Drum sander conv speeds?

Bill McQueen

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I just got my Jet 10/20 drum sander. I have a question about conveyor speeds, there is no mention of it in the manuel (that I could find) is this just something your supposed to know. Is there a rule of thumb so many ft per sec for whatever boards thickness, Help?

Thanks
 
I have the 16/32. Keep in mind that these are not meant for dimensioning of any large scale. The easiest way to think of the conveyor speed, in my head anyway, is the lower the grit and the more you want to remove, the slower you go. OK, I said that but my process is usually to set the speed no lower than about 70 regardless of grit. I prefer to take very shallow bites, so I can run the conveyor faster. The shallow bites help ensure no burning.

A couple of points: 1) make sure the paper is tight on the drum and check it after a short run and routinely afterward, 2) clean the paper regularly with a crepe stick (it's safe to open the cover and turn on the drum as long as you keep your hand clear).
 
Thanks that helped a lot. When you say lower the grid is that lower in number like going from 80 grid to a less aggressive? or is lower in more coarse. I really wonder why they didn't put an info in the manuel about this.

Thanks again
 
I think the smaller the grit or the the larger the depth of cut or sanding the the slower the conveyor speed. I also have a jet 16/32. It takes a little getting used to when setting up these open end sanders. I am assuming that your machine has the same "1/4turn = 1/64 in" label on it. If you are using a light paper like 150 or 220 then that height adjust ment is crucial and the conveyor speed should be very slow. don't get impatient as a slower speed will make the paper last longer in my opinion but it seems like time drags on forever while waiting for a board to make a full pass at the slowest setting. If you have 80 grit paper in there you can go pretty quick even if you are taking 1/32 or 3/64 off.
 
Some of the discussion terms here are getting a little cloudy. A picture is worth. . .
 

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Bill Thanks I know about grits sometimes I think that's all I know!

Glenn thanks for the picture I printed it out but call me stupid, I couldn't relate it to what converyor speed should be used. I am starting realize there are a lot of varibles to converyor speeds. It seems one just has to learn by experience. I was hoping there was a simple rule of thumb. What all of you are saying makes sence.
 
Conveyer (feed) speed will also vary with the width of what's being sanded, and also with the density of the wood. A 2" wide piece of pine might go thru at 100% of feed speed, but a 10" wide piece of maple might only feed at 40%.

I never try to take more than 1/64" at a pass, and on wider hardwood stock the limit is often more like 1/128".

Overall, I'd guess my "average" pass on 5~6" wide stock of any kind would be something like 1/100" at 50% feed speed.

If I need to 'hog' off thickness, I have a planer.

BTW, the blue 'Zirconia' belts are much longer lasting than the red AlOx ones. They are costlier, though.
 
Well I just found out I need to adjust the drum I put some scribble marks on a piece of 3/4x3 pine board and it took off half of the pencil marks running it at no angle in the center of the conveyor. Funny thing, I ran the board several times looking, checking in real time what the hieght adjust wheel does and I happen to look at the end of the board and saw a crowm, impossible right? Not if the drums off and you run your wood in after you turn it around, (grin).

Is the adjustment knob very sensitive?, Does it move the drum a significant amount with each turn? I don't really want to take the paper off to use the straight edge. I thought I'd runs boards though after adjusting and check with a micrometer.
 
Adjusting the drum level was a frustrating exercise when I first got my 16/32. I could get it dead on, run a few pieces through and it would need to be re-adjusted. As I recall, the book says to make an adjustment block that you put under the drum when you adjust it. Check the clearance at each end and match it. I have two such blocks so I can place one under each end while I adjust. Call it operator malfunction or whatever, but I finally took my time to adjust the drum properly and it hasn't changed in several years - surprisingly! Patience helps!

Now, I'll qualify my comment by saying that I take very light bites of whatever I'm running through the sander. I think it might have been getting out of adjustment in the beginning because I was trying to take bigger bites. I can now run thin stock that I've re-sawn and take it to less that 1/32" and it's the same thickness on both edges.
 
I am assuming you are talking about getting the drum and the table in the same planes because one side is cutting deeper than the other.
if you look at your machine there should be a small area on either side of the conveyor belt. I think i used those area the last time I set my drum. I took a square steel tube and placed it under the motor side of the drum and lowered the drum until I had a space of something like 10 thousands feeler gage. then I adjusted the drum so the other end would be the same. the problem is, after you make the adjustment the open end of the drum will move when you tighten the locking bolts back up ( at least mine does) so try and see the amount the drum raises when the bolts are tightened and off set the adjustment by that much.

The manual should tell you something about setting up the drum when sanding wider than the width of the drum. I believe my manual said to have the open end up by a small amount but I can't remember what that amount is. I made it as small as I could so it wouldn't be noticed when i was sanding narrower than 16".
 
Thanks Bill that was encouraging.You said you had blocks I am assuming wood.
Keith You are assuming right, My Manuel says to take the paper off the drum and use a straight edge which I don't really want to do ( take the paper off) That's why I wanted to adjust run some wood though and check it with pencil marks and a micrometer, You both brought up an interest points about it changing after you set it, I'll be looking for that, Well time to give a try, thanks for your imput it really helped.
 
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