V Drum Sander

[Curtis Buck]

Hi all. I stumbled across the Stock Room Supply web site (http://www.stockroomsupply.com/V_Drum_Sander.php )for their V-Drum sander. I watched the video and was quite impressed. Before I plunk down my hard earned cash for their kit I was wondering if anyone out there has built one or has used one. How is the dust collection, does it really drop into the bottom or is their a dust cloud in the air?
Any info or advice will be appreciated! Thanks, Curtis

[Mitchell Andrus]

Well, if you're short on space and don't need to sand anything big, long or heavy I suppose it'll be OK.... Otherwise, it's a toy. DC will be a must.

I can't imagine sanding to the ends of a long, heavy board.

[Art Mulder]

How is the dust collection, does it really drop into the bottom or is their a dust cloud in the air?
Any info or advice will be appreciated! Thanks, Curtis

Curtis, welcome to SMC.

I do not own one, but I've seen the demo several times at woodworking shows.

Yes, the dust really does drop into the bottom. There is no visible cloud of dust. (nor the smell of it.) Now, I realize that non-visible dust can still be a risk to your lungs, so I would still suggest a DC hookup, but there on the show floor it sure looked good.

As for more info, you might check these older threads:

- one (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=7887&highlight=v-drum) (from 2004)
- two (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=42857&highlight=v-drum) (from 2006)
- Links into other forum discussions is against the TOS, but if you go over to the Canadianwoodworking forum (http://www.canadianwoodworking.com/forum/), you can also search on 'v-drum' and find more discussion about this kit.

There is always a crowd at the booth, and the guy claims to sell tons of them to professional shops. But I think Mitchell is right, and it is not really designed for longgggg boards.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

I think the bearings are cheesy and weak. The arbor and drum doesn't seem strong either.

You can build a really good one yourself that is also a thicknessing sander but you do need a big motor. The wider you make it the bigger the motor.

I saw a HUGE one on an Aussie forum that is of welded steel. I have seen smaller ones made from wood. I have plans to use concrete. Concrete is way strong heavy and won't respond to temp or humidity. I have wondered if it can be made strong enough to be used as the drums. Expansive stress (spinning at high speeds) is concrete's least strong characteristic. Imagine the noise if a big solid drum of concrete exploded??

Any one know of a source for the webbing used to power feed the material through? I want to build a 48" wide model

[Curtis Buck]

Thanks for the thoughts and info guys. The Canadian Forum had a wealth of info. I have a lot to think about now. Have a great day! Curtis

[Eddie Darby]

Curtis, I have the 18" kit and it does everything that the maker claims.
It is not a toy, and the 4" diameter drum kits are sold to industrial workers.
Yes the dust does settle to the bottom.

[Curtis Buck]

Thanks Eddy. Do you think this unit is precise enough to sand old paint off of narrow strips down to bare wood? I have a bunch of narrow strips of wood from a railing that I would like to re-use but would rather not use paint stripper and am looking for a way to sand off the paint (after some scraping) but not alter the thickness too much (I could live with a few thousands of an inch). Any thoughts? Thank you again, Curtis

[Mitchell Andrus]

Use a very course grit or slow down the drum speed otherwise friction/heat will turn the paint into a gummy mess.

[Eddie Darby]

Thanks Eddy. Do you think this unit is precise enough to sand old paint off of narrow strips down to bare wood? I have a bunch of narrow strips of wood from a railing that I would like to re-use but would rather not use paint stripper and am looking for a way to sand off the paint (after some scraping) but not alter the thickness too much (I could live with a few thousands of an inch). Any thoughts? Thank you again, Curtis

Yes this is the perfect machine for the job of removing paint or varnish without burning. Skip the scraping part as well since it is not needed.

When you build the box for the unit, you install screws that are under the hinged table top, that control the depth of cut. You also change the depth of cut by going to a different grit of sandpaper, with the coarser grits taking a bigger bite.

Regular sanders, set-up normally, will not be able to handle this situation, as Mitchell points out, but the V-drum has no problem with removal of protective coatings.

The stockroomsupply site has links to videos that show Paul Moore removing varnish from an old kitchen door.

http://www.theonlinewoodshow.com/show/company.php?number=20102&cat=1&prod=drumdemo
--removing varnish.

http://www.theonlinewoodshow.com/show/company.php?number=20102&cat=1
-All the videos for the V-drum sander.

The sandpaper has a stearate coating, and since the centrifugal forces of the spinning drum force the sandpaper up off the drum surface, there is very little heat build up because the sandpaper is not trapped between the forces of the drum and the object being sanded. This air pocket is due to the sandpaper being held on only by the hooks of the velcro.

You might want to check out the sanding mop that http://www.stockroomsupply.com/ sell if you have to sand contours, without losing any of the detail edges. On the above webpage you will see in the top right corner "Video Demos" that show the mop and others stuff.

[Curtis Buck]

Thanks for all the info Eddie. Sounds like I need to order a kit. Did you use their plans to build the box or did you design your own? Got any pics? Curtis

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

http://www.rockslide.org/drum%20sander.html

[Eddie Darby]

I would build the top first, and then the base around the top. If you search you can find plans on the web. Study the videos, and you will see it's easy to make.
Do a search here at SMC and you will find plans.

http://woodworkweb.com/woodwork/article191.html