Deciding on a drum sander

Julio Navarro

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281
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Tampa
I am deciding whether or not to buy the Grizzly 10" drum sander (G0716) for my small shop.

Factors involved in choosing this model is most and foremost the price. I cannot, at this moment, afford anything higher than this machine and this machine seems to be the least expensive in the market.

What I like about this sander:

  • it is open end so I can run wider boards;
  • the drum moves up and down instead of the table, which would allow me to have an infeed/outfeed table.
  • The open end has a bracket to minimize head deflection.
  • it is 115v single phase


My question is; does anyone have this machine, if so, how does it perform.

Obviously, I don't expect it to perform any where near a higher end model.

I opened a small woodworking shop doing cabinet refacing and some furniture such as head boards. I need to be able to effectively sand raised panels, styles and rails, and other narrow pieces.

I looked at the sand flee but it did not impress me for medium quantity production. I expect to be sanding about 40 to 100 boards per project no more than 12" wide as this is the size limitation of my planer.

Any help, as always, is greatly appreciated.
 
I opened a small woodworking shop doing cabinet refacing and some furniture such as head boards. I need to be able to effectively sand raised panels, styles and rails, and other narrow pieces.


Two things.

-You opened a small woodworking shop. Are you planning on making this a full time money producer? If so, save you're money and get a widebelt, at least a 37" widebelt. If you must take a half step, buy a 37' drum sander.

-This is just a pet peeve. No matter what style of door you build, (unless its a slab door), it will have stiles. :D
 
Two things.

-You opened a small woodworking shop. Are you planning on making this a full time money producer? If so, save you're money and get a widebelt, at least a 37" widebelt. If you must take a half step, buy a 37' drum sander.

-This is just a pet peeve. No matter what style of door you build, (unless its a slab door), it will have stiles. :D

Stiles, I stand corrected.

Yes, it is a money making op. It would be a long time before I could afford a 37" wide belt and much less a 37' drum (I didn't know they made them that big :D)

This sander is to hold me over until I can afford something bigger and better (may not always be the same).
 
Karl is a pro and I really value his input from that perspective. Like many of us he speaks from his own experiences and knows what he would have done differently and wants others to learn from his experience. Given your price and power restriction, the Grizzly may be the only sander from which to choose so, your decision will be more of a "is it a total waste of time and money or not" sort of a decision.

I made a similar decision on the Ridgid EB4224 oscillating belt sander. I wanted an oscillating edge sander akin to the Grizzly G0564 or a Vega EBS-6. With prices at around $1300 and $2200 respectively they were a bit beyond what I was willing to pay for the function. Both prices have continued to rise and unless there is an unforeseen windfall, I will never have one of these machines ;-(

I picked up the 40 pound, 200 dollar Ridgid and it has served me well . . . as long as I use it for what it is, not what I wanted to get. It has NOT served the same function as the other tools mentioned just as the G0716 will not be a substitute for a powerful wide belt machine.

My point is that the machine is what it is. G0716 owners will hopefully reply here with their experiences so you can get a 'shop tested' answer. Just be sure to accept the machine for what it is and what it is designed to do. I'm curious myself as to the performance variation when used as an open-end machine, losing the support bracket function. Over to you G0716 owners.
 
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I don't know anyone who has one and I have not used one but I have strongly considered buying it. I didn't think it was an open end machine though. That's the only reason I didn't buy it.

If I'm wrong and it can be used on wider than 10" boards I'll probably ask Santa for one.

I know that there are better machines to buy but I'm in the same boat. Simply can't afford them at this time.
 
as for the way to make money by sanding with a drum sander karl is absolutly right... if you really have some customer base, then get a 37" drum sander and thena fter your really rich get a wide belt.. and bob i would suggest you stay away from a cantilever type sander..
 
I've always thought that drum sanders are made so that people who use them can realise how much better a wide belt sander is. I don't know this specific machine but if its like the drum sanders I have used you will spend a lot of time cleaning burn off the sanding sheet. Don't even think about it unless you have fantastic extraction and be ready to take very very small passes. If it was me I'd keep using a ROS and save my pennies for a wide belt.
 
I have no doubt at all that a wide belt sander is ideal, but reality is that my budget right now is severely limited with Christmas coming and having replaced a furnace and condenser unit for the house that set me back 5 grand. I am under no illusions regarding the capabilities of such a small machine compared to a professional machine.

My goal is to get the G0716 as a hold me over until my cash flow and customer demand can support a 4 grand machine. Having said that. What is the machine like specifically. Does it do anything close to what it advertises? Would any owners recommend it? Has anyone seen reviews of this machine?

Thanks again for an informative discussion.
 
once again i would suggest another avenue,, what about some one close by that has one of the wide belts or a drum sander that would sand your parts for you.. they have the outlay for the machine and you are getting the use of it at a small price for what you are having done.. and depending on what you are trying to do for sure a RO may do the job and you already have that..
 
I've got the little open ended performax 10/20. It does what I need for cutting boards, etc.

The G0716 looks a lot like that, but it also has a drum support on the open end making me thing it can't be used 'open ended'.

So if you'd never run anything through it wider than 10", well, you might be ok.

Keep in mind you won't get a finish ready surface though. They tend to leave linear scratches that still need to be cleaned up.
 
I've got the little open ended performax 10/20. It does what I need for cutting boards, etc.

The G0716 looks a lot like that, but it also has a drum support on the open end making me thing it can't be used 'open ended'.

So if you'd never run anything through it wider than 10", well, you might be ok.

Keep in mind you won't get a finish ready surface though. They tend to leave linear scratches that still need to be cleaned up.

I have looked through the manual and it mentions that the head support can be removed to run wider boards a second time.

How hard is it to clean up those linear scratches?
 
what about some one close by that has one of the wide belts or a drum sander that would sand your parts for you.

Interesting suggestion Larry. I have been to a molding mill near my house but they where not interested in talking to me at all about anything. The lumber yard I buy my stuff from is pretty far away, 1.5 hours there and back. But I might look around and see if there is a small shop around here. I have a panel saw so maybe I can trade up use for use with a small cab shop. I shall investigate, though anyone who has a anything like a 37" WBS would probably have a panel saw.
 
i would go back to the cab shop you were at and talk to them agin with a suggestion of giving them some easy work.. which means money in there pocket.. that will usually change there interest levels:)
 
Depends on the grit of sandpaper you use on the drum, but they are never 'not there'.

I'm no expert on finishing by any means, but I typically just use the drum sander to 'level' things up and then do a normal sanding with the ROS up to whatever the project calls for, i.e. 180 or 220....
 
Depends on the grit of sandpaper you use on the drum, but they are never 'not there'.

I'm no expert on finishing by any means, but I typically just use the drum sander to 'level' things up and then do a normal sanding with the ROS up to whatever the project calls for, i.e. 180 or 220....

Brent that's pretty much what I need right now. I am finishing everything up with the ROS but I need to be able to level out any slight panel joints then use the ROS and then steel wool. most of the work will be by hand but hopefully the time spent by hand is cut somewhat.

I also find that I need to run a panel through the planer once it is cut which leaves a small bit of snipe. I am hoping that this drum sander can help eliminate that nasty critter.
 
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Yep, even with a widebelt it is not a "finished" surface. It still had to be sanded with an orbital.

I got along without a drum sander for quite a while. I belt sanded faceframes, I relied heavily on Sharp planer knuves, and I sub'd out doors.

Drum sanders require a lot of patience and you can't be aggressive with them. I bought a used Woodmaster for something like $1200, and sold it for about the same amount a few years later. I paid about $5k for my widebelt, and its a temporary machine until I can blow $40k on the model I'll keep until I quit.

I routinely run stuff for hobbiest,. Taking 10 minutes out of my day isn't a big deal. I do a fair amount if work for other shops,, doors & drawers typically.
 
i would go back to the cab shop you were at and talk to them again with a suggestion of giving them some easy work.. which means money in there pocket.. that will usually change there interest levels:)

These guys just do high volume molding, not much I could barter with. But I like your suggestion none the less. I will be searching other small cab shops around here.
 
Save yourself some real aggrivation, there is a reason it is the cheapest thing on the market. I've bought 4 different drum sanders (grizzly, ryobi, delta, and the only one worth a tinkers darn was a General. I've upgraded now to a 37" wide belt and passed the General onto a guy in Tennessee.
 
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