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Thread: What was I thinking buying this dual drum sander?

  1. #1

    What was I thinking buying this dual drum sander?

    Apparently my brain was parked in neutral when I recently purchased a Powermatic DDS-225 Drum Sander. Not only is it big and heavy it will require a substantial modification of my dust collection setup and adding a 40 amp circuit. And I still haven't found a space in my shop to squeeze it in. I really should've given this more thought.
    Last edited by Steve Mathews; 09-12-2020 at 4:29 PM.

  2. #2
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    Not to mention the premium you pay for mustard paint . . . sorry . . . that is not helping. The good news is that once I had a drum sander (Supermax) I couldn't think of doing without it. Once you are setup I think the buyers remorse will fade.
    "A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".


    – Samuel Butler

  3. #3
    Quote Originally Posted by Steve Mathews View Post
    Apparently my brain was parked in neutral when I recently purchased a Powermatic DWS-225 Drum Sander. Not only is it big and heavy it will require a substantial modification of my dust collection setup and adding a 40 amp circuit. And I still haven't found a space in my shop to squeeze it in. I really should've given this more thought.
    New? Or used? Im kinda with Steve if you didnt buy it used or at auction for super cheap. If the description I read is accurate and it only has a two speed conveyor thats a bummer.
    Last edited by Mark Bolton; 09-12-2020 at 1:25 PM.

  4. #4
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    You were thinking how much of an improvement it would be over a single drum unit - and you were right. Once you get it set up with enough DC going to it I'll bet you'll like it just fine. FWIW, I can't remember the last time I adjusted the speed on my variable speed 2 drum unit. I leave it at 3/4 speed and it seems work very well.

    John

  5. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by John TenEyck View Post
    FWIW, I can't remember the last time I adjusted the speed on my variable speed 2 drum unit. I leave it at 3/4 speed and it seems work very well. John
    We have a cheap auction dual drum that still gets a lot intermittent use and the variable speed is critical. When it was all we had couldnt imagine being without it. The VS would be the only thing to save you on a lot of stuff, wide, hard, burns, then back to narrow small parts gang fed. But for sure its all what you get use to.

  6. #6
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    I have the far less expensive powermax 2*25, and even though I only use it a few times a year, it's one of my favorite tools. Mine is on casters so I hung dust collection hose from a blast gate and used quick connects. I also use the same circuit as my jointer, although I installed the second outlet end disconnect box. It's one minute of work to roll it into place and set it up and it saves me a lot of time.

    I think you're going to love having it once you get it up and running. Just don't forget to open the blast gate(s), and find a way to clean the drums periodically. I just use one of those rubber cleaning sticks, but someone here may know a better or safer method. I couldn't use the fingerprint sensor to unlock my phone for days after I had to replace the paper on the rolls the first time I did that.

    Hope the purchase ultimately works out for you as nicely as mine did for me.

  7. #7
    I installed 80 grit sandpaper on the front and 150 grit on the rear rollers yesterday. Todd's comment about roughing up the skin on your hand during installation is timely as I noticed the difference this morning. Someone mentioned in another thread that a combination of 120/180 grits might be better so I'll probably look into purchasing additional sandpaper. I also temporarily hooked up the sander to a 30 amp circuit to try it out and was surprised that it didn't make the noise expected. I'm wondering if a 40 amp circuit is really necessary. Fortunately I have heavy duty mobile base to help move the sander around the shop. I still haven't decided a good place for it but it seems that closer to the dust collector the better. By most accounts I should run an 8" duct to the two 4" outlets, which will limit the location even more. One thing that doesn't make sense is the 1200 CFM requirement for dust collection stated by the manufacturer. It's hard to believe that it's more than for my 20" planer or 12" jointer.

  8. #8
    have a single drum Natribom so a pro machine, never impressed with it, drum is one narrow point of contact. Other than thicknessing to a pretty consistent level which is why I bought it, it cant come close to what the stroke sander can do.

    img402B.jpg
    Last edited by Warren Lake; 09-13-2020 at 11:49 AM.

  9. #9
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    If the feed motor is separate from the main one variable speed should easy to get. Install a 3 phase feed motor of the same rpm as original and use a vfd to run it at what ever rpm you want. Keep the vfd from 40-100 HZ and the motor should last a lifetime.
    Bil lD

  10. #10
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    Steve, why not 6"?
    2 of the 4" ducts gives 8pi or about 25 sq inches. 1 6" duct, 3squared, 9pi and you're a little over 28 sq inches. No real loss if you have 6" already.

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mark Bolton View Post
    dual drum that still gets a lot intermittent use and the variable speed is critical.
    Ditto. I'm sure it depends on what you are using it for but, VS is critical to my use model.
    "A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".


    – Samuel Butler

  12. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by todd werner View Post
    Steve, why not 6"?
    2 of the 4" ducts gives 8pi or about 25 sq inches. 1 6" duct, 3squared, 9pi and you're a little over 28 sq inches. No real loss if you have 6" already.
    For most practical situations 6" is probably good enough. I came up with the 8" from a chart online that showed it was required for 1200 CFM.

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by Steve Mathews View Post
    For most practical situations 6" is probably good enough. I came up with the 8" from a chart online that showed it was required for 1200 CFM.
    I don't know how a chart could tell you that. Wouldn't you need to know the CFM curve for your particular dust collector, and then calculate the resistance of the ducting.

    I do remember Bill Pentz had a chart with HP and duct sizes, but I used a spreadsheet (probably also from him) to try and make sure I was in the vicinity of the recommended airflow. It took into account the number of elbows, hose and duct diameter and run lengths, and I have no idea how accurate his underlying math was. Given he wants everyone to have massive cyclones, I was comfortable he wouldn't underestimate the resistance, and as long as I got close, I was happy. My drum sander is pretty old though and only has one 4" outlet, so I'm sure your machine will allow better dust collection by far. I do have mine located under an air cleaner to offset that lack of ducts.

  14. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by Steve Mathews View Post
    I installed 80 grit sandpaper on the front and 150 grit on the rear rollers yesterday. Todd's comment about roughing up the skin on your hand during installation is timely as I noticed the difference this morning. Someone mentioned in another thread that a combination of 120/180 grits might be better so I'll probably look into purchasing additional sandpaper. I also temporarily hooked up the sander to a 30 amp circuit to try it out and was surprised that it didn't make the noise expected. I'm wondering if a 40 amp circuit is really necessary. Fortunately I have heavy duty mobile base to help move the sander around the shop. I still haven't decided a good place for it but it seems that closer to the dust collector the better. By most accounts I should run an 8" duct to the two 4" outlets, which will limit the location even more. One thing that doesn't make sense is the 1200 CFM requirement for dust collection stated by the manufacturer. It's hard to believe that it's more than for my 20" planer or 12" jointer.
    I would honestly never run 180 on a drum. Its just too fine in my opinion and you'll likely go through paper like charmin. 120 max on your second drum would be all I'd ever bother with. Regardless of grit your still going to have to sand out the scratch anyway and jumping to 180 on the second drum isnt going to save you anything as long as you have good RO after the fact. But lets not go down that $(@t hole again.

  15. #15
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    I would test it with the circuits and dust collection already available. You may find that your current setup, with respect to dust collection will work just fine.

    As for space . . . if it has casters, then just move it to out of the way spots when not in use. It will likely not be used everyday anyway. Just move it to an open spot when needed. If some of your other tools don't have casters, then maybe casters on those would help you clear space when needed. Almost all of my larger tools have casters or are movable so, when I need to use one of them I can move it in place and move some of the others enough out of the way to clear the needed space. If I bought a sander, that's how I'd use it.

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