# anyone got a drum sander?



## sunnybob (31 May 2017)

In my constant search to get flat square small pieces of wood, I'm torn between a very (very) basic cnc router, or a drum sander.
Both are serious investments money wise, but never having used either of them, I'm asking for opinions.
Please, dont suggest sanding or planing. That is NOT what I want to hear.

Do you have a drum sander?
Will it work on small pieces around 5 to 10 mm thick and any size from very small to half a plank.
Ta!


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## transatlantic (31 May 2017)

I know that a lot turners who do segmented turning use a drum sander for flattening small pieces. Usually they put them into some kind of jig and pass that though.


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## morturn (31 May 2017)

I have a drum sander, it’s an incredibly useful piece of kit. It will sand down to 2mm thick, on pieces of wood around 120mm long to as long as you like.

Sometimes it’s a pain to change to belt, but once set its great. I use a cleaning stick on the belt after every third pass.


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## sunnybob (31 May 2017)

Could you tell me the model you have please?

(please dont let it be £2k, please dont let it be £2K)


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## sunnybob (31 May 2017)

I've just done some surfing on drum sanders and put myself right off. The faults on the axminster 10-20 are way beyond my ability to repair.
Theres a good piece on rocklers site that has convinced me against one for my purposes.
I'm going to have to make an adjustable sled for my thicknesser.
Ta.


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## dynax (31 May 2017)

Bob, if you feel up to it build your own, Suzie Gardener has done a sequential youtube build of hers, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0cFScfDcRs


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## sunnybob (31 May 2017)

I've seen her video and considered the idea but I dont have any old motors or spare parts. trying to amass those parts and then spending a month or more to build it just puts me right off both time and price wise.

A couple hundred quid would be fine, but almost a grand for a drum sander is not on.
I did make a sled for the thicknesser when I first got it, but it wasnt built to last. I shall have to make a more solid one this time.


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## marcros (31 May 2017)

how about a router and sled? or better still a woodrat?


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## sunnybob (31 May 2017)

I have a sled mounted router, tedious, noisy and messy.
I need to speed up the process a lot.


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## Honest John (31 May 2017)

Hello Sunny Bob. I have a Jet 10-20 and love it. It gets used just about every day I'm Woodworking. It's an expensive machine for what it is, but it's just so good at what it does. I've never used it for finishing, with the exception of a table top that required 2 passes because of the width, and I was amazed at how well it achieved this. Small pieces can go through double sided taped to a wooden tray, as will rings for my segmented builds. .... on the subject of segments, they can also be mounted at an angle to proved repeatable gradients to the rings or segments, than can be built into some interesting projects. I've had mine for about 12 months now with absolutely no issues, and I wouldn't be without it. However, it is an expensive bit of kit to have sitting around if it's not going to be used.


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## deema (31 May 2017)

I have the Axminster Senior Sander which works a treat on all manner of tasks. They often come up on auction sites and sell for c£1k


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## morturn (31 May 2017)

sunnybob":3t7saihi said:


> Could you tell me the model you have please?
> 
> (please dont let it be £2k, please dont let it be £2K)



I have a Jet 10-20, had it for about 4 years now. Great machine, well worth the money.


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## sunnybob (1 Jun 2017)

John, and Morton, 

I cant justify a grand on a drum sander, thats about the value of the rest of mt tools all together.

I found this article on the 10 20 and it put me off.
have a good read and check your machines.
http://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/sho ... gn-Problem


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## MusicMan (1 Jun 2017)

Buy a clapped out cheap one and replace the stripped thread with a helical insert!


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## CHJ (1 Jun 2017)

sunnybob":1xfukc5g said:


> ....
> I cant justify a grand on a drum sander, thats about the value of the rest of mt tools all together.
> .......



I'd stick with your thicknesser and work out a better way of securing your work pieces



 <<<<Clicky Link


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## sunnybob (1 Jun 2017)

Music man, read it through. helicoil wont last. the entire weight of all the moving parts is on that thread and its only half inch of alloy. A definite design fault.

Chas, yes. 
I have a tendency to want to buy the wonder machine that will solve every problem I have ever had. Good job I'm not rich enough to buy that London bridge I've seen advertised.


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## custard (15 Jun 2017)

CHJ is right.

I use a drum sander, but chiefly for saw cut veneers. As it can only take off about 0.1-0.3mm per pass a drum sander isn't really a machine for general woodworking.


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## Droogs (15 Jun 2017)

Hi bob,
I know with you being out in Cyprus it's hard to get stuff, but the is an aution site called BPI Auctions. They auction all sorts of stuff from catering utensils to kit to build the titanic. unfortunately you have just missed one of their regular woodworking equipment sales. Generally it is full of kit from folded window companies and joinery shops etc. There is usually no reserve on a lot of the kit and I've seen 16/32 sanding machine go for as little as £600 + premium which is usually about 7 - 10%. If you are prepared to wait a while you may find what you want on one of their sales. I would imiagine, what with you being UPS customer of the year at the moment  you could arrange delivery somehow


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## sunnybob (15 Jun 2017)

Droogs, way, way above my pay grade (literally). I spend low hundreds on anything I buy now.

Its ironic that when I lived in the UK I had no woodworking interest, while being surrounded by large cheap machinery.
Here, there are lots of large machinery, but it aint cheap, and the small stuff is only new and top dollar plus cost of living.

And shipping costs? dont get me started on that.

2 years ago now I wanted a new bandsaw. Shipping costs on a bandsaw of the same size varied between £90 and £350. And that was only 80 kgs. Axminster got the sale on the low shipping costs.

Drum sander is off my wants list now. I am going to have to modify / adapt my thicknesser so I can run smaller pieces through it.


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