drum sander snipe

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  • toolguy1000
    Veteran Member
    • Mar 2009
    • 1142
    • westchester cnty, ny

    drum sander snipe

    i finally tried out the ryobi wds 1600 CL find last night. all i did was dress the drum with a new belt (120grit) and passed a few pieces of plywood through it just to see what happened. this looks like it's going to be a really handy tool. it was easy to operate and did a fine job of cleaning up the rough surface of the unsanded plywood.

    a few things jump out, though. i'm getting a depression parallel to the drum at the beginning and ending 3 inches of th esanded stock. to my inexperienced eye, it appears to be a classic case of snipe, even though the test piece was only 6" long and therefore always supported by the conveyor belt. anything obvious to check before i start getting obsessed?

    also, any usage or set up tips that aren't mentioned in the owner's manual that other owners have found useful? right now i'm really happy with the unit, just starting to get it to perform up to it's potential.
    there's a solution to every problem.......you just have to be willing to find it.
  • chopnhack
    Veteran Member
    • Oct 2006
    • 3779
    • Florida
    • Ryobi BT3100

    #2
    Thats really cool, I am glad the find was useful. I know nothing about drum sanders, but I was curious about how the drum comes into contact with the wood. Does a motor lower the drum into contact with the wood or do you preset the height like a planer? I was thinking that the height setting was too low and the machine was being forced to plow into the piece, as the piece went through it couldn't exert uneven pressure again until the end when the piece ever so slightly rocks up. Just thinking.... Post the results
    I think in straight lines, but dream in curves

    Comment

    • JR
      The Full Monte
      • Feb 2004
      • 5633
      • Eugene, OR
      • BT3000

      #3
      The piece is probably too short. It's likely the spec for minimum length is 12" or so. Try it with a board 18" or longer and see how it looks.

      JR
      JR

      Comment

      • Pappy
        The Full Monte
        • Dec 2002
        • 10453
        • San Marcos, TX, USA.
        • BT3000 (x2)

        #4
        Never ran into that with mine, or it was so minor it wasn't noticeable. Long pieces need infeed/outfeed support to keep them flat on the conveyor when only one roller is engaged.

        The only thing that comes to mind is the rollers not putting enough pressure to hold down the stock before it is under both rollers. I'm not even sure if the roller height is adjustable.
        Don, aka Pappy,

        Wise men talk because they have something to say,
        Fools because they have to say something.
        Plato

        Comment

        • RodKirby
          Veteran Member
          • Dec 2002
          • 3136
          • Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
          • Mao Shan TSC-10RAS

          #5
          Originally posted by Pappy
          Never ran into that with mine, or it was so minor it wasn't noticeable. Long pieces need infeed/outfeed support to keep them flat on the conveyor when only one roller is engaged.

          The only thing that comes to mind is the rollers not putting enough pressure to hold down the stock before it is under both rollers. I'm not even sure if the roller height is adjustable.
          Ditto, Pappy
          Downunder ... 1" = 25.4mm

          Comment

          • cabinetman
            Gone but not Forgotten RIP
            • Jun 2006
            • 15218
            • So. Florida
            • Delta

            #6
            +2 on what Pappy said. You could use a feeder and trailer scrap to take it up, or cut your subject piece a bit long to cut off the snipe, if you can't get it adjusted otherwise.
            .

            Comment

            • SARGE..g-47

              #7
              Could be feed rollers out of adjustment but.. the piece you tested was 6" long and too short IMO to make the determination it's feed rollers. Second... if you are taking more than about 1/32" of a pass with a drum sander you are not using the machine as it was truly designed to be used.

              Good luck...

              Comment

              • cgallery
                Veteran Member
                • Sep 2004
                • 4503
                • Milwaukee, WI
                • BT3K

                #8
                Originally posted by JR
                The piece is probably too short. It's likely the spec for minimum length is 12" or so. Try it with a board 18" or longer and see how it looks.

                JR
                +1. Need a longer piece of wood.

                Comment

                • Brian G
                  Senior Member
                  • Jun 2003
                  • 993
                  • Bloomington, Minnesota.
                  • G0899

                  #9
                  The manual for the WDS1600 indicates that 3" is the minimum length of stock (Item #4, page 5). I've never tried something that short, but I have gone as short as 6" stock with great success. I never try to remove more than 1/64" at a time. Like the manual says, "work with the drum sander."

                  I've occasionally experienced snipe on 6" to 10" stock. I've discovered on these shorter lengths that if I'm taking a very light pass and the feed rate is too slow on hardwood (oak or maple) stock, I get some very minor snipe.

                  My USHET (un-scientific hairy eyeballing technique) has deduced that the very light pass doesn't keep enough roller pressure on the stock prior to contact with the drum, the slow infeed rate doesn't get the stock past the drum and to the other roller fast enough, and snipe happens. The reverse happens on the trailing end of the stock.

                  If I increase the infeed speed, and make sure that I'm not taking too light of a pass, the problem goes away.

                  Another thing to consider in addition to the good advice above is that the tension on the feed belt may be a little loose. If it's too loose when the stock contacts the first roller, it may slow the feed rate until there's enough pressure on the stock from contact with the drum and second roller. This will cause snipe.

                  I encourage you to play some more with different woods and lengths and feed rates. It's a great machine, I'm glad I bought mine, and I have fun using it.
                  Last edited by Brian G; 03-20-2010, 10:25 AM. Reason: eye mispeeled sum wards
                  Brian

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