# Drum Sanders



## Sawblade (Jun 26, 2011)

I am planning to purchase a drum sander and considering the Jet 22-44 pro. I am concerned about the open end being a problem keeping parallel to table. Anyone have any experience with these or other brands?


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## BWSmith (Aug 24, 2010)

Can't comment on that specific sander.....take this more from a headsup sort.

Sanding equip is so dependant on end-user.IOWs the expectations and exactly how that sander will be used is a tough call.One shop may find XYZ style or brand completely within its requirements........next shop,anything less than 15HP widebelt isn't gonna cut the muster.

So,the more honest of an assesment you can make twds where/how(crystal ball)you see this equip paying for itself,one way or another........the better.This shows up more in sanding equip,IMO...than just about any other equip investment.If theres ANY way you could try one out,on what you're workin on,I think you'd be way ahead.BW


Edit to add:You probably already know....dust extraction/collection goes hand in hand with sanding.The bigger the sander the more the DC requirements.....which in alot of cases is the more determining factor.


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## rrich (Jun 24, 2009)

BW - A great analysis.

And as for the parallelism of the drum, I have heard horror stories. However the stories could be based upon unrealistic expectations. 

As in,,,,

How accurate is that digital caliper that reads to 1/128"? 
(Don't go there.)

And is the flatness of my jointer table really off by less than 0.0015? I can see light but the feeler gauge won't fit under the framing square. (Again don't go there.)


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## BWSmith (Aug 24, 2010)

Rich,have been known to hang out on a luthier site....from time to time.Don't post,'cause I ain't one....and don't plan to.Its just another area of WW'ing that honestly,is intriguing.

They use,buy and make an awful lot smallish drum sanders....and from I can tell,to pretty darn good effect.And throw in a fair "sprinking" of metrolgy,which is also(within WWing context)dang interesting in a practical sense.......certainly a deep subject.

Thats all fine and good........in walks the shop dawg who's trying to gain a foothold in some,this or that furniture/cabmet mkt and basically is looking to not only sand.......some of the more $$ widebelts can and should be classed as "planers"...well at least in their DOC(depth of cut).Just see these two examples kinda at opposing ends of a bell curve?BW


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## Gene Howe (Feb 28, 2009)

To your question: I sold mine and was glad to get it out of the shop. I spent more time attempting to keep the head aligned than I did using it.
It was the most frustrating tool to ever occupy space in my shop.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*drums sanders...*

come in 2 types, single and dual drum. I have a dual drum like this:
Amazon.com: General International 15-250M1 3 HP 25-Inch Horizontal Double Drum Sander: Home Improvement
It does take up a lot of space and it is not frequently used unless I'm in the final steps of making a project from wood I have resawed and planed. I use 2 different grits of paper, coarse first and fine second to give the best finish. Iwould have loved to get a wide belt sander, but at $8,000 and up it wasn't in the budget. At $1,800 this one was reasonable. General makes a fine machine in my opinion. I don't know anything about the suspended drum types, but I have heard they can be troublesome.  bill


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## rrich (Jun 24, 2009)

BWSmith said:


> They use,buy and make an awful lot smallish drum sanders....and from I can tell,to pretty darn good effect.And throw in a fair "sprinking" of metrolgy,which is also(within WWing context)dang interesting in a practical sense.......


While I haven't used one, a Sand Flea seems that it may be practical for some applications. I would classify that as a small drum sander.



woodnthings said:


> come in 2 types, single and dual drum. I have a dual drum like this:
> Amazon.com: General International 15-250M1 3 HP 25-Inch Horizontal Double Drum Sander: Home Improvement
> bill


OMG, Bill!

I just got my Griz 12" JP for about that price. If I bought one of those you would read about me in the LA Times. 
"Wife shoots husband after his 'last' woodworking purchase" :blink:


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## Sawblade (Jun 26, 2011)

Thanks for the reply. Basically what I suspected. The General 25" is the one I am considering right now. Makes sence to me that the closed end units would be more reliable from an adjustment point of view.

Thanks


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