Drill press drum sanding, great idea or waste of time?


ryandetzel

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I just bought a Ridgid Ocillating Edge/Belt Spindle Sander Model # EB4424 for $199 from Home Depot and so far I like it! It got good reviews in a FWW issue 221 http://www.finewoodworking.com/ToolGuide/ToolGuidePDF.aspx?id=34199. And it doesn't take up much more room than the drill press sanding station you show.

Advantages of it over the drill press version - it can be used as a belt or spindle sander, it oscillates up and down to avoid straight line grooves, the table tilts for angled sanding, it has a miter track to hold work straight or angled. It also has dust port, onboard storage for spindles or belt sander.

For the drill press I would be worried about putting sidewise pressure on the 'bit'.

-Cindy

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I use my drill press as a drum sander all the time. I only do it because it is a POS drill press that I hate and dont care if I ruin the bearings in it. It does work well as a sander though.

That rigid sander that Cindy mentioned is at the top of my list for tools to buy. I've heard nothing but good things about it.

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Speaking from experience a good heavy duty drill press will work but I prefer the Rigid Oscillating Edge/Belt Spindle Sander model. Don't get fooled into buying a Shop Fox oscillating table top drill press/sander as I did. It stops turning when you put medium pressure on the workpiece.

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You can start with the drill press for drum sanding...I did. However, when you have the money to purchase an oscillating spindle sander definitely do it. I used my old Craftsman for many years with a Rockler table/fence combo because it has dust collection in the fence. To avoid putting more pressure and wear than required on the quill and bearings, I would raise the table instead of lowering the quill. I almost purchased the Rigid OSS that Cindy mentioned, but found the Jet JBOS-5 to be a much better tool. In general the oscillating feature of a spindle sander makes the sand paper last longer and you wind up with a much smoother finish than a fixed drum on the drill press. Some drill presses can now be bought with an oscillating quill feature if you want to buy new. It sounds like Pete had something like it. You can also use something like the Porter Cable 121 hand held spindle sander. My point is...in the end...I'd recommend moving away from drill press drum sanding as soon as practical.

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