Hobbyist drum sander


Chuck Melton

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It's that time of year when I start making some cutting boards and really regret not having a drum sander.

I have a pretty small shop, but I think I can fit an 18-36 or a 12 inch drum sander. I've been looking and looking for a a small used one, and the price difference is never very far off of buying new. Before I take the plunge and pick one up, I'd be curious to hear about how much other hobbyists incorporate a drum sander into your work flow.

I get pretty consistent results dimensioning lumber with my planer, but I can't say with certain that I will get something to an exact specified thickness, so it would be nice to have in those cases. What else do you use your drum sander for?

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I've incorporated mine a lot more than I thought I would, and I use it in several ways. Bent lamination and small strips / pieces is a no-brainer. I remember the pains and mess associated with a router sled when I had to get a flat side on a big piece that I didn't want broken down, so it was all too easy to use the drum sander to run it through both ways and get a flat side.

 

When I work with figured woods, tearout is always a concern so I hit the jointer first (which has a Shelix) and then I run it through the planer anyway to get it "close" to the final dimension, leaving enough to account for the tearout. Then I'll run it through the drum sander however times needed to in order to completely remove the tearout and dial it in to final thickness.

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I have had a Performax 16/32 for ages. When I make cutting boards I dress all the strips before I glue them up. I get better joints because my parts are more consistent in dimension.

I often sand the edges of strips I have ripped for cabinet and furniture projects to remove the saw marks and acheive the exact final dimension. Long strips by yourself does take some practice !

Surface highly curly maple without a single tearout. This saves lots of thickness that was previously torn to hell and back.

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