Drum sander mini gloat and ??

[Al Willits]

I came in last Sunday from the garage and mentioned that I had about 6 panels to sand and a drum sander would sure be nice...Beasty looked at me and said, enough whining lets go get you one...well....when the time is right, go fer it.

I had been looking for used with out any luck and had a friend checking on a discount but when Beasty says now...its time.
Besides I need one asap...

Found the best price locally at Rockler and a phone call to Rockler and off we went.
Unfortunately to get the $999 special I had to order one, Jet has a no shipping charge special, so I get it shipped free and in a bout a week or so I'll be the proud owner of a 22-44 Jet drum sander.

Nic had posted a good place for sandpaper, but any tips on running this thing?
Maybe what assortment/types of sandpaper to buy and...?

I know I'm suppose to use a dust collector on it and not to over stress it, and also that not to use it like a plane, but I figure there's probably a bit more to this thing.

Stash fund run out before we got to the outfeed tables, but I might see what it'd take to make a set or get them later, thinking they would be a good idea.

Al

[nic obie]

Hi Al,

Congratulation on getting the sander. All I have is a Ryobi 16/32 (pretty much the same as the new Steel City model) but it comes in real handy. The real fine grit paper seems to plug up rather quick. You should get a few strips of paper with the new machine. I'd wait and try out what they send before buying any. Be sure to save one strip for a pattern so you don't have to buy the expensive pre-cut stuff.

[Bruce Page]

All it takes is enough whining? I’ve got to file that one away.
Congrats on the sander! I don’t know if the Jet blows sandpaper belts but my Delta 18/36 would if I pushed it too hard. You’ll know it when it happens, that’s fer sure…

We'll cut you some slack for now but remember, No pic's, it didn't happen...

[Bill Wyko]

Congratulations!!!! I have the same one and it's a fantastic machine. What I like about it is the table stays stationary which means you can easily build an out feed table for it. I will say though, a dust collector is an absolute must if you are sanding anything bigger than a dollar bill. Even if you adapt a shop vac. The sander is very efficient at releasing the dust into the collector. It's a great machine, enjoy.

[Phil Harding]

Congratulations on the new sander. I've had a Performax 16-32 for a couple of years now and I seem to find more uses for it with every new project. I've been quite pleased with it. In fact, so much so that I also took advantage of Rockler's sale and ordered the Jet 22-44 Pro. Good luck on getting it in a week or so. I ordered mine two weeks ago and just got the shipping confirmation yesterday.

You already know the key issues to look out for. I believe yours will have the SandSmart feature that automatically controls the belt speed to prevent overloading the sander. Keep in mind that it's neither a planer nor a finish sander. The only issue I've had is getting the drum parallel to the table. It takes a little fiddling. If you do a Google search you'll find sites with recommendations for leveling drum.

-- Phil

[Jesse Cloud]

Hey Al! Congrats on the sander! You're gonna love it!

I've had mine for a couple of months and I'm amazed at how often I use it. My big surprise was that its not only good for wide stuff but for small stuff, too. This morning I realized I had mortised some hinge slots too deep. Cut 1/16 x 7/16 x 11 patches on the bandsaw and ran them through the drum sander until they fit perfectly. Wouldn't try that on my planer or any other sander.

One good trick to start off with is to turn on the belt but not the drum and place your workpiece on the belt. Lower the drum slowly until it just starts to move - this is where you should start sanding. After the workpiece has exited the drum area, turn on the drum and go to town!

Only problem I have had is learning how to put the paper on the drum - takes a little practice. Hint: the weird little question mark shaped wrench in the box is your friend!!

[Frank Caponi]

You might want to spend some time looking at the link for your sanding supplies - i use them for mine and they deliver really fast and always seemed to be stocked with what I need

http://www.supergrit.com/downloads/SGCatalog06.pdf

[Al Willits]

Thanks, pictures will come as soon as it gets here.

It seems like the best buy for what I wanted to spend, and I doubt any more whining would have gotten a upgrade ok to a bigger unit...

Frank, that's the same place Nic suggested, must be a good place .. thanks

Al......who once had a stash fund...

[Phillip downs]

One word for sandpaper

Klingspor

They have good self cleaning papers, inexpensive as well.

[Al Willits]

Just gotta say, once again...thanks for all the help, I now have a 22-44 Jet drum sander in my garage and am making sawdust like crazy...

Have to say that had I known how nice these things are, I would have gotten one before now, sure makes sanding easier, plus it does wonders on large pieces that I thought were flat..whoa!

I'm also glad I got the 22-44 over a smaller one, and considering I haven't the room or enough whine to get the 36" version I'm happy I got the open ended unit.

Once I got it assembled, it was pretty easy to get up and running, setting the tension on the conveyor belt was simple and setting the drum just took a bit of time, then running a few scrap boards though to fine tune.
I never did figure out the fancy tool they have for sandpaper install, fingers worked just fine though.

Learning curve on this unit was pretty simple, if you tried to take to much it would slow the feed rate down automatically, if you tried to take more than it could deal with, the board would just not feed...leaving a divot, yup, been there did it..

Light cuts work the best and its not very fast, but it does a very nice job.

I did the three shelf for the TV stand and even with 80 grit, they came out flat and smooth enough that not much additional sanding was needed, light passes with the ROS and 120-150-180 then 220 grits gave a very nice finish.

It definitely is one of them tools ya can live with out, but life is soooo much easier with one.

Thanks all for helping me decide to get one.

Al

[Jim Becker]

Al, on the infeed/outfeet tables...build your own and make them foldable and adjustable. The OEM units take up a lot of room.

[Al Willits]

Thanks Jim, I didn't get the tables but I can see where they would help, especially with longer pieces.
This will give me a reason to drag out the welder, it hasn't got used much lately and I think its lonely.

Al