Drum sanders

[Jeffrey M Jones]

Im considering a drum sander and I dont know much about them. I realize the advantages to an open-end sander but is there anything about the style that is undesirable? Why would you want a non open-end style if you cant get double the width capacity with an open-end? Does the unsupported side become unstable over time or are they not as accurate for thickness or what? I really like the G0458 but the G1079R isnt much more in cost but looks like a much more industrial machine. Im just going to be taking down veneers and veneers attached to sub. which the open end would really come in handy. with 36 in you could practically run a table top through there. Any thoughts or experience?
Thanks, Jeff

[alex grams]

Not sure on the grizzly models, but have not seen many people with them as opposed to the 22-44 pro max/jet brands. While I am a fan of grizzly, I cannot recall much praise for their drum sanders as opposed to what I hear about the jet and performax models.

The problem with open end is always getting that middle seam perfect. If you are planning on doing just smaller veneers, the close-ended version may be in your book. For my needs a 24" closed model would suit my needs perfectly, but of course your needs will be different.

I would look at your local craigslist. Usually are a couple listed there, and you can get them about 1/2 to 2/3 of new price.

Make sure you have dust collection. If any single tool needs a dust collector, it would be the drum sander.

[Peter Quinn]

I have a performax 22-44 pro, it has the open ended design. It's tough to run wide panels with out a little sight line in the middle, but its slight enough to sand out quick with a ROS. I can't speak for other brands or models, but mine has held its accuracy for my needs for several years now. I will tell you that sanders are not planers. There is no set it and forget it option, they require a little 'english' so to speak. Different woods, different grits of paper, different feed speeds all take off different amounts of material per pass. I use a wide belt daily at work, bigger animal, same situation. A good set of calipers and a relationship with the machine you chose will serve you well. Test pieces when possible are very helpful.

If you are planning to sand lots of wide panels regularly I doubt any small shop sander is going to please you. I'll do a few wide panels and frames on my sander but if I'm doing a lot of them I'd rather rent time on a wide belt. It does work well for your average door sized panels which is its primary function for me. For veneer or loose tenon stock, I'd guess any decent drum sander with the width you need for your work will do it and probably wouldn't spend for a 22-44 pro in that event. For large table tops, say 40" X 60"+, I'd be looking for a shop with a wide belt.

At work we recently rented time on a 58" wide belt sander at a furniture plant to process some garden gates that wouldn't fit in our machine. Makes sense to meet your average need with a tool like that and outsource for that rare occasion rather than buy capacity you rarely use.

[Maik Tobin]

I called several cabinet shops in my area about "renting" time on their sanders. Each one refused. All said "we are too busy".
What do you all pay for this?

[harold brock]

I have owned both the Grizzly and Performax open end sanders. I bought the Grizzly first because it is a couple of inches wider...big mistake, I kept it for about 6 months and could not wait to sell it. Then I got the performax 16-32 and I love it. The difference in the 2 are like daylight and dark. The performax is so much easier to change paper and to set the height on. The Grizzly was a pain all the way around and I am a Grizzly kind of guy, I own the 1023 table saw and the ultimate 14" bandsaw and love both of them, but their open end sander was horrible. Why would you design a drum sander where the table moves and not the head? I don't know either...Anyway, for my money the performax is the way to go

[Cary Falk]

I have the G0458 and couldn't be happier. It holds alignment. There aren't any tracking issues with the belt.The small line in the middle when you do a panel larger than 18" easily sands out with a ROS. I got mine on Craig's List and just finished building a guitar with it. It worked flawlessly. It is a beast weight wise compared to the others. I asked about it before I bought it. I got very few replies. Of the couple of people who did reply and had it said they liked it. At the same price of the Delat and Jet, I think people tend to go with the popular then the unknown. The moving table puts some people off also but I haven't felt like it is a hinderance. I don't see the need for the infeed and outfeed tables. It sands so slow that I just walk around to the other side of the tool to support it.

[guy knight]

jet is coming out with a new oscillating model looks pretty cool

[John Thompson]

jet is coming out with a new oscillating model looks pretty cool

Having demo'ed booth types at IWF... as mentioned a double pass on the open doubles the width you can do. A closed drum is usually wider than an open end but you cannot double pass. The center line can be taken out easily enough.

So one of the differences is width but the biggest difference in a double drum closed and an open is this... an open end uses a single wide belt. You roll the sand-paper on the closed... so you can say put 100 grit on the front drum and 150 grit on the rear. Many cabinet shops employ this method to save time.

Another thing with the drum is if you were doing a lot of say 12" wide panels.. you could wrap 100 grit - 150 grit on 12" of of the drum and 180 grit - 220 on the other. Make a pass on the 100-150 on that side and another pass on the 180-220 on the other. Done..

Just a thought that would be useful to a hobbyist as it would be rare for a cabinet operation to use that method.

Good luck...

Edit... Opps.. didn't mean to click on quote from Guy.... just meant to reply to the OP.. Sorry!

Sarge..

[Jeffrey M Jones]

thanks everyone!

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

you get what you pay for and they are all more expensive than they ought to be.

Get the biggest you can afford and try to stay away from the open ended sanders.

[Rob Cunningham]

Jeff,
Have you looked at the Woodmaster drum sanders? I've had mine for 4 years and run thousands of feet of wood through it with no problems. It's a heavy duty machine with a 5 hp motor. Built in USA. Mine is the 26" wide model. There have only been 2 projects that I wish I had the 36" wide.
Rob