V Drum Sander

[Jim McDonald]

Has anyone had any experience with or an opinion about the drum sander available at www.stockroomsupply.com? (http://www.stockroomsupply.com/?) I was going to make one ala Shopnotes, but this caught my eye today.
Thanks,
Jim

[frank shic]

i'm very curious to find out more on that flat master model that they're hawking.

[Chris Friesen]

Think of it as sort of the equivalent of a jointer, while a standard drum sander is more like a planer. Because the drum is embedded in the table it can flatten (if your feed speed is constant) but it can't sand parallel to another face. (And if your feed speed varies then the amount of material removed will vary as well.)

It is very good dust-wise, and for general sanding of flat items it works okay. I've got the 18" model and really haven't used it enough to make it worthwhile.

[Edwin Dodds]

I'm curious as well! Will these sanders do a good job of flattening the face of something that would be too wide for the jointer? Any snipe issues??
Ed.

[Eddie Darby]

I'm curious as well! Will these sanders do a good job of flattening the face of something that would be too wide for the jointer? Any snipe issues??
Ed.

I have an 18" drum on my version of the V-sander, so I can sand boards that are 36 inches wide. I haven't had to though.

I have seen that some people, including one person that wrote for a wood magazine, have run into snipe problems. This is because they didn't set the machine up correctly.

The drum when not rotating, should be completely below the work surface. Then when you start the motor, the sandpaper on hook and loop velcro, is pulled up off the drum, and only then does it make contact with the wood being sanded.

The person for the magazine had the drum set, when the machine was off, above the work surface by the thickness of a playing card, which will lead to snipe problems.

[Eddie Darby]

(And if your feed speed varies then the amount of material removed will vary as well.)

I've seen this done during demo's. The person stops halfway through, and then after a while continues on, with no noticeable marks or change in the sanding.

Perhaps you have the drum set up above the surface.

[Mike Golka]

I have the 18" model as well and as Eddie says the setup is very important. I use mine all the time and am very satisfied with it. As stated earlier it is made to flatten one side of the piece not make two sides parrallel. This being said I think it could be turned into a thickness sander easily enough by setting the drum above an adjustable table. In any case a DC connected to the box as in the plans provided at Stockroom Supply makes for dust free sanding. Another advantage is the ability to put two different grit rolls on the same drum for rough and finish passes of narrower pieces (9" each on an 18" drum).

[Jim McDonald]

I appreciate the input and advice. From your experiences, which all sound positive, I think I'll have to give it a try. I don't as of yet do much flat work, but there have been enough times of hauling out the belt sander to do the job that i think it will be $$ well spent.

[Kevin Cole]

This company is 20 minutes away from me and for one weekend their warehouse was open to the public but I missed it. :mad: The parts seem expensive but thats just me. I would try to make it as you say "ala Shopnotes" first.

[richard poitras]

The only thing I can see that seems to be a problem in my option is the price for not much more you can get a new performax or for about the same price you could get a used performax?