Drum sander

Ed Gerhard

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PA
I'm getting ready to pull the trigger on some kind of drum sander (not one of those huge things that Norm has). Still doing the research. Sears is selling a Craftsman Professional 18" open end drum sander for $699 (normally $899) "while supplies last". I long ago decided that Sears wasn't my tool guy, but this looks interesting. Can't find any reviews. Anybody know anything about this thing? One thing that bothers me about Sears is that they change manufacturers and then you can't get parts. Anyway, I'd appreciate any thoughts.

Cheers.
 
Stories in the business section of the newspapers are saying that Sears may not be around much longer.
I would verify the original manufacturer of that sander before plunking down any dollars.
 
I'm getting ready to pull the trigger on some kind of drum sander (not one of those huge things that Norm has). Still doing the research. Sears is selling a Craftsman Professional 18" open end drum sander for $699 (normally $899) "while supplies last". I long ago decided that Sears wasn't my tool guy, but this looks interesting. Can't find any reviews. Anybody know anything about this thing? One thing that bothers me about Sears is that they change manufacturers and then you can't get parts. Anyway, I'd appreciate any thoughts.

Cheers.

I've gotten good performance from my Performax 10/20. Not as big as what you're looking at, but they're around $500 now. For the $700 you're looking at, maybe the Jet (they bought Performax a couple years ago) 16/32 might be worth considering.
 
I was hoping somebody would talk me out of it. Thanks for that.

GP (you'll never live that down), the fact that Sears is going away scares me sufficiently.

Larry, that's a little more than a step up for me...more like a small flight of stairs. I did call them ($2k right now for the 26" including $300 worth of sandpaper and free shipping if I can get to an ABF freight company(otherwise $175)). Also requested their free video. If I'm not careful I might talk myself into that even though I'll be in hock longer than planned.

Thanks for the input Jim. The Performax family (now Jet) has been tempting me for a couple years now.

How much do you guys use that tool? My fear is that it'll turn out to be like my shaper...every now and then I grab the air hose and blow the dust off it, but can't remember when I last used it (except to stack stuff on).

Well, (whew), I won't be acquiring a Craftsman machine. Thanks for the inputs.

Cheers.
 
how much use ,, like every time i make something, it always part of the process ..does it set idle some yes but when you are ready to use it its there and without one you cant imagine how you got by .. if you can swing one and grab the payment plan go for it you will never be sorry and they are american made and they also have great resale,, just try to find a used one.. before i got mine i had lined up one but they sold it before i finally decided to go for it so i went with a new one.. they are well built and do as they say.. there much better than the long arm stlye machine that you flip over or do one side then the other..
 
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A couple of years ago I purchased a used Performax 16-32. Like new with lots of paper for $600. Loved that thing! Along came a great deal on a Jet 22-44 Pro that had barely been used. Looked new to me! Two big boxes of paper. Got that one for a $1000,so I upgraded! Sold the 16-32 for what I had in it, so I just came up with the difference of $400. I guess what I'm saying, if you can wait long enough and look hard enough, you might find that equipment used in like new condition for a deal as I have. I'm only lacking a 3hp cyclone and a MM16 or Laguna 16HD for resawing and I'll have all my wish list tools. And I've had these come on the market for good deals locally, but wasn't financially prepared at the time! I'm hoping more will cross my path when I do have the tool funds. The only big machine that I have bought new was a Powermatic 14" Bandsaw. I buckled under during a sale and bit the bullet cause I hadn't seen but one come along in reasonable distance and I missed it. Had the cash and couldn't wait. It all comes down to the individual. I am just a retired hobbyist, so the cash outlay was important to me...And I have ended up with nice Professional equipment that has made me happy! Powermatic 8" Jointer, Powermatic 20" Planer, 3hp Jet Exacta Cabinet Saw, etc.All look just as nice as the Powermatic I paid more for!
 
...How much do you guys use that tool? My fear is that it'll turn out to be like my shaper...every now and then I grab the air hose and blow the dust off it, but can't remember when I last used it (except to stack stuff on)...

Like Larry, I use mine on nearly every project. Just a couple passes will remove the resaw marks from most lumber (I use a Woodslicer blade, btw).

Plus, it's almost an essential if you're using figured woods like birdseye maple, etc. Works where a jointer or planer won't.
 
Will a sander set idle most of the time YES if it is used the way it should.
Back when I had a production shop I made a lot of small items for the tole painters. I would spend 2 to 3 day just sanding on the orders but I kept telling my self I couldn't afford a sander. Well when I finely bit the bullet I bought a 24" powermatic wide belt and the jobs that I spent all that time on could be done in 1 1/2 hours YES 1 1/2 I timed it then it just set there drawing dust until the next job. I will say once I added that machine my business turned around and I made money. You just cant believe how little time you spend with it and how much it improves and speeds thing up.:thumb::thumb:

Best tool I ever bought and it will be replace when I have the room.:thumb::thumb:

Jay
 
Thanks for all the input. When I decided to get a drum sander, my thought was less than $1k, but after reading the posts I expanded my limit (jeez, more ketchup soup). At this point I've narrowed it down to a Woodmaster 26" or the Jet 22-44 Plus on a stand (not the oscillating one...one more thing to break or wear out). I'm studying the Jet manual and have ordered the Woodmaster DVD, and am reading all the reviews I can find. The Jet is about $1550 including the infeed/outfeed tables, and as I mentioned before the Woodmaster 26" is $2k with $300 free paper...so apples-to-apples Jet 1550, Woodmaster 1700. Not enough difference to decide based on price.

What I'm considering so far:

Woodmaster --
6" steel drum
thicknesss range 0 - 5-1/4"
shortest stock 7"
5 hp drum motor, 1725 rpm
variable speed conveyor motor
table adjusts for height
velcro sandpaper
weighs 590 lbs

Jet --
5" aluminum drum
thickness range 1/32 - 4"
shortest stock 2-1/4"
1-3/4 hp drum motor, 1700 rpm
variable speed conveyor motor (SandSmart conveyor feed rate)
drum head adjusts for height
smooth-backed sandpaper
weighs 231 lbs

The Jet drum motor seems anemic compared to the Woodmaster's 5 hp, but if it were really underpowered I think I'd be reading more complaints to that affect. I think the Woodmaster motor is a Baldor. Not sure how to compare the conveyer motors (Woodmaster 1/6 hp, Jet 42 inch-lb torque...both dc).

Read an interesting comment about how changing height by moving the table created an annoyance with keeping separate infeed/outfeed tables aligned. I suppose it could.

Saw complaints about the velcro sandpaper with this type machine, and one post from a guy in the abrasives industry recommended not using it. Still looking into that aspect.

Although I don't expect to be sanding panels more than 26" wide, I couldn't imagine needing a jointer wider than 8" either. I now have a 12" jointer and occasionally wish I'd bought a 16". I like the open-end aspect of the Jet for the increased capacity, but have read many complaints about the difficulty of keeping the arm aligned parallel...of course it's impossible to know whether or not the complaints were written by guys who have difficulty changing a sawblade. Also read a review where the guy said easy to align and it stays that way. So who knows.

I occasionally do scrolling and prepare small pieces, and the Jet is a better fit for that, although the 7" of the Woodmaster isn't a show-stopper.

At this point I'm leaning toward the Woodmaster. I suspect their customer support is unsurpassed, although I've read good things about Jet in that regard as well. I signed up for a credit card with 0% interest for 12 months and I'll charge this machine (and nothing else) to that card...$170/month and it's paid for next September. Then cancel the card.

So about another week of research. Any additional thoughts would be appreciated.

Cheers.
 
...so apples-to-apples Jet 1550, Woodmaster 1700. Not enough difference to decide based on price.
...The Jet drum motor seems anemic compared to the Woodmaster's 5 hp, but if it were really underpowered I think I'd be reading more complaints to that affect. I think the Woodmaster motor is a Baldor. Not sure how to compare the conveyer motors (Woodmaster 1/6 hp, Jet 42 inch-lb torque...both dc).

[size=+1]Not a really valid comparison, but the 1hp on my 10/20 won't allow a pass deeper than about 1/128 without popping the (onboard) circuit breaker. That makes the Jet motor on a 22 inch piece seem a bit anemic to me.[/size]

Read an interesting comment about how changing height by moving the table created an annoyance with keeping separate infeed/outfeed tables aligned. I suppose it could.

[size=+1]Probably not that big a problem. Once set, you'll only be moving them a few 64th of an inch from start to finish on pieces of like-sized stock. If you're doing a lot of widely varied sizes in on project, it might be more of an issue, though.[/size]

Saw complaints about the velcro sandpaper with this type machine, and one post from a guy in the abrasives industry recommended not using it. Still looking into that aspect.

[size=+1]Did that guy even sell the velcro backed paper? Might be his reason...:dunno:...I've been considering converting my Performax over to velcro.[/size]

Although I don't expect to be sanding panels more than 26" wide, I couldn't imagine needing a jointer wider than 8" either. I now have a 12" jointer and occasionally wish I'd bought a 16". I like the open-end aspect of the Jet for the increased capacity, but have read many complaints about the difficulty of keeping the arm aligned parallel...of course it's impossible to know whether or not the complaints were written by guys who have difficulty changing a sawblade. Also read a review where the guy said easy to align and it stays that way. So who knows.

[size=+1]The actual alignment can be (was) a pain, but I only had to do it once. It's held solidly - even including a cross country move. I'd guess (key word: guess) that the longer drum might tend to sag more, though. I dunno.[/size]


I occasionally do scrolling and prepare small pieces, and the Jet is a better fit for that, although the 7" of the Woodmaster isn't a show-stopper.

[size=+1]I wonder how Jet arrived at the length? On my smaller one, the distance from the infeed hold-down roller to the bottom of the drum is more like 4 inched, and then 4" more to the outfeed hold-down. I've never really tried a really short piece on it, though. I'd think that a piece the didn't span the two surfaces might get sucked away into the DC. BTW, you need really good dust collection with one of these.[/size]


At this point I'm leaning toward the Woodmaster. I suspect their customer support is unsurpassed, although I've read good things about Jet in that regard as well.

[size=+1]Dunno about Woodmaster support. AllI can say about Jet is that I've never needed it. I guess that does say something about their product, though...[/size]


So about another week of research. Any additional thoughts would be appreciated.

Cheers.

I hope my comments have helped.
 
second the motion, for good DC you dont want to try to use any of them with out good DC..
sag isnt a problem jim on the woodmasters they are supported at both ends..
 
I tried to find that blurb about velcro sandpaper and haven't so far. I'm pretty sure it was on a forum so presumably the guy has some woodworking experience, but whether he actually has a drum sander I don't know. I did find this, but it's from some musings of a guy who is trying to design his own and hasn't yet, so no experience...interesting though. Maybe Larry can speak to it, since he uses velcro sanding strips.

"Velcro is about two millimeters thick normally. When you press on it though, it can compress to about half of that. That gives you up to a millimeter of inaccuracy. Now, I'm sure in real life it isn't so bad, but if you're sanding Wenge and Oak at the same time, I worry that the Wenge will do a better job of compressing the velcro than the oak, and the wenge will be raised from the oak when I'm done. Even if it's a quarter of a millimeter, that's too much!"

I am concerned about the cantilevered weight of the 22/44. Tie that bugger down at both ends sounds more comfortable to me.

The only thing I can think of with the minimum stock length is that's the distance between the two pressure rollers. They're both contained within the drum head, and with a 5" diam drum I'd think they would be farther apart. Couldn't be though. I wonder how well that works with longer, heavier stock.

I think you're right about the infeed/outfeed table issue...non-issue.

I'm in pretty good shape for dust collection. I have a Grizzly 2 hp that I took the bags off and ran the hose out through a window. No bags to empty, and better yet no bags to reduce the CFM...straight shot to the outside world.

Thanks for the help.
Cheers.
 
Update on the Velcro issue:

I was just talking to Woodmaster, and asked the rep about the velcro issue. He told me there's imitation hook & loop and there's Velcro, and they're not the same...not sure how, and I can't find anything definitive on the internet. I did find this blurb:

"(their legal department wants you to know that Velcro is a trademarked name of Velcro USA and not a generic name - in other words, they don't make the imitation hook and loop fasteners - they make the original, high quality stuff)".

According to the Woodmaster rep the imitation hook & loop has more of a compression factor than Velcro, and it also has more of a tendency to stretch and slip. Apparently Powermatic uses this, and it's given them problems. Woodmaster has gone with the Velcro system and they're pleased with it. I told him I was looking at abrasives from Klingspor, and he said they've tried that as well as others, and they use Mirka. Others have a tendency for the Velcro to separate from the abrasive sheet, primarily due to heat.

The search continues.
Cheers.
 
Ed I bought one of the first drum sanders that Woodmaster made in fact it was the prototype 12" it had the steel drum on it and was before Velcro. It worked OK but wasn't the greatest. Later I bought the 718 I think that was the model # it was the 18" planer, molder, sander model. It had the Velcro on it and was a great improvement I used it some until I got the widebelt it just took to long to change over and I had a production shop. The only drum sander that gave everyone a run for there money was the ROSS no longer in production it had a rubber drum and that was the key to its success if you can find a used one of those jump on it,its a good one otherwise I'd go with Woodmaster Great machines that just keep going and people who care about you being happy. They are solid machines and just keep going any parts or repairs are pretty much off the shelf wish I had my 718 back but after using it for over 9 years in production I sold it for almost what I paid for it.

Jay
 
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