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Thread: Drum sander advice

  1. #1

    Drum sander advice

    I am not interested in cabnet building, just turning and segment bowls, has any one seen a flat master or similar type sander used ? Looks like a cost saving option for sanding segment rings, also I was advised that a typical drum sander can catch a ring because of sanding cross grain.
    By the way, I am not willing to hold a board with sand paper against the ring on lathe.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Location
    sykesville, maryland
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    861
    I built my own flat master. It worked really well on solid pieces but isn't the tool for thin-edged "hollow" parts like segmented rings. You have to push against the resistance of the spinning paper and you need enough surface to do that. Could be a tad unsafe to do. I suppose it could be done with rings fixed to a backer board or other holding jig.

    So, I bought a supermax 16-32. The supermax is efficient and it gives accurate thicknesses. I sold my homemade flatmaster. I didn't have enough room to keep both.

    Yes, a drum sander can grab sometimes and leave divots in a piece. The key is to take very small bites at a time. Also, try to balance the load on the sander by doing multiple small rings side by side. Don't use too fine a grit either.

  3. #3
    Thanks I didn't think about thin rings,at this time I use a coll jaw and sand on a drill press,kind of time consuming but it works.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jul 2015
    Location
    Central IL
    Posts
    257
    I have a performax 16-32, I do mostly segmented turning. It does a great job and I have very little trouble. I would not want to flatten rings any other way. I have flattened down to 1/8 inch and no issues

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    E TN, near Knoxville
    Posts
    12,298
    I use a Performax 22-44 to flatten make parallel both sides of a variety of things for turning, but not segmented rings. The only time I've seen snipe/divot is on the trailing edge of a relatively small diameter piece if I didn't support it properly. As the piece emerges from moving under the drum I hold down the leading edge with one hand so it can't rise up. I do take multiple light passes with relatively coarse paper, never a heavy pass.

  6. #6
    Thanks all, I now know what to look for.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Location
    Gresham, Oregon
    Posts
    406
    I have the same drum sander as JKJ and found that using a sled with a "curb" attached to hold the piece in place works well for me. Otherwise that divot issue can show up....or it might just get spit back at you!!

  8. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by Tim Elett View Post
    I am not interested in cabnet building, just turning and segment bowls, has any one seen a flat master or similar type sander used ? Looks like a cost saving option for sanding segment rings, also I was advised that a typical drum sander can catch a ring because of sanding cross grain.
    By the way, I am not willing to hold a board with sand paper against the ring on lathe.

    Flatmaster type sanders make things smooth, they DO NOT make things parallel.
    A drum sander is the preferred way to sand rings evenly, second would be sanding on the lathe, one ring at a time.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Mar 2018
    Location
    Piercefield, NY
    Posts
    1,659
    I make banjo rims which each consist of 3 or 4 layers of 18 blocks. Last year I made 50 banjos, and a number of other rims, so maybe ~200 rings. I have a 19-38 SuperMax and would hate to be without it. As JKJ says I hold down on the leading edge as they come out, to avoid divots, and I keep cuts shallow, and use 80 grit. Up to April 2018 I flattened my rings on a 4x36 belt sander hand over hand, spinning the ring manually on a 50 grit belt. This worked pretty well but it was tiring and the results were not as precise. Over the last 3+ years the drum sander has saved me many hours of work, and improved the quality of what I can make.

  10. #10
    I have had my Performax 22/44 for 20 or more years, can't remember. It is so old, it came with a 2 inch port for the dust collector... When setting it up, you can make it so that you can get almost perfectly parallel surfaces. The away end is set maybe 1/64th hgh. I would reverse the panel every time through, which made the surface flat. I used it mostly for solid wood table tops and panels. When sanding a number of them, I would have to pivot them 90 or more degrees to be able to pick them up without the one underneath sticking to the upper one. Had to break the seal as it were.... Even with sanding to 220 grit, I would not get a 'finished' sanded surface. I would take a card scraper to the panel, and then I got a good random orbit sander.

    As for the sniping or divots from the drum, that comes from having too much pressure on the drum. They are fine for light dimensioning, but not for heavy stock removal. If you keep cranking it down, with any grit over about 80, that is when you get those divots. This also is a reason for the divots happening when some thing 'slips' on the drive belt. I learned to keep a hand on the back side of what I was pushing through.

    I want to experiment with a variable speed motor. I think the drum spins too fast, and with all turning sanding, the slower speeds on bowl and drill cut better, and with less heat. Hated it when I would get those burn lines on the abrasives....

    robo hippy

  11. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by tom lucas View Post
    I built my own flat master. It worked really well on solid pieces but isn't the tool for thin-edged "hollow" parts like segmented rings. You have to push against the resistance of the spinning paper and you need enough surface to do that. Could be a tad unsafe to do. I suppose it could be done with rings fixed to a backer board or other holding jig.

    So, I bought a supermax 16-32. The supermax is efficient and it gives accurate thicknesses. I sold my homemade flatmaster. I didn't have enough room to keep both.

    Yes, a drum sander can grab sometimes and leave divots in a piece. The key is to take very small bites at a time. Also, try to balance the load on the sander by doing multiple small rings side by side. Don't use too fine a grit either.

    Your flat master grinder definition sounds similar to the glass grinder I built several years ago. I had to replace the magnetic diamond grinding disc with an 80 grit oxide guitar sanding disc when I switched to wood, worked okay, but I bought a 19/38 a few weeks ago too....nice machine!

    84AB7FA5-A84D-4BE7-845E-4E2E436CF8F8_1_201_a.jpg

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Location
    sykesville, maryland
    Posts
    861
    Quote Originally Posted by Lawrence Duckworth View Post
    Your flat master grinder definition sounds similar to the glass grinder I built several years ago. I had to replace the magnetic diamond grinding disc with an 80 grit oxide guitar sanding disc when I switched to wood, worked okay, but I bought a 19/38 a few weeks ago too....nice machine!

    84AB7FA5-A84D-4BE7-845E-4E2E436CF8F8_1_201_a.jpg
    The flat master I built is different than this. It's based off the Sand-flee: https://www.rjrstudios.com/store/p3/...um_Sander.html

  13. #13
    Wow, I was way off ��

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Location
    sykesville, maryland
    Posts
    861
    Quote Originally Posted by Lawrence Duckworth View Post
    Wow, I was way off 🤪
    Here is a photo of the one I built. It worked great!
    IMG_0057u.jpg
    Last edited by tom lucas; 08-12-2021 at 6:34 PM. Reason: 2 photos

  15. #15
    Thanks again for the replys hopefully a sander will come up for sale second hand

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