This has been in progress for about 3 weeks now. I'm happy with the results and I'm glad I left it as-is from the ShopNotes plans. Sometimes it's nice to just works from plans. I don't have to think as hard. Building your own drum sander may sound extreme for some, but it's been fun and I'm glad I built myself something finally. While I build boxes or cradles for other folks, I seem to build shop stuff for myself. This one is red like my other miter station and mobile BT.
This one came in pretty cheap really. I didn't buy any sheet goods for it except for $15 worth of Baltic Birch. It was all "scraps" otherwise. Hardware was about $100. Steel bars, knobs, handles, sandpaper belts, hinges, paint, etc. I'd say it's about $160 or so, YMMV. I may have been able to buy a small used drum sander at that price, I kind of doubt it. I have another motor to make it standalone but I'm running it on the BT for "testing"..
I didn't work on it constantly during that time. You can't really, this is Arizona and summer so 30 minutes out on the shop is all I can handle before warping the MDF from sweating on it. Just every day or so, I tried to get something done on it.
I just finished up the dust collection and final bits and pieces. I ran through stock of varying thickness to see how it worked. I didn't build a manual for it so I have to learn as I go. I goofed a little and didn't think far enough ahead when buying sandpaper for the drum. I should have gotten some 80 or lower and some 100. I only got 120 so it's slow going as a thickness sander. As a finish sander it's great.
The sander as-built is part power tool, part hand tool. Because of the crank handle for the conveyor, you are an integral part of the workings of the machine. Pretty cool. The downside is you are an integral part of the workings of the machine. You must run the stock through at a constant pace to get good results. It’s only a big deal during those last few passes. I'm looking for parts to motorize the conveyor. Until then I don't mind really.
This was my largest undertaking to date from a ShopNotes project. I found their article to be very helpful during the construction.
Gory Details and more pictures at: http://billswood.blogspot.com/
Bill
This one came in pretty cheap really. I didn't buy any sheet goods for it except for $15 worth of Baltic Birch. It was all "scraps" otherwise. Hardware was about $100. Steel bars, knobs, handles, sandpaper belts, hinges, paint, etc. I'd say it's about $160 or so, YMMV. I may have been able to buy a small used drum sander at that price, I kind of doubt it. I have another motor to make it standalone but I'm running it on the BT for "testing"..
I didn't work on it constantly during that time. You can't really, this is Arizona and summer so 30 minutes out on the shop is all I can handle before warping the MDF from sweating on it. Just every day or so, I tried to get something done on it.
I just finished up the dust collection and final bits and pieces. I ran through stock of varying thickness to see how it worked. I didn't build a manual for it so I have to learn as I go. I goofed a little and didn't think far enough ahead when buying sandpaper for the drum. I should have gotten some 80 or lower and some 100. I only got 120 so it's slow going as a thickness sander. As a finish sander it's great.
The sander as-built is part power tool, part hand tool. Because of the crank handle for the conveyor, you are an integral part of the workings of the machine. Pretty cool. The downside is you are an integral part of the workings of the machine. You must run the stock through at a constant pace to get good results. It’s only a big deal during those last few passes. I'm looking for parts to motorize the conveyor. Until then I don't mind really.
This was my largest undertaking to date from a ShopNotes project. I found their article to be very helpful during the construction.
Gory Details and more pictures at: http://billswood.blogspot.com/
Bill
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