Drum sander resin buildup

[Dennis Peacock]

Charles,
You may want to look at industrial abrasives. I've found that their abrasives are excellent in quality and prices are good. I'm not saying that their abrasives is your solution for sanding on pine.....pine is terrible on sandpaper. I use scrapers and handplanes where I can on pine.

[Randy Heinemann]

I've not tried it yet, but a ton of people swear by Mirka Abranet, It's like abrasive on a screen and doesn't build the heat like cloth backed. I can't find the Abranet Max rolls that some use, but here is a link to Abranet hook and loop. https://buymirka.com/products/mirka-...hoCoU0QAvD_BwE

Would Abranet be suitable for use on a drum sander since the dust collection for a drum sander is accomplished by sucking it upward off the face of the drum? Also, when using Abranet, at least some sander pads should have an interface pad installed to prevent wear and tear on the sander's sanding pad. What about the wear on the metal drum on a drum sander? Just curious. I couldn't find an answer to that on Mirka's website.

[brian cammarata]

Does anyone know of a trick to keep pine resin from building up and ruining the wrap on a drum sander. I have a bunch of pine to work up and the last time it ruined the wrap. I tried to clean it with a rubber sandpaper cleaner to no effect.

Use this frequently.....

https://www.amazon.com/Cleaning-Eras...99461174&psc=1

[Randy Heinemann]

Use this frequently.....

https://www.amazon.com/Cleaning-Eras...99461174&psc=1

They do work well but, once the resin is burned on, it would be extremely hard to get off with the eraser; possible but difficult. The advice to clean frequently is a good one; maybe even every few passes.

[Charlie Jones]

The eraser works well for hardwoods. It doesn’t do anything for pine resin buildup. I found the video on using a piece of polycarbonate to clean the wrap. I tried that and it just adds polycarbonate dust to the mix. I did discover this morning that increasing the belt conveyor speed while being less aggressive with the sanding drum pressure helps. I am looking forward to getting that Abranet.

[Richard Coers]

Would Abranet be suitable for use on a drum sander since the dust collection for a drum sander is accomplished by sucking it upward off the face of the drum? Also, when using Abranet, at least some sander pads should have an interface pad installed to prevent wear and tear on the sander's sanding pad. What about the wear on the metal drum on a drum sander? Just curious. I couldn't find an answer to that on Mirka's website.

As mentioned there, I haven't tried it yet. The standard material has a thin loop layer, so can't imagine how the drum will be an issue at all. Also can't see how dust extraction off the abrasive will be any different than standard paper. Since you won't be using the hook and loop, no interface pad needed. The use of Abranet on a drum sander is an attempt to reduce the surface temperature of the abrasive so the resin may not build up.

[andy bessette]

There is no way I would choose hook & loop backed sanding belt to use on a machine that is not specifically designed for it. The sandpaper wants to be in full contact with the drum.

[Charlie Jones]

I am looking forward to trying it. I have considered adding hook and loop material to the drum. The clips on the Supermax are a pain. I had hook and loop on my old shop built sander and it worked very well. I tried using a wire brush to remove some of the resin. That works some.

[Mike Wilkins]

The first mistake I made after getting my double drum sanding machine was testing it out for the first time with a piece of scrap pine. The resulting build-up of pitch could not be removed. Sanding drum speed creates a lot of heat, which in turn will heat up the wood running through it. Building lots of hardwood cutting boards over the last few months, I notice that a board coming out of the machine is warm to the touch.
For softwoods like pine or cedar, I would go from the planer straight to a random orbit sander.
Luckily, my Hammer A3-41 with the Silent Power cutting head leaves a finished surface almost ready for the finish.

[Charlie Jones]

I will do the final prep with a random orbital but the Supermax works good for leveling and taking off glue lines.

[Robert London]

I’m making a friend a kitchen table using pine. It’ll be the last time use pine as it’s terrible going through a drum sander.

I’ve got a Supermax dual 25 with 5hp and use the lower grits as anything over 80, or more like 60 for me is a waste on pine. I’ve already trashed several belts and after this project, i won’t be using it anymore. A softer wood like poplar will be my go to wood for basic projects and it’s often just as cheap as pine and goes through the drum sander much easier and doesn’t ruin the belts.

[Mel Fulks]

The pitch solvent cleans the belts quickly. It’s been around a long time. Sold by pattern makers supply houses.

[Charlie Jones]

I found something that will clean the pitch off the wrap. It is called “Goo Gone”. It is for cleaning the glue residue from bumper stickers and decals. It works but is a mess. I got the Abranet and tried it. It is 2.75 inches wide as opposed the the sandpaper wrap being 3”. I got it cut and installed on the drum. It works pretty well and seems to cut better. There is a problem with the wrap climbing up on the one beside it. i keep tightening it up. I think it would do well on a hook and loop surface. It may not work out on the smooth drum. Oh well, I think I will go to the Random orbit for this job and experiment more later.

[bill godber]

I've not tried this method but it looks worthwhile in the youtube video from woodworkers guild.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMhAWHN-l2E

[Ken Krawford]

Pretty interesting. I would have guessed that the polycarbonate would just melt and further gum up the belt.

I've not tried this method but it looks worthwhile in the youtube video from woodworkers guild.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMhAWHN-l2E