do I need a drum sander to do segmented work

[John Nowack]

do I need a drum sander to do segmented work? I am sure that it can be done without but is it worth the investment compared to the frustration and time saved?

[Brian Brown]

A drum sander is certainly a nice item to have, but not one I would consider "necessary". I do without, and will continue to to do so, because I don't have the budget or space for one. I can flatten and sand my riings on the lathe just fine. However if you plan to do a large amount of segmenting, and will have a lot of rings to flatten, it will be a very nice addition the your shop. If you do more than just turning (you know, that F word) the drum sander would serve dual purposes, and would probably make more sense.

[Malcolm Tibbetts]

John, as Brian said, a drum sander is definitely not necessary. I did without one for many years. Having said that, with the amount of segmenting that I do, I find find my drum sander incredibly useful - not so much for flattening rings, but for many other dimensioning operations.