Drum sander

[Steven Glass]

I am a new to woodworking and am setting up my shop. I have a grizzly hybrid table saw and a grizzly 6'' parallagram jointer. Dewalt 13'' planer and a Jet 14'' bandsaw. My next purchase is to be a drum sander. I found a steel city 16x32 for $699.00, but haven't found much feedback on this sander. Recommendations PLEASE !

Thanks in advance, Steve

[Mike Spanbauer]

performax 22x44?

I've no experience with the steelcity tools, but they have a decent reputation.

What types of work are you envisioning doing with it?

mike

[Jim Shipman]

I recently purchased the Performax 22-44. Works great, well built. The closed base model is a couple hundred $ cheaper than the open. I have heard good things about their 16-32. And it's not that much more than the Steel City.

http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=2042&productid=811571

Just my opinion for a long term investment.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

If you can afford it get a wide belt.
Much better.

[Peter Quinn]

If you can afford it get a wide belt.
Much better.

Do you think a guy with a small shop, a 13" planer, 6" Jointer, etc. just getting started needs a widebelt? Really? Maybe a 52" timesaver with programable digital height recall? Make sure to get 3PH power run to your garage first, oh and your gonna need 2800cfm of dust collection too....

I'm happy with my performax, the steel city looks like a good machine in person though I've never used it.

Cliff is right though, get a widebelt if its in the budget....:eek::eek::eek:

[Bill Wyko]

I'd be sure to go with a sander that has a separate feed motor than the motor for the drum. I'd also go with one that has a stationary feed table height. This makes for an easy set up for an outfeed table. I use the Performax 22-44 drum sander and I love it.

[Karl Brogger]

You can get a widebelt sander for a pretty reasonable price. Timesavers imports the "Speedsander" its a nice little machine 37x60 belt 7.5hp draws 40amps. I just bought a used one with very little use for less than $5k.

Timesavers Inc has a 4 head widebelt on their website for $156,000. 4 Heads, that would be the cats pj's. Throw a door through and its done in 2 passes. 4 motors totally 160hp, watch that electric meter spin!

[Karl Brogger]

On another note I gave away my 38" Woodmaster for $1200. Deals are out there.

[Peter Quinn]

Karl...I like the way you think. Think big!

I'm sitting here calculating how many doors I would have to make to pay for a $156,000 sander? Then I'm asking how much more I would have to charge to pay for a $5000 sander. Then I'm remembering you can't put a 55" carraige house door through a 37" sander...now I'm sitting in the basement tuning up my PC belt sander!

Now I'm picturing that 4 Head sander sitting next to this guys 13" Dewalt planer in the garage...and I'm laughing too loud to tune anything up at this point.

Clearly that guy needs a bigger planer too...

http://www.northfieldwoodworking.com/singlesurfacers/737.htm

[Joe Chritz]

Carefully think about what you plan on using the drum sander for.

I have used the Delta 18/36 and it is a decent unit. I recently purchased a Grizzly 24" dual drum and it has a lot more "beef" so to speak.

If I wasn't doing a fair number of cabinet doors I would do fine with a single head unit like the 22/44 or similar.

Joe

[Karl Brogger]

Then I'm remembering you can't put a 55" carraige house door through a 37" sander...now I'm sitting in the basement tuning up my PC belt sander!

Sure you can it just has to go through in pieces.

[Joe Jensen]

Karl...I like the way you think. Think big!

I'm sitting here calculating how many doors I would have to make to pay for a $156,000 sander? Then I'm asking how much more I would have to charge to pay for a $5000 sander. Then I'm remembering you can't put a 55" carraige house door through a 37" sander...now I'm sitting in the basement tuning up my PC belt sander!

Now I'm picturing that 4 Head sander sitting next to this guys 13" Dewalt planer in the garage...and I'm laughing too loud to tune anything up at this point.

Clearly that guy needs a bigger planer too...

http://www.northfieldwoodworking.com/singlesurfacers/737.htm

My dream surfacer
http://www.newmanwhitney.com/pdffiles/singlesurfacer/s-290-bf.pdf
Belt feed

[Nathan Barnard]

Hey, Joe.

I build kitchens and do my own RP doors. I currently use a 4x24 PC belt sander and 6" pc ROS to do all my doors, but am considering a drum sander. I had been looking at the open end ones, but for a little bit more that grizzly 24" dual looks pretty good.

What are your impressions of the machine (compared to the 18/36)?
Do you put glued up doors through it, or just the panels?
Is power (5hp) adequate?
What grits do you use?
Do I really need the variable speed feed?

Cheers,
Nathan


Carefully think about what you plan on using the drum sander for.

I have used the Delta 18/36 and it is a decent unit. I recently purchased a Grizzly 24" dual drum and it has a lot more "beef" so to speak.

If I wasn't doing a fair number of cabinet doors I would do fine with a single head unit like the 22/44 or similar.

Joe

[Al Willits]

Having just recently gotten the 22-44, I wished I got this thing a long time ago.
Doing this for a hobby leaves me with no time restraints and I find the drum sander does a lot of things well, just a bit slow.

Making inlays for the TV stand I'm making and I'll cut the inlays a bit thicker than what I need and use the DS to sand to a final fit.
Works great on sanding veneer or anything that needs a flat sanded surface.

I do use the varible speed control a lot, as I can fine tune the amount of material removed with it.

Al

[Eddie Darby]

I would consider looking at the "V" drum sander. It does a much better job , with less drawbacks than regular sanders. Oh and for way less $$$$$.

http://www.stockroomsupply.com/

A search here at SMC will be a good place to start.

[Nathan Barnard]

Eddie, actually I remember seeing that at our wood show a couple years back. Very interesting. I doupt that it could take off much stock, though, compared to a 5hp double drum sander. I would want to use it for flattening glued up panels, as well as door frames, followed by a quick pass with the 6" ROS.


I would consider looking at the "V" drum sander. It does a much better job , with less drawbacks than regular sanders. Oh and for way less $$$$$.

http://www.stockroomsupply.com/

A search here at SMC will be a good place to start.

[Ed Lang]

I have a Performat 16/32 with casters and in/out feed tables. Extra paper and I don't use it.

if you need it, let me know. we will work out something.


I have the SandFlea, version of a V sander I don't use too.

[Travis Gauger]

I can't comment on the steel city sander, but I can comment on steel city in general. I recently purchased there 6" deuxe lionter and have never went through a better tool buying experience. I have bought every tool new in my entire shop over the past year and a half, (Long story that involved me loosing the entire contents of my old shop). With that said, I have delta, grizzly, jet, steelcity, shopfox, powermatic, and General tools for my stables. The steel City was by far the most enjoyable tool purchase, setup, etc of them all. I have no affiliation with SC or anything like that. I just value my shop time and want to spend it on creative outbursts instead of tool setup. The SC jointer I bought went together the first time, with no flaws, no phone calls to customer support, no replacement parts, missing parts, part modifications, etc. Every other tool that I have bought has needed something tweaked. Not the SC. I only wish that I had bought the SC jointer before I purchased some of my other equipment so that I would have known.

[Steven Glass]

I'll be starting out with small projects such as small tables, boxes, etc.

[Wayne Cannon]

The Performax 16-32 has worked very well for a significant amount of work in my personal woodshop. I agree with Bill Wyko's points about separate motors for sanding drum, variable speed platten feed.

The Performax's 2 1/2" dust port with a shop vac is only barely up for the task. It would be easy, however, to modify the cover to add a 4" DC port.

[Eddie Darby]

Eddie, actually I remember seeing that at our wood show a couple years back. Very interesting. I doupt that it could take off much stock, though, compared to a 5hp double drum sander. I would want to use it for flattening glued up panels, as well as door frames, followed by a quick pass with the 6" ROS.

I agree, that's why I use my thickness planer to remove most of the stock, and then if it is wild grain with tear-out, I finish with the sander.

[Peter Quinn]

Sure you can it just has to go through in pieces.

Or go in whole and come out in pieces!

[Peter Quinn]

My dream surfacer
http://www.newmanwhitney.com/pdffiles/singlesurfacer/s-290-bf.pdf
Belt feed

Joe, I think the motor on that thing is bigger than my last Subaru! Now I ned to find a bigger wide belt!

[Bill Wyko]

Do I really need the variable speed feed?

When you don't have the separate motors it's easy to take too big a bite and blow the sanding belt to pieces.

[Robert foster]

Steve: I have a SC 16/32 drum sander that I bought on clearance. They are not handling them anymore. I paid $750.00 for mine. I like it just fine but if I had to do it over again I would get a Jet 22/44. The one thing I wish were different is the 2 1/2 in dust collector connection. I'm planning on putting a 4" on it when I can find a connector that I want.

GL
Bob

[Anthony Whitesell]

Wayne: Do you have an older model? The Performax 16-32 that I just bought has a 4" dust port.

[Ed Lang]

Wayne: Do you have an older model? The Performax 16-32 that I just bought has a 4" dust port.


I also have a 4" dust port on my 16/32

[Wayne Cannon]

I've had it for at least five years, maybe six or seven. It's good to hear that they've upgraded the dust port.