Drum sander problem

[Mike Stout]

Just bought a used Performax 22-44 drum sander, cannot get the paper to lay flat on first wrap around drum. A friend told me to try lightly spraying the back of the paper with adhesive and then wait until the paper is tacky and then apply. My first concern is getting the glue off, the friend says mineral spirits will clean up the drum surface. Bad idea? Regardless, I have tried several times but still cannot get the paper to stay flat on the drum. I read where several woodworkers have this problem, is there a trick?

[drallred]

I have a Jet 16-32 drum sander and I had a hard time the first time until I found that the paper is placed at an angle, the paper I have, has on each end, a diagonal cut that when aligned with the edge of the drum it shows me the right angle to clip the paper to the drum. Then I make a nice crease where the paper comes out of the clip and start wrapping, the hard part was keeping tension on the paper and placing it in the final clip without letting it move. Took me a few dozen tries before I got it.

My main problem is getting the paper just right with a slight gap between the turns, this helps with the removal of the dust.

[Jon Banquer]

I don't own one but I have had lots of problems in the past getting adhesive backed sandpaper to stick to an auto body sander. This is especially a problem if the adhesive backed sandpaper is a little older or the rubber pad has silicone or oil on it. I solved the problem by doing two things:

1. I cleaned the rubber disc with a sponge soaked in hot water and Dawn dish washing liquid. Then dried it with air and used Isopropyl Alcohol.

2. I used 3M (I'm an unabashed 3M fanboi ) spray adhesive on the paper.

Jon Banquer

San Diego,CA

[PaulMarcel]

Don't use adhesive; that just spells disaster.

Like David said, the ends of the ready-wrap rolls have a tapered cut that you line up to the edge of the drum and go. I have a 16-32. Put the end in the clip on the left of the drum, spin the drum with your right hand while guiding it taut with the left. Goes quickly. Once at the end, you have to hold the end in place until the Tuff-Tool lets you put the end in the final clamp.

Note that new paper will stretch a bit when it warms up. Initially I check to see how loose the paper is every couple boards until no change is needed for awhile (i.e., it stretched) Use the Tuff-Tool to release the final clip and push the paper further to take up the slack. You don't want the paper to ever overlap and if it is loose, it might do so.

Good luck! You have a great sander. Now comes the learning curve: how to set the drum height, always light passes, "$%@# burn streak!!" (and how to avoid them), and most difficult: how to keep the friction fit DC fitting from falling out of the vertically-mounted DC port when halfway through a board.

[Vic]

ditto of everyone else. I have a Delta, but I'm sure the application is similar. My sandpaper has cut lines on the back. It starts out with the taper on the right and I roll until I reach the left, which has a spring clamps. Easy.

[Mike Stout]

ditto of everyone else. I have a Delta, but I'm sure the application is similar. My sandpaper has cut lines on the back. It starts out with the taper on the right and I roll until I reach the left, which has a spring clamps. Easy.

Thank you everyone for the suggestions. I know this question is going to sound stupid but here goes:

The drum turns clockwise into the wood, correct? Is the paper applied on the feed side of the drum?

I've ordered more sandpaper from our local tool supply, they told me they will show me how to apply the paper on one of their machines. But like a little kid with a new toy, I can't wait to fire up the sander. I'm sure all of you understand that. Sanding is the worst part of building something, hoping the drum sander will eliminate much of it.

Thanks again everyone, heading to the shop in a few moments to try ag

[Vic]

http://content.wmhtoolgroup.com/manuals/man_649004k.pdf page 10 and 11.

I know we are men and really don't need owner's manuals, but sometimes it IS a good idea to read them.

[Mike Stout]

http://content.wmhtoolgroup.com/manuals/man_649004k.pdf page 10 and 11.

I know we are men and really don't need owner's manuals, but sometimes it IS a good idea to read them.

My sander is the Performax 22-44 S/T, the manual you posted is not what came with the machine. The manual with the machine is very vague and almost useless, I have read the manual and still have problems. The manual you posted is much better than the one I have, so thanks.

[Vic]

My sander is the Performax 22-44 S/T, the manual you posted is not what came with the machine. The manual with the machine is very vague and almost useless, I have read the manual and still have problems. The manual you posted is much better than the one I have, so thanks.

Glad to know. I was just ribbin' ya, ya know.

[PaulMarcel]

What other problems are you having? The drum turns the abrasive into the stock (clockwise/anti-clockwise depends on your reference; regardless, the bottom of the drum spins the opposite direction of the conveyor belt).

What do you mean by feed-side of the drum? The paper wraps the outside. I'm confused. Post more if you're still stuck.

[nateswoodworks]

One more quick point is to clean the paper with a cleaning stick very often and it will last a long time. I clean mine and spray it with compressed air to get the debris from the cleaning stick off the paper so it doesn't burn into it. I have the Jet 16/23 as well and love it. I have a quick connect link and my drum sander is the only thing it wouldn't fit I took the fitting and cut a slot in it with my bandsaw, pressed it onto the sander and wrapped electricians tape around it. For me it allowed it to open up just enough to fit my drum sander and still fit my TS and planer, just athought.

Nate

[Mike Stout]

What other problems are you having? The drum turns the abrasive into the stock (clockwise/anti-clockwise depends on your reference; regardless, the bottom of the drum spins the opposite direction of the conveyor belt).

What do you mean by feed-side of the drum? The paper wraps the outside. I'm confused. Post more if you're still stuck.

The feed side is (at least to me)the side that moves the board into the spinning drum. Here's my problem or at least why I'm confused. Every article, video, manual etc. I read or watch shows the paper applied on the outside of the drum across to the inside (inside being the more difficult pressure clamp that you use the tough tool with). The sanding paper I have is pre-cut and angled such that the end of the tail is on the right not the left. See below, hope this comes out correctly.

x <<<<<< tail

xx

x x

x x

x x

x x

x x

x x

x x

x x

x x

In order to apply the sandpaper on the outside end the angle of the paper cut such that the end of the tail has to be on the left.

Does this make any sense? Sorry guys/gals, I should probably stick with my orbital sander.

[Mike Stout]

The feed side is (at least to me)the side that moves the board into the spinning drum. Here's my problem or at least why I'm confused. Every article, video, manual etc. I read or watch shows the paper applied on the outside of the drum across to the inside (inside being the more difficult pressure clamp that you use the tough tool with). The sanding paper I have is pre-cut and angled such that the end of the tail is on the right not the left. See below, hope this comes out correctly.

x <<<<<< tail

xx

x x

x x

x x

x x

x x

x x

x x

x x

x x

In order to apply the sandpaper on the outside end the angle of the paper cut such that the end of the tail has to be on the left.

Does this make any sense? Sorry guys/gals, I should probably stick with my orbital sander.

My "x"'s came out incorrectly, sorry. The end of the tail came out on the left not right. I think I will change my forum id and start over.

[Onboard]

Mike, is it possible to take some pics and post them? I have no doubt you’ve checked, but I was curious if the sandpaper roll package shows your exact model, or are all 22-44 rolls the same? I wasn’t sure if the S/T designation made any difference.

[Vic]

Mike,

This is how it goes on. Mine happens to feed right to left, but the process and cuts are identical. In the first picture you can seen the taper goes to the outside and you can see how it lines up in the second photograph.

[PaulMarcel]

Vic's pics should help. Honestly, doesn't matter if you do right to left or left to right from the point of view of the belt. However, the Tuff Tool is used to lift the spring-loaded clip that (on my 16-32) is on the right side by the motor assembly (not the open side). It is possible that someone at Jet thought for 2 seconds and said, "hey, that was stupid; it would be easier to deal with the spring clip on the left instead of having to monkey the TuffTool into the assembly opening to blindly lift it". Nah, that couldn't happen.

So the spring-clip side (right or left) is where you should end the idea being that you'll push the tail as far as possible into that clip and it will take up a lot of the stretching a new belt will go through or the slack you left while rolling.

Did you get the roll from a new box of Ready-Wrap belts? If not, someone may have cut it from a bulk belt. I have a couple bulk belts. I got one with my first drum sander and it had a home-cut belt... that was 10" too short (damn tapers; you have to count them). You might have a similar mistake.

[Mike Stout]

Vic's pics should help. Honestly, doesn't matter if you do right to left or left to right from the point of view of the belt. However, the Tuff Tool is used to lift the spring-loaded clip that (on my 16-32) is on the right side by the motor assembly (not the open side). It is possible that someone at Jet thought for 2 seconds and said, "hey, that was stupid; it would be easier to deal with the spring clip on the left instead of having to monkey the TuffTool into the assembly opening to blindly lift it". Nah, that couldn't happen.

So the spring-clip side (right or left) is where you should end the idea being that you'll push the tail as far as possible into that clip and it will take up a lot of the stretching a new belt will go through or the slack you left while rolling.

Did you get the roll from a new box of Ready-Wrap belts? If not, someone may have cut it from a bulk belt. I have a couple bulk belts. I got one with my first drum sander and it had a home-cut belt... that was 10" too short (damn tapers; you have to count them). You might have a similar mistake.

[Mike Stout]

The pictures help, thanks. The sandpaper is from Klingspor (CS311), tried uploading a JPG file but it is too big. It's back to the sander tonight armed with the new information. Thanks All!

[Mike Stout]

The pictures help, thanks. The sandpaper is from Klingspor (CS311), tried uploading a JPG file but it is too big. It's back to the sander tonight armed with the new information. Thanks All!

Well ladies and gentlemen, I now have a functioning drum sander!!!! Thank you Marc and everyone for lending me a helping hand and sticking with me. This machine is fantastic, what a timesaver. Thanks again all! Marc - the Guild dues are more than paid for (testimony huh?).

[Vic]

I'm glad you're up and running!! Just an FYI on resizing. I use a free "photoshop" called Gimp. It's great for touching things up and resizing. I always just resize the larger of the two axis to 1000 and that seems to fit everything well.

[PaulMarcel]

The pictures help, thanks. The sandpaper is from Klingspor (CS311), tried uploading a JPG file but it is too big. It's back to the sander tonight armed with the new information. Thanks All!

I think you mean too large in size, not dimension. Whatever application you use to preview the pictures likely has a 'Save As' feature (if not, Picasa from Google does as does Windows Paint and Mac iPhoto [called Export]). You should find an option for setting the JPEG "Quality". If you set it to something lower, you'll get a significantly smaller file that really won't look bad at all on the forum. You just need to get the photo under 4Mb, which should be really easy. Save at 60% for starters. If they are indeed too large dimensionally, do a resize before save. This is an area where cell phone photos are more convenient since they are already kinda small (well, my phone )

[Mike Stout]

I'm glad you're up and running!! Just an FYI on resizing. I use a free "photoshop" called Gimp. It's great for touching things up and resizing. I always just resize the larger of the two axis to 1000 and that seems to fit everything well.

Thanks for the photo tip, as well as other help

[Mike Stout]

I think you mean too large in size, not dimension. Whatever application you use to preview the pictures likely has a 'Save As' feature (if not, Picasa from Google does as does Windows Paint and Mac iPhoto [called Export]). You should find an option for setting the JPEG "Quality". If you set it to something lower, you'll get a significantly smaller file that really won't look bad at all on the forum. You just need to get the photo under 4Mb, which should be really easy. Save at 60% for starters. If they are indeed too large dimensionally, do a resize before save. This is an area where cell phone photos are more convenient since they are already kinda small (well, my phone )

Thanks for the help

[Vic]

I think you mean too large in size, not dimension. Whatever application you use to preview the pictures likely has a 'Save As' feature (if not, Picasa from Google does as does Windows Paint and Mac iPhoto [called Export]). You should find an option for setting the JPEG "Quality". If you set it to something lower, you'll get a significantly smaller file that really won't look bad at all on the forum. You just need to get the photo under 4Mb, which should be really easy. Save at 60% for starters. If they are indeed too large dimensionally, do a resize before save. This is an area where cell phone photos are more convenient since they are already kinda small (well, my phone )

Paul, almost all my photos are taken on my iPhone 4G. Nice little camera!

[Mike Stout]

I'm glad you're up and running!! Just an FYI on resizing. I use a free "photoshop" called Gimp. It's great for touching things up and resizing. I always just resize the larger of the two axis to 1000 and that seems to fit everything well.

Thanks again, need to get photoshop