Thickness Sander - ShopNotes...

[RodKirby]

At the outset - I have a copy of every ShopNotes magazine published. It has givien me more information (on the topics I love), than any other publication. Having said that...

The article on the "Build your own Thickness sander" in #86 has to be the MOST useless I have ever seen. IMHO for the following reasons:

• It would take "forever" to build and tune.
• It would be as "quick" to setup (saw blade off, pulley on), as setting up a disk sander on a table saw! Not practical - unless you had a "spare" table saw.
• It has a hand cranked feed!
• $200? - Cheap? This time you really do get what you paid for

I'm happy to be flamed out here...

[Tom Miller]

Well, sure you're going to say that! Mr. Brand-spankin'-new Carbatec Drum Sander.

Actually, I thought that "project" was a little over the top, myself. Maybe someone out there will set us straight. Keep your asbestos shorts handy, just in case.

Regards,
Tom (AKA Mr. Not-Quite-As-New-Or-Big Performax)

[Ken Massingale]

No flame here, Rod. I agree with all of your points.
But, then I do have a spanking new Performax 10-20. :-D
ken

[John Hunter]

I agree! When I read the article I thought they could not be serious.

[scorrpio]

interestingly enough, this project looks a lot more doable on a RAS...

[betacrash]

Im going to build it. I have looked at about 8 different do it yourself drum sander plans and I think that this one is definitely the most refined (ie the table height adjustment and the method to lock the sandpaper to the spindle). I know that I will be able to build it for less than $200 and I am even going to be using a seperate motor (I do think that the table saw idea is kinda bunk).

By the way, I would probably not be doing this if Harbor Freight would just get off of their butts and start manufacturing/importing an ok drum sander.

[gjat]

Drum Sander

I'm in the process of building one. I've looked at a lot of plans (don't have this one) and have come up with my own. Since I'm just a hobbiest, it doesn't have to be super easy to adjust, but I want it accurate. The main stumper for me is attaching the sandpaper to the drum and making it convenient to change paper, hold the ends well, and will last awhile.
Any ideas? What method does the Shopnotes use?

[jnesmith]

I think Shopnotes was also the one that ran a "Build Your Own Jointer" article. It involved a horizontally mounted router with a 1-3/4" straight bit, with elaborately built adjustable infeed/outfeed tables. Nevermind the cost and labor involved in building it. It could only edge joint, and no better than could be accomplished with simple mods to a tobble mounted or hand held router setup.

THAT one took the cake in my mind.

[preamble]

Actually, I am very impressed with the article and I too am thinking of building one.
I agree that using the table saw as a power plant is a bad idea and plan to use a motor that I have laying around.

I was considering this one before I picked up the Shop Notes:

http://www.rockslide.org/drum%20sander.html

But the S.N. article is well written and well refined.

My only question is how hard would it be to extent the width in order to sand wider boards?

[gjat]

I was considering this one before I picked up the Shop Notes:

http://www.rockslide.org/drum%20sander.html


My only question is how hard would it be to extent the width in order to sand wider boards?

The problem with that design is he has the drive pully between the drum and the bearing. It should be drive pulley-bearing-drum-bearing. If you increase the width of the drum, you have to increase the horsepower of the motor to handle the load. Too much load will overheat a motor and deteriorate the windings and cause the motor to fail. I too want to make a wide drum because you then have the option to sand wide boards and actually have to replace paper less often as you can sand at different spots of the drum.
Another problem is fine adjustment of the table. One has to have a screw adjustment in each corner to ensure the table is paralell with the drum.

[ExYankee]

Planer conversion

I was looking at the picture of the
Shop Made Drum/Thickness Sander
And thought I got something almost like that in my shop
my 13" planer, so when I get a chance I want to pull the cover and examine if I ca nbuild a drum, maybe turn it out of laminated wood on the lathe and figure out the paper mounting and swap out the cutter head for the sanding drum
Its possible the feed rollers may mar the finish, that must be way you always see the 'real' drum sanders with a abrasive belt drive conveyer.
Just a thought in the "how hard could it be" traditon

[RodKirby]

My "real" Drum sander has a rubber conveyor belt.

The surface is made up of miniscule pyramids that "grab" the workpiece.

[preamble]

I hear ya. The size of the motor shouldn't be a problem for me.
I am more curious about deflection with making a wider unit. I agree that moving the height adjustment to the outside edges of the infeed platen would help.
I was considering using a bike chain and two sprockets for this.

And if all works out well I'd later add a power feed.

I'd be interested in hearing from anyone who has built and used the S.N. unit.

[gjat]

I don't think drum shaft deflection should be a problem. I want 24" useable width so I've ordered a 1" x 36" shaft from mcmaster-carr. The sprocket/chain would be a bad idea as you eliminate the natural "clutch" of a belt slipping when the material slows the drum. Your motor will slow/load and heat which shortens its life.

[onedash]

Making homemade tools just seems kinda crazy to me. Sure you might save several hundred dollars but are there any home made tools that could compare to a factory built one and last as long and be as easy to use? The purpose of electric tools is to make things easier and faster right? And to me it seems the more $$ you spend the more acuracy you get. A $65 table saw can cut a piece of 4/4 wood as good as $2000 table saw. But im pretty sure the cut will be straighter and cleaner on the $2000 one. and so on with just about any other tool. A cheap wood boring bit drills a hole but an expensive forstner bit bores a nice clean hole.
I learned my lesson with a saltwater aquarium (reef) if you skimp now you'll pay later.