of 90% carrier (alcohol and low molecular weight hydrocarbons), so the aerosol in any concentration is explosive, You want, as with all aerosols, to spray with caution, avoid any situation involving heat or sparks, and provide ventilation.

[Martin Wasner]

Interesting, I wonder if Bostik Glidecoat would work?

It doesn't.

Tried it on hand held belt sander belts in an operation that was prone to clogging the abrasive. It did nothing noticeable.

[Ben Rivel]

Sounds like a gross mess. I personally wouldnt try it regardless of who recommended it.

[Steve Demuth]

It doesn't.

Tried it on hand held belt sander belts in an operation that was prone to clogging the abrasive. It did nothing noticeable.

I've never tried Teflon on a hand-held sanding belt, but Glidecoat is a similar product to the Dupont aerosol I use, so it's hard to see why it would work differently. As usual, individual mileage will vary - or maybe I'm just seeing a placebo effect when I use the stuff.

[Kevin Beitz]

You got to careful what you use so it does not mess with your final wood finish.

[Brett Luna]

You got to careful what you use so it does not mess with your final wood finish.

Agreed. Commonly found in cooking sprays as an anti-foaming agent: Dimethyl Silicone.

[Carlos Alvarez]

Agreed. Commonly found in cooking sprays as an anti-foaming agent: Dimethyl Silicone.

Silicone is like herpes in the shop. You think it went away and two years later you get orange peel.


I've never tried Teflon on a hand-held sanding belt, but Glidecoat is a similar product to the Dupont aerosol I use, so it's hard to see why it would work differently. As usual, individual mileage will vary - or maybe I'm just seeing a placebo effect when I use the stuff.

There are at least two Glidecoat products; one for tool beds, and the other for the actual cutting surfaces. If I were trying one I'd use the one for cutting surfaces. I'm going to order the Dupont product noted by Steve, because really, $10 is nothing compared to everything we spend on this hobby.

[Randy Heinemann]

Does mineral oil cure then? Just curious, because mineral oil works well, especially in combination with beeswax.

[Carlos Alvarez]

Does mineral oil cure then? Just curious, because mineral oil works well, especially in combination with beeswax.

No, and it has to be re-applied regularly, UNLESS it is mixed with something, as you do. It's popular for cutting boards exactly because it's not permanent, and the board can be re-oiled as needed, with no issues due to remaining hard finishes. You can do a board with other food grade finishes, but the knife damage isn't as easily fixed. That's how my friend who makes his living making custom cutting boards explained it.

Also as I understand it, mineral oil is a very different kind of oil than the cooking oils or typical finish oils.

[Steve Demuth]

Silicone is like herpes in the shop. You think it went away and two years later you get orange peel.

Herpes causes orange peel?

[Carlos Alvarez]

Herpes causes orange peel?

Sure, want to swing by my place and see? :D