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Thread: Best value for a small footprint wide belt sander?

  1. #46
    Derek, what are you building primarily?
    Still waters run deep.

  2. #47
    Quote Originally Posted by Phillip Mitchell View Post
    Derek, what are you building primarily?
    Furniture. Some cabinets but limited in volume and scope.

  3. #48
    Derek,

    I too want a wide belt someday. They have so many pluses to them.

    There is one style of double drum sander that is different that the performax type of drum sanders. They are made under a few names - CWI, Powermatic, Grizzly, Baileigh and a few others. They come in 25" and 37" versions and they have a bunch of different features than the traditional open end sanders or the double drum performax clones.

    They all come in a significant floor standing machine. The 37" versions are around 1000 lb's. They have thick rubber coated 6" drums to minimize heat soak and improve finish. They have rubber conveyor belts like a wide belt sander does and the feed rate is much quicker than the performax style. They also have spring loaded rubber hold down rollers kind of like a planer does. They have much larger motors. Most are 7.5 hp or more for the 37" version and 5hp for the 25" versions. Powermatic decided to move the drive belts into the cabinet for some reason, most of the others have the drive belts in a small enclosure on the side to keep the belts out of the sawdust.

    The sandpaper swap is easier because of the design of the hold downs and the dust collection is very good. Plus, they are very basic machines. Much less complex than most widebelt sanders.

    CWI and Powermatic come with 5 year warranties and come with a nice set of cabinet doors underneath to store the abrasives.

    They go from $6k to $7k for the 37" and are built to work all day.

    http://www.cwimachinery.com/product/...l-drum-sander/

    https://www.baileigh.com/drum-sander-sd-376

    https://www.grizzly.com/products/gri...m-sander/g0449

    https://www.powermatic.com/us/en/p/d...h-230v/1791320

    PK
    PKwoodworking
    Last edited by Paul J Kelly; 12-24-2021 at 2:51 PM.

  4. #49
    Derek,

    I too want a wide belt someday. They have so many pluses to them.

    There is one style of double drum sander that is different that the performax type of drum sanders. They are made under a few names - CWI, Powermatic, Grizzly, Baileigh and a few others. They come in 25" and 37" versions and they have a bunch of different features than the traditional open end sanders or the double drum performax clones.

    They all come in a significant floor standing machine. The 37" versions are around 1000 lb's. They have thick rubber coated 6" drums to minimize heat soak and improve finish. They have rubber conveyor belts like a wide belt sander does and the feed rate is much quicker than the performax style. They also have spring loaded rubber hold down rollers kind of like a planer does. They have much larger motors. Most are 7.5 hp or more for the 37" version and 5hp for the 25" versions. Powermatic decided to move the drive belts into the cabinet for some reason, most of the others have the drive belts in a small enclosure on the side to keep the belts out of the sawdust.

    The sandpaper swap is easier because of the design of the hold downs and the dust collection is very good. Plus, they are very basic machines. Much less complex than most widebelt sanders.

    CWI and Powermatic come with 5 year warranties and come with a nice set of cabinet doors underneath to store the abrasives.

    They go from $6k to $7k for the 37" and are built to work all day.

    http://www.cwimachinery.com/product/...l-drum-sander/

    https://www.baileigh.com/drum-sander-sd-376

    https://www.grizzly.com/products/gri...m-sander/g0449

    https://www.powermatic.com/us/en/p/d...h-230v/1791320

    PK
    PKwoodworking

  5. #50
    Derek,

    I too want a wide belt someday. They have so many pluses to them.

    There is one style of double drum sander that is different that the performax type of drum sanders. They are made under a few names - CWI, Powermatic, Grizzly, Baileigh and a few others. They come in 25" and 37" versions and they have a bunch of different features than the traditional open end sanders or the double drum performax clones.

    They all come in a significant floor standing machine. The 37" versions are around 1000 lb's. They have thick rubber coated 6" drums to minimize heat soak and improve finish. They have rubber conveyor belts like a wide belt sander does and the feed rate is much quicker than the performax style. They also have spring loaded rubber hold down rollers kind of like a planer does. They have much larger motors. Most are 7.5 hp or more for the 37" version and 5hp for the 25" versions. Powermatic decided to move the drive belts into the cabinet for some reason, most of the others have the drive belts in a small enclosure on the side to keep the belts out of the sawdust.

    The sandpaper swap is easier because of the design of the hold downs and the dust collection is very good. Plus, they are very basic machines. Much less complex than most widebelt sanders.

    CWI and Powermatic come with 5 year warranties and come with a nice set of cabinet doors underneath to store the abrasives.

    They go from $6k to $7k for the 37" and are built to work all day.


    PK
    PKwoodworking

  6. #51
    Quote Originally Posted by Paul J Kelly View Post
    Derek,

    I too want a wide belt someday. They have so many pluses to them.

    There is one style of double drum sander that is different that the performax type of drum sanders. They are made under a few names - CWI, Powermatic, Grizzly, Baileigh and a few others. They come in 25" and 37" versions and they have a bunch of different features than the traditional open end sanders or the double drum performax clones.

    They all come in a significant floor standing machine. The 37" versions are around 1000 lb's. They have thick rubber coated 6" drums to minimize heat soak and improve finish. They have rubber conveyor belts like a wide belt sander does and the feed rate is much quicker than the performax style. They also have spring loaded rubber hold down rollers kind of like a planer does. They have much larger motors. Most are 7.5 hp or more for the 37" version and 5hp for the 25" versions. Powermatic decided to move the drive belts into the cabinet for some reason, most of the others have the drive belts in a small enclosure on the side to keep the belts out of the sawdust.

    The sandpaper swap is easier because of the design of the hold downs and the dust collection is very good. Plus, they are very basic machines. Much less complex than most widebelt sanders.

    CWI and Powermatic come with 5 year warranties and come with a nice set of cabinet doors underneath to store the abrasives.

    They go from $6k to $7k for the 37" and are built to work all day.


    PK
    PKwoodworking
    An interesting suggestion. I hadn't considered these options. Looks like the PM is about $8k for a 3PH 10HP, and about $6200 for the Grizzly version. Do you have one of these or just suggestion it as an option?

    I also started looking at the SCM DMC SD 10 CS 95 and the Felder FW series 37" wide belts. It's no longer as small of a footprint, but I'm not sure it would be any larger than the Drum's we're talking about. The SCM comes in around $19k, no Idea on the Felder FW, but the Felder FW has two processing units so its pretty cool.

    https://www.felder-group.com/en-us/p...series-p143161

    https://www.scmgroup.com/en/scmwood/.../dmc-sd-10.557

  7. #52
    Derek, if you’re serious about true widebelt, give me a call after Christmas. This particular market can be a bit of a minefield, like edegbanders.

    Erik

    F6F14488-B099-4B37-9CA7-52B651C962C2.jpg
    Ex-SCM and Felder rep

  8. #53
    You dont need a wide belt. You answered that already by answering the type of work you do.

    Make the space, get the right machine for the work you want to do and learn how to use it. I set up to do custom work and did it so I bought the right machine to do the work.

    You are being barked up the wrong tree.

  9. #54
    Quote Originally Posted by Warren Lake View Post
    You dont need a wide belt. You answered that already by answering the type of work you do.

    Make the space, get the right machine for the work you want to do and learn how to use it. I set up to do custom work and did it so I bought the right machine to do the work.

    You are being barked up the wrong tree.
    What do you suggest the right machine is?

  10. #55
    Quote Originally Posted by Erik Loza View Post
    Derek, if you’re serious about true widebelt, give me a call after Christmas. This particular market can be a bit of a minefield, like edegbanders.

    Erik

    F6F14488-B099-4B37-9CA7-52B651C962C2.jpg
    Half considering; in general, is there any pricing benefits to buying before end-of-year?

  11. #56
    I have never felt the need for a wide belt building furniture and I do this for a living. Cabinetry, countertops, doors and other architectural millwork, yes, there can be tremendous value and time savings in a wide belt for that work, but I just don’t see it for small scale furniture work unless you build furniture in multiples / batches and are doing it for a living. Not sure if you’re a hobbyist or doing it to put food on the table.

    I suppose it depends on the scale and type of furniture you’re building, but I get by in my shop with a stable of nice Festool random orbital sanders and a dust extractor. When I do cabinetry stuff and millwork I am dreaming about a wide belt, but I currently have no space for such a machine. For furniture work I am typically going from the planer to 150 or 180 grit with a Festool ETS EC150 and going up the grits from there. I don’t know that I’d call if fast, but it works and only gets called into question when there are tons and tons of parts which can get cumbersome and tiring with an orbital sander.

    I’d love to have something like an Oakley H5 double sided edge sander for more general belt sanding type work, but that will have to wait for a shop with more space and maybe a wide belt then as well for the more voluminous and monotonous work, but I don’t think I’d waste my time and money with anything smaller than a 37”.

    I ask this only because I’m kind of confused - What is the problem you’re trying to solve with a wide belt and do you really need one?
    Last edited by Phillip Mitchell; 12-24-2021 at 8:01 PM.
    Still waters run deep.

  12. #57
    Quote Originally Posted by Phillip Mitchell View Post
    I have never felt the need for a wide belt building furniture and I do this for a living. Cabinetry, countertops, doors and other architectural millwork, yes, there can be tremendous value and time savings in a wide belt for that work, but I just don’t see it for small scale furniture work unless you build furniture in multiples / batches and are doing it for a living. Not sure if you’re a hobbyist or doing it to put food on the table.

    I suppose it depends on the scale and type of furniture you’re building, but I get by in my shop with a stable of nice Festool random orbital sanders and a dust extractor. When I do cabinetry stuff and millwork I am dreaming about a wide belt, but I currently have no space for such a machine. For furniture work I am typically going from the planer to 150 or 180 grit with a Festool ETS EC150 and going up the grits from there. I don’t know that I’d call if fast, but it works and only gets called into question when there are tons and tons of parts which can get cumbersome and tiring with an orbital sander.

    I’d love to have something like an Oakley H5 double sided edge sander for more general belt sanding type work, but that will have to wait for a shop with more space and maybe a wide belt then as well for the more voluminous and monotonous work, but I don’t think I’d waste my time and money with anything smaller than a 37”.

    I ask this only because I’m kind of confused - What is the problem you’re trying to solve with a wide belt and do you really need one?
    Need is relative. I am bot doing this to put food on the table, but i would like to do it professionally into retirement, so some of that is what people ask for. Even with furniture, there are lots of parts to sand, which is why i was considering the 16” wide belt. It seemed like i could easily sand most small parts and some larger parts. Since time is my biggest restriction, paying to speed up any sanding is a nice bonus. There is also the possibility of uneven sanding etc. i have been looking at a drum sander for some time but everyone says go wide belt if you can…

  13. #58
    I have the 15" Grizzly 5hp, and have no problems with it making flat panels. I do not usually go over 24" panels, and the open end sands those panels flat. Really glad I bought a new open end sander. If I had a commercial shop with a lot of square feet, would want one of the 37", but for a home shop, the open end 15" is great.

  14. #59
    I've been researching this only to find out that the rabbit hole goes deep. You can't just buy a wide belt sander without really learning all about how it works so you can make the right configuration choices. I'm not sure how one really gets that knowledge as from what I've read, many commercial customers with wide belts may not even be buying, using, or configuring the machines properly...

  15. #60
    Quote Originally Posted by derek labian View Post
    I've been researching this only to find out that the rabbit hole goes deep. You can't just buy a wide belt sander without really learning all about how it works so you can make the right configuration choices. I'm not sure how one really gets that knowledge as from what I've read, many commercial customers with wide belts may not even be buying, using, or configuring the machines properly...
    There is a lot of good info on the subject here https://surfprepsanding.com/articles/

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