[CarveOne]

I've never used a drum sander, but I'll guess and say that velcro mounted is less prone to burning, and non velcro mounted is more precise, for a thickness sanding operation.

Yes, that's correct. Less prone to clogging and also lasts longer. For a thickness sander you want to use non velcro type on a hard surface to maintain flatness.

Hook and loop paper will compress under loads but it also stays cooler when not compressed too much.

CarveOne

[Mountaincraft]

So how is the sand paper fastened to the drum when it does not use the velcro backing?

[ger21]

Some machines use clamps that screw into the drum at the ends.

[boblon]

I have a drum sander and love it. Mine 18" but is open at one end so in theory you could do a piece 36" wide, although this is probably not viable on a homebuilt..

Mine uses spring clips on each end as Gerry said.

Keep in mind that trying to take off too much will really increase the load and the current the motor draws.

Also, you need to be carefull when using a drum sander especially one that is hand fed. If you pause under the drum it will likely leave what ammounts to snipe (a valley) where the drum keeps rotating in one spot.

Also be careful when starting the feed and especially when the end of long stock is coming out as if the far end is dropped at all, this too will cause snipe (valley).

I would also suggest you examine whatever plans you use to ensure the adjustments to align the table with the drum are easy to do, accurate, and solid.

You could always mount a belt sander to your Z-axis

BobL.

[Mountaincraft]

Some machines use clamps that screw into the drum at the ends.

I'm trying to imagine how this looks/works...

I wonder would heavy duty hose clamps work?.. I'm thinking that the tightening screws on opposite ends could be 180 degrees from each other for balancing..

Just ordered my bearing blocks.. Gotta go look at those motors I have and get the RPM data off of them, and then figure out the pulleys I need and get them and a belt ordered too... And then decide on which initial method I want to use for the drum... thickness or hook and loop and order the sandpaper and velcro for that if necessary..

After that it's just a matter of designing and building the thing...

[ger21]

See post #39 here for one example
A huge drum sander - Page 3 - Woodwork Forums

[ger21]

Here's a spring loaded clamp on a performax sander.
Review: Performax 22-44 Plus Drum Sander (Part Two Nitty gritty) - by sandhill @ LumberJocks.com ~ woodworking community

[EBC]

Woodmaster Tools, Inc. - Drum Sanders

Woodmaster Tools, Inc. - Hook + Loop Paper

[zool]

I bought one of these kits, as well as the company-made top. It is fabulous and does well for finish sanding on delicate items.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgPLOnXCmdU"]Drum Sander - YouTube[/ame]

:: The Online Woodshow - Stockroom Supply

LumberJocks Woodworking Reviews @ LumberJocks.com ~ woodworking community

Shop Made Sander - That Really WORKS

[CarveOne]

My original drum sander was built from the drawings that Stockroom Supply had on their site a couple of years ago. Those disappeared later. I wanted a wider in-feed and out-feed surface area to better support longer pieces while sanding, so I built a second one that is square, has four legs, and a lower shelf for storage. I added a 4" dust collector port directly under the middle of the drum. That build is in this forum.

http://www.cnczone.com/forums/woodwo...der_build.html

I use it quite a bit. It doubles as a place to rest "junk" when not otherwise in use. Throw a half sheet of plywood on it and I have a temporary work table.

CarveOne

[zool]

It doubles as a place to rest "junk" when not otherwise in use.

CarveOne

Hard to like it as a top that large is a junk magnet and the stuff that ends up there then thinks the top is its home hence becomes an impediment to the tool's original use.

Nice anyway, way over built as usual, but hey I can't claim innocence on that aspect of invention.

[Mountaincraft]

Received my bearings yesterday... Trying to salvage one of the motors off of the pressure pumps.. Got the pump housing off of both, but in each case, I have no idea how to get the impeller off...

Once I do that, I can order the pulleys and belt.. order the sand paper, and then I'm off to the races....

[Mountaincraft]

WooHoo got one of 'em off!
The motor shaft is 5/8" diameter, and the last 1/2" is threaded (don't know what the thread is).. There is also a tapped hole in the end of the shaft.. Looks to be about 1/4"

My Drum shaft is 1" and the motor speed is 3450...

what should the drum speed be if it's final size is 4-6 inches in diameter? IOW, what pulley reduction should I be looking at? 2:1? 3:1? 4:1?

I'm planning on using 1/2" Link Belt.. Anyone know of a better price?

[CarveOne]

Vibration Free Link Belt

[Mountaincraft]

Vibration Free Link Belt

LOL.. Is there 'anything' that place doesn't sell?

Thanks.. :cheers:

[radcliffe]

"Originally Posted by Mountaincraft
what should the drum speed be if it's final size is 4-6 inches in diameter? IOW, what pulley reduction should I be looking at? 2:1? 3:1? 4:1?"

As per Stcokroom Supply the 4" drum should have 1725-1750 rpm with 1/2 hp motor.
Your motor is 3450 rpm so you need a 2:1 reduction.

Harold

[Mountaincraft]

Thanks Harold!
:cheers:

[Mountaincraft]

So far the best price on pulleys has been off of eBay.. $31 total (form two different suppliers) for a 4" pulley with a 1" bore (keyway and set screw), and 2" pulley with a 5/8" bore (keyway and set screw).. including shipping..

Anyone know where to get a better price?

Also, I don't need a key way, and I can't tell from the pictures if the setscrew is on the key way or not... If it is, then without a key, the set screw likely won't reach the shaft...

Is this a bad idea to use a non keyed shaft with a keyed pulley? And is the set screws on these usually on the key, or rotated off somewhere else on the bore?

[ger21]

Try Surplus Center for pulleys.

[Mountaincraft]

Try Surplus Center for pulleys.

Thanks Gerry, They ended up only being a dollar cheaper, but a dollar is a dollar... and they'll probably get it here a little quicker...

So now all I need is the sand paper and the belt from HF..

Still deciding on which way to go (velcro or flat), seeing as I'll not be adding the power feed right off the bat... I suppose I could either make two different drum/shaft assemblies, or remove the velcro later...

If I made a second drum assembly, later on I could set it up so that both are used at once.. The first a flat thickness sander, and the second a hook and loop finish sanding process...