what sanding drum?

[louis mason]

i need to hone down an axe handle and i was wondering about getting a 3in x 3in sanding drum for my drill press to do this job. my question is 2 parts.

1) is this type of sanding drum set-up of much use for other projects- or should i consider buying a dedicated belt type of sanding machine?

2) if sanding drums are useful, should i get the sleeveless type where you cut your own paper? or the type that take the pre-fabricated replacement sleeves (more $)?

thanks louis

[LCHIEN]

I don't really like using sanding drums on my drill press. I don't think they are designed with a heavy side load in mind, I can't imagine it would be good for the DP bearings.

[tribalwind]

i agree with loring, i dont care for the kits you see for making a vertical lathe and such out of your DP, im afraid it will cause run-out (especially on my harbor friehgt dp!)

do you have a lathe? could easily make a big sanding drum and slap it on there,itd work much better i woudl imagine.

the sleeveless arbors do look like a good money-saver. not sure how well they work

[vaking]

One of rare occasions when I don't fully agree with Loring. I agree that DP is not designed for significant side load, but I intuitively think that (I did not do the math) that a tool like circle cutter (see link)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...lance&n=228013
creates worse side load than a sanding drum. The circle cutter is designed for drill press only and if drill press can handle that it should survive the sanding drum. The lathe for drill press I would reject too.
As for the original question - sanding drum for drill press is a cheap alternative to a spindle sander, not belt sander. If you have very occasional need - a drum for a DP may do. Certainly a real solution is to buy an oscillating spindle sander, but if you cannot justify the expense - drum can help you get buy for some time. It produces a lot of dust unless you have a DP table with dust collector hook-up. I have no spindle sander, I occasionally use sanding drums on my press. I use drums much shorter than 3" long, I have several diameters and I use rubber drums and put sleeves on them. I also have one of those micro-grain cutters shaped like drum - It is very fast at wood removal. But I also have a DP table with dust collection - I would not use it without.

[bigsteel15]

I think i remember seeing a DP sander that had a bearing assembly that mounted to the table.
I'm thinking that Lee Valley has something.

[louis mason]

what about?

i don't have a laith.

has anybody seen a protable belt sander that can be mounted into a holder of some kind and converted into a stationary bench-top belt sander? i might be able to justify such a beast, if one was available.

was someone suggesting that Microplane produced a wood cutting drum for a drill press?

louis

[jdschulteis]

i don't have a laith.

has anybody seen a protable belt sander that can be mounted into a holder of some kind and converted into a stationary bench-top belt sander? i might be able to justify such a beast, if one was available.

was someone suggesting that Microplane produced a wood cutting drum for a drill press?

louis

Dewalt makes a belt sander that comes with a stand:
http://www.dewalt.com/us/products/to...productID=6362

Microplane does indeed make a "rotary shaper" for a drill press:
http://www.microplane.com/html/tools/drill.html

[Les Sayers]

Drum sanding

Thanks, Jerry, for the two URLs.

Must get me a set of those rotary shapers!

In reply to the original post - I have a small cheap bench mounted DP with half a dozen speeds. I have used it for about 5 years exclusively for drum sanding and have found no excess run out in the bearings.

My belt sander had no stand or frame SO!!! - I made one from scrap .75" MDF. There is an adjustable bevel at one end for tool sharpening (belt moving away from the tool edge) It works horizontally and vertically but seeing the Dewalt frame I will modify mine so the entire frame will tilt/bevel. I do appreciate that some belt sanders do not have a flat back (as mine does) so some wedges might be necessary to secure the thing.

Try making the frame if all else fails. I really enjoy making jigs and templates.

[WayneJ]

I've been using a drum sander on my DP as long as i have had it. I also have the microplaner that I use.I have not had any problems with side loading on the DP bearings. I have both types of sanding drums, sleeve and roll paper type. I prefer the sleeve type, its to hard to get the roll paper tight on the drum. JMHO
Wayne

[jdoolitt]

Before I bought my OSS, I used a Drum Sander kit from Rockler with my drillpress. Link: http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=1220

Rockler frequently has this item on sale for quite a bit less than the normal price. I never had any problems with this causing runout or other issues with my DP. Gotta say that a OSS is a night/day improvement though.