Drum sander resin buildup

[Charlie Jones]

Does anyone know of a trick to keep pine resin from building up and ruining the wrap on a drum sander. I have a bunch of pine to work up and the last time it ruined the wrap. I tried to clean it with a rubber sandpaper cleaner to no effect.

[ChrisA Edwards]

What level of grit are you using?

[glenn bradley]

No trick to avoid the build up other than to change material. I stumbled across a video (found it) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMhAWHN-l2E) of a method of removing that resin that gets really welded into the abrasive; poly-carbonate. I picked up a piece at Home Depot and it indeed "works for you at home just like it does on TV". :D

[jerry cousins]

sorry to say - pine is the worst for drum sanders. i think the easiest way to clean it up is to plane it then sand it by hand.
jerry

[John C Bush]

When I get that dreaded burn line as well as more diffuse build up I use a soft bristle brass brush--HF pack of 4(?) @ $4--and gently brush the material off the paper. You give up a little grit but save time and paper and doesn't take that long if you stay ahead of it. Read some where--and tried--soaking the cloth backed paper in Simple Green and then using the soft brush but wasn't any faster than using the brush on the drum. I gave up sanding sappy stock on the DS, spend time using a scraper to to remove glue lines before sanding and have the air hose handy to blow out the swarf from the big rubber eraser--just thinkin' a bit of the rubber embedding in the paper starts the whole burn line process. Santa dropped a Rotex down the chimney and now I find it faster to take a light pass with the planer and finish with the hand sander.

[andy bessette]

Make sure you do NOT run your material straight through the drum sander! Run it at a bit of an angle (to the edge of the platen). Also always hookup/run the dust collector while using the drum sander. These two things will greatly prolong the life of the abrasive. And clean the abrasive more frequently. Don't wait until it won't sand any more.

[Bob McBreen]

Pine is tough on the paper. I switch the paper frequently and spray with simple green. I usually get most of the resin off by scrubbing with a course brush. Hang to dry and put another wrap of paper on the machine.

[Charlie Jones]

Thanks to all of you. I have good dust collection and I run the material as diagonally as possible. I have been using 80 grit. I may try 60 but I know it will have to be sanded more to get out the marks. The last pine I used loaded up the wrap so much I threw it away. I am trying to quit working with pine so much but it is popular around here. My only source for kiln dried is rough sawn. Glenn, I will definitely look the video up on using polycarbonate.

[Warren Lake]

get a stroke sander, its a machine for sanding

Drum sanders are for calibrating and can do that aspect better than a stroke sander. I dont have problems on pine, yes it leaves more pitch but you control the pad pressure and it runs cooler. I use an old wallabee to clean the belt. I would have died years ago if i only had a drum sander for sanding and I have a pro one.

[Mel Fulks]

There are ,or were, “pitch solvents “ for cleaning still good sand paper. One place that sold it was Kindt Collins , a patternmakers supply
house.

[Charlie Jones]

I would love a stroke sander but I would have to build a bigger shop. I am going to try some of the tips here. I can go back to a hand plane and handheld belt sander if I have to.

[Richard Coers]

I've not tried it yet, but a ton of people swear by Mirka Abranet, It's like abrasive on a screen and doesn't build the heat like cloth backed. I can't find the Abranet Max rolls that some use, but here is a link to Abranet hook and loop. https://buymirka.com/products/mirka-abranet-2-75-grip-sanding-rolls-9a-570-series?variant=22647749378096&currency=USD&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&gclid=CjwKCAiAkJKCBhAyEiwAKQBCklaxmGQmc605A7lfVMAV GLb87FJYGQ5iLMTh67aaZWTMHiVH_2muUhoCoU0QAvD_BwE

[Charlie Jones]

It is expensive but I may give it a try.

[Richard Coers]

It is expensive but I may give it a try.
I agree, but another experiment I thought about was soaking in a Simple Green solution if you do get pitch stuck to it. I found this post, but the link doesn't work to find Abranet Max. I have found rolls sold in Europe though. https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?178234-Using-Abranet-Heavy-Duty-on-My-22x44-Drum-Sander

[Charlie Jones]

I will try the Simple Green. I just ordered a 10 yard roll of 80 grit Abranet from Amazon. We will see how that works. It is the Mesh Grip. It looks like hook and loop. It should work on the drum.

[Dennis Peacock]

Charles,
You may want to look at industrial abrasives (www.industrialabrasives.com). I've found that their abrasives are excellent in quality and prices are good. I'm not saying that their abrasives is your solution for sanding on pine.....pine is terrible on sandpaper. I use scrapers and handplanes where I can on pine.

[Randy Heinemann]

I've not tried it yet, but a ton of people swear by Mirka Abranet, It's like abrasive on a screen and doesn't build the heat like cloth backed. I can't find the Abranet Max rolls that some use, but here is a link to Abranet hook and loop. https://buymirka.com/products/mirka-abranet-2-75-grip-sanding-rolls-9a-570-series?variant=22647749378096&currency=USD&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&gclid=CjwKCAiAkJKCBhAyEiwAKQBCklaxmGQmc605A7lfVMAV GLb87FJYGQ5iLMTh67aaZWTMHiVH_2muUhoCoU0QAvD_BwE

Would Abranet be suitable for use on a drum sander since the dust collection for a drum sander is accomplished by sucking it upward off the face of the drum? Also, when using Abranet, at least some sander pads should have an interface pad installed to prevent wear and tear on the sander's sanding pad. What about the wear on the metal drum on a drum sander? Just curious. I couldn't find an answer to that on Mirka's website.

[brian cammarata]

Does anyone know of a trick to keep pine resin from building up and ruining the wrap on a drum sander. I have a bunch of pine to work up and the last time it ruined the wrap. I tried to clean it with a rubber sandpaper cleaner to no effect.


Use this frequently.....

https://www.amazon.com/Cleaning-Eraser-Stick-Abrasive-Sanding/dp/B000H69U7G/ref=asc_df_B000H69U7G/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=309813767497&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=16575130279477158925&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1023255&hvtargid=pla-568899461174&psc=1

[Randy Heinemann]

Use this frequently.....

https://www.amazon.com/Cleaning-Eraser-Stick-Abrasive-Sanding/dp/B000H69U7G/ref=asc_df_B000H69U7G/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=309813767497&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=16575130279477158925&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1023255&hvtargid=pla-568899461174&psc=1

They do work well but, once the resin is burned on, it would be extremely hard to get off with the eraser; possible but difficult. The advice to clean frequently is a good one; maybe even every few passes.

[Charlie Jones]

The eraser works well for hardwoods. It doesn’t do anything for pine resin buildup. I found the video on using a piece of polycarbonate to clean the wrap. I tried that and it just adds polycarbonate dust to the mix. I did discover this morning that increasing the belt conveyor speed while being less aggressive with the sanding drum pressure helps. I am looking forward to getting that Abranet.

[Richard Coers]

Would Abranet be suitable for use on a drum sander since the dust collection for a drum sander is accomplished by sucking it upward off the face of the drum? Also, when using Abranet, at least some sander pads should have an interface pad installed to prevent wear and tear on the sander's sanding pad. What about the wear on the metal drum on a drum sander? Just curious. I couldn't find an answer to that on Mirka's website.
As mentioned there, I haven't tried it yet. The standard material has a thin loop layer, so can't imagine how the drum will be an issue at all. Also can't see how dust extraction off the abrasive will be any different than standard paper. Since you won't be using the hook and loop, no interface pad needed. The use of Abranet on a drum sander is an attempt to reduce the surface temperature of the abrasive so the resin may not build up.

[andy bessette]

There is no way I would choose hook & loop backed sanding belt to use on a machine that is not specifically designed for it. The sandpaper wants to be in full contact with the drum.

[Charlie Jones]

I am looking forward to trying it. I have considered adding hook and loop material to the drum. The clips on the Supermax are a pain. I had hook and loop on my old shop built sander and it worked very well. I tried using a wire brush to remove some of the resin. That works some.

[Mike Wilkins]

The first mistake I made after getting my double drum sanding machine was testing it out for the first time with a piece of scrap pine. The resulting build-up of pitch could not be removed. Sanding drum speed creates a lot of heat, which in turn will heat up the wood running through it. Building lots of hardwood cutting boards over the last few months, I notice that a board coming out of the machine is warm to the touch.
For softwoods like pine or cedar, I would go from the planer straight to a random orbit sander.
Luckily, my Hammer A3-41 with the Silent Power cutting head leaves a finished surface almost ready for the finish.

[Charlie Jones]

I will do the final prep with a random orbital but the Supermax works good for leveling and taking off glue lines.

[Robert London]

I’m making a friend a kitchen table using pine. It’ll be the last time use pine as it’s terrible going through a drum sander.

I’ve got a Supermax dual 25 with 5hp and use the lower grits as anything over 80, or more like 60 for me is a waste on pine. I’ve already trashed several belts and after this project, i won’t be using it anymore. A softer wood like poplar will be my go to wood for basic projects and it’s often just as cheap as pine and goes through the drum sander much easier and doesn’t ruin the belts.

[Mel Fulks]

The pitch solvent cleans the belts quickly. It’s been around a long time. Sold by pattern makers supply houses.

[Charlie Jones]

I found something that will clean the pitch off the wrap. It is called “Goo Gone”. It is for cleaning the glue residue from bumper stickers and decals. It works but is a mess. I got the Abranet and tried it. It is 2.75 inches wide as opposed the the sandpaper wrap being 3”. I got it cut and installed on the drum. It works pretty well and seems to cut better. There is a problem with the wrap climbing up on the one beside it. i keep tightening it up. I think it would do well on a hook and loop surface. It may not work out on the smooth drum. Oh well, I think I will go to the Random orbit for this job and experiment more later.

[bill godber]

I've not tried this method but it looks worthwhile in the youtube video from woodworkers guild.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMhAWHN-l2E

[Ken Krawford]

Pretty interesting. I would have guessed that the polycarbonate would just melt and further gum up the belt.

I've not tried this method but it looks worthwhile in the youtube video from woodworkers guild.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMhAWHN-l2E

[Charlie Jones]

I watched this and since I had a couple of polycarbonate scraps I tried it. I didn’t get good results. It cleaned a little but not any better than the cleaning stick and it sands away quickly.

[Charles Webber]

Hello, did you ever figure out a way to do this? I sand 1x6 boards that are 6' long. I have wanted to buy a jet drum sander but heard this is an issue with pine. It would be a complete waste of money if I bought the drum sander and I couldn't use it because it gummed up. Your advice would be much appreciated.

[Charlie Jones]

I have resorted to other methods to sand pine. Nothing seems to keep the drum wrap from loading. The Abranet showed promise but kept tearing. It may be OK if I change the attachment to hook and loop. Right now I am on to other things. Even a hand held belt sander loads up but belts are cheaper.

[Charlie Jones]

After some experiments I have converted the drum to hook and loop. I ordered some Mirka Abranet Ace Heavy Duty wrap. The regular Abranet didn’t work very well but I must say this stuff is amazing. I had the best results with the drum lightly touching the stock. I haven’t tried pine yet but It seems to be a game changer. It cuts much faster. Thanks to the others who have done this.

[Alex Zeller]

Not that it's much help but with pine I try to take light passes and set the speed to as fast as it will go. I think this keeps the drum from heating up as much so the resin doesn't burn onto the paper. But I usually avoid pipe to begin with.