Drum sander cleaning

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  • Carlos
    Veteran Member
    • Jan 2004
    • 1893
    • Phoenix, AZ, USA.

    Drum sander cleaning

    I recently upgraded from a Jet 22-44 to a Woodmaster 2675 drum sander. What a machine. I got it used by a guy who screwed up a couple of things on it, then gave up on using it. He did smart things like coat the conveyor belt in silicone, because it was getting a little bit slippery. Yes, you read that right.

    Anyway, I'm wondering if my only choice for cleaning the abrasive is to get one of those $100 pads you run through it. On the Jet I used the Harbor Freight rubber handheld cleaners, because I could hold it in a safe spot. But this sander only has access from the side the drum spins toward, so I don't see any safe to use a handheld device. Figured I'd ask though before tossing $100 at another thing. Here's a photo from the outfeed side, as you see the drum would be spinning towards me, not away. I used to clean from the infeed side.

  • leehljp
    Just me
    • Dec 2002
    • 8429
    • Tunica, MS
    • BT3000/3100

    #2
    Carlos, I know you are good at what you do, so I am going to offer what I might do, only I know you could do it better!: I would build a firm jig that fit from side to side that would fit tight in the opening with a 1 1/2 or 2 inch opening/slot from side to side. Let the wood around the opening go down to about 1/4" from the belt. The purpose is to be a solid guide for the rubber hand held cleaners. Make the opening just big enough that you could slide it from one end to the other. Make the jig close enough (and strong enough) that it would not get caught and pull through.

    Save the jig for the next time.
    Hank Lee

    Experience is what you get when you don't get what you wanted!

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    • Carlos
      Veteran Member
      • Jan 2004
      • 1893
      • Phoenix, AZ, USA.

      #3
      Ohhh...interesting idea, thanks. I could very well make it from metal, also. I have a welder, plasma cutter, and bandsaw.

      Comment

      • capncarl
        Veteran Member
        • Jan 2007
        • 3564
        • Leesburg Georgia USA
        • SawStop CTS

        #4
        It’s probably time to replace the abrasive.on the drum because it’s possible the silicone will contaminate everything you sand with it. Silicone contamination shows up as fish eyes in finishes and won’t allow finishes to penetrate of stick. Nasty stuff..... but not as nasty as your hand or big rubber eraser would be getting pulled around the drum!
        Last edited by capncarl; 02-14-2019, 05:55 AM.

        Comment

        • Carlos
          Veteran Member
          • Jan 2004
          • 1893
          • Phoenix, AZ, USA.

          #5
          I replaced the belt and the abrasive. This is about ongoing cleaning in the future. But, problem solved...I emailed the seller and asked him what he used. He said he had the flat rubber sheet and meant to give it to me, but forgot. He's shipping it out this weekend.

          Also, man, I love this machine. 5HP of sanding power, plus a much slower drum makes for very fast work. I can feed most woods at full conveyor speed (which they actually recommend).

          Comment

          • capncarl
            Veteran Member
            • Jan 2007
            • 3564
            • Leesburg Georgia USA
            • SawStop CTS

            #6
            Im glad someone has a fast drum sander. My jet 10-20 is so slow I look for reasons not to use it. That’s not why we buy nice tools for.

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            • leehljp
              Just me
              • Dec 2002
              • 8429
              • Tunica, MS
              • BT3000/3100

              #7
              Originally posted by capncarl
              Im glad someone has a fast drum sander. My jet 10-20 is so slow I look for reasons not to use it. That’s not why we buy nice tools for.
              A little off topic (and I apologize) BUT, I have the Tormek clone Grizzly water wheel sharpener. These water wheel shapeners are the best. I have most of the lathe chisel and blade sharpening attachments . . . and I love the way their attachments work and feel - much better than the popular Wolverine type. However, the Tormek/Grizzly water wheels are so slow, (I mean SLOW!) that I get irritated operating it. The Tormek and Grizzly wheels turn at about 180 RPM (I forget the actual) because any faster and it would sling the water. The good part is that it sharpens well, precise and fine. The bad news is, for new chisels it is glacially slow. Those tools, as good as they are for great sharpening, they are not good at shaping a set of chisels in a quick time.

              I pulled out my Japanese wood chisels last year that had never been brought to shape and spent over an hour on just one. And I had 8! The Tormeks are good for sharpening once the shape has been achieved. But shaping is S L O W!

              As you said, that is not what I buy nice tools for!
              Last edited by leehljp; 02-14-2019, 08:39 PM.
              Hank Lee

              Experience is what you get when you don't get what you wanted!

              Comment

              • Carlos
                Veteran Member
                • Jan 2004
                • 1893
                • Phoenix, AZ, USA.

                #8
                Oh, the drum sander is one of the most important tools for me. I used my 22-44 a lot, and imagine this will get even more use. My style is very much flat/square and not ornate, so it's able to give me that and minimize hand sanding. Also I put the reverser kit on this, so I can run the wood in both directions by myself, and then just flip it to do the other side.

                Hank, we had the HF wheel sharpener and the Tomek system, as well as the Wolverine for the grinder. The wife is the turner, not me, so she was the primary user. She hated the slowness of the wheel also, and ended up only using the grinder. She's patient and slow on it, so it works. Also it's a VS grinder and she runs it at low with a white wheel. I'm impatient and push metal into the grinder on high, and still consider plugging it into 240 to speed it up. She does not allow me to sharpen her lathe tools.

                Comment

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