Woodmaster Drum Sanders??

I was wondering if anyone on here has any experience with Woodmaster drum sanders? I got a brochure here in the mail that says they are selling them for up to 49% off, "Brand New Woodmasters At Reconditioned Prices!!!" Wow!!

I've toyed with the idea of a drum sander for quite some time, but having never used one so i don't know if it's something that would be a worthwhile investment for me. Also I'm wondering if Woodmaster itself is a good brand. $2700 for a 38" drum sander is a pretty hefty investment for me, but i realize i spend quite a lot of time sanding with a ROS. If a drum sander would speed things up, then perhaps it's a good investment.

also wondering if there are other brands i ought to look at. i've heard and read a lot of woes concerning open ended drum sanders such as the delta and performax, so i think that if i was going to get one, it would certainly be closed on both sides. any recommendations on other brands or specific machines that anyone has would be appreciated. i am considering going to the anaheim show at the end of the month, so perhaps i'll get to see some machines up close and compare them.

any input is greatly appreciated.


-markus

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Originally Posted by markus shaffer

I was wondering if anyone on here has any experience with Woodmaster drum sanders? I got a brochure here in the mail that says they are selling them for up to 49% off, "Brand New Woodmasters At Reconditioned Prices!!!" Wow!!

I've toyed with the idea of a drum sander for quite some time, but having never used one so i don't know if it's something that would be a worthwhile investment for me. Also I'm wondering if Woodmaster itself is a good brand. $2700 for a 38" drum sander is a pretty hefty investment for me, but i realize i spend quite a lot of time sanding with a ROS. If a drum sander would speed things up, then perhaps it's a good investment.

also wondering if there are other brands i ought to look at. i've heard and read a lot of woes concerning open ended drum sanders such as the delta and performax, so i think that if i was going to get one, it would certainly be closed on both sides. any recommendations on other brands or specific machines that anyone has would be appreciated. i am considering going to the anaheim show at the end of the month, so perhaps i'll get to see some machines up close and compare them.

any input is greatly appreciated.


-markus

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Well Markus I'm in the same boat. I looked at the Woodmaster, Performax and the Grizzly. Earlier this week I placed an order for the Woodmaster 26" drum sander. I hope I made the right choice. By the way if you call them they will send you a video which might help you decide. They will also give you names of Woodmaster owners in your area.
Jerry

Markus

I bought the 38" Woodmaster a couple of years ago and have never regreted it for a minute. This machine is by far the most used piece of equipment in the shop. Rock solid, quality controls, outstanding dust collection. I can change paper in less than a minute. I am no longer afraid of figured wood. When you buy make sure you get the reversing switch. It will save a lot of shoe leather. I also bought the mobile base.

Terry

Much earlier this year I bought a Wood Master 26" Drum Sander and the Reverse Switch.

I dis-assembled the switch to hook up the wireing...got distracted with a new job so now about 8 months later I am trying to remember how that spring and "pawl" fit in the switch to give it "feel" and to keep the switch handle in neutral.

I would think I could figure it out but after much time..of which I could be working with wood, I still have not figured it out!:eek:

Any idea's?

I've bought my 26" woodmaster drum sander in 92, never had a problem, and a good company to deal with. Be sure you get the reversing switch also.
Roger

What does the reversing switch do?

for what it is worth, when I was researching drum sanders I was really thinking hard about the woodmaster. I did actually call one of their recommended uses who was supposed to give me a good report about the machine. he ended up giving a very bad report about it instead. this could have just been a bone head that would have trouble putting on a saw blade, so I am not sure about all of that. In the end I bought a timesavers widebelt and have been very happy with it.
lou

markus, i used to own a woodmaster and as far as a drum sander goes they`re a pretty well made unit; angle iron and sheet metal,off the shelf parts by and large, baldor motor etc. in the end you still have a drum sander........if you can swing it space/power/money wise a wide belt is by far the best investment you can make. .02 tod

A drum sander will not eliminate ROS. The chatter marks from the drum will still need to be sanded away. In the shop I'm in now has a 36" Woodmaster drum sander. I'm not impressed, especially with the velcro paper which is too cushiony in my opinion. I'm kinda influenced by having spent 35 years in the industry and used a lot of sanders including widebelts and stroke sanders in the wood and metal trades. You might look into stroke sanders as an alternative. Kind of forgotten and assumed to be old outdated technology, the stroke sander will always be a viable option. Takes a bit of space but it can do some things the widebelt drum sander can't. It works well with dealing with frame and panel doors as well as table tops. We used graphite mitts in one shop for doing radiused table edges. I put one in a custom metal shop because the owner thought there was no way a machine could dupliclate the hand sanded look that was his specialty. Cut down on hours of work.

All the big shops I worked in had widebelts and at least one stroke sander on hand. On shop had three different types of stroke sanders from hand block to double belted through feed units.

Minimax, Grizzly, etc still sell stroke sanders in their catalog. Silas Kopf the famous Marquetarian uses a Minimax stroke sander. Sometimes you can buy them at scrap metal prices.

Woodmaster has very high marks for both support and a quality product. I have one on the plans for a future purchase to replace the Performax. If they are now at 49% off....I may have to talk to the LOML.!!!!!:eek: :rolleyes: ;)

Rick,

Could you explain more about how a stroke sander works? I've seen pictures of them but never one in action.

I used to own the Grizzly double drum sander and was never happier than the day that I sold it. I hated the times when I had to change the sandpaper, I found it awkward and cumbersome.

Do not know about the woodmaster but, I agree that the drum sanders by nature do not eliminate ROS.

I now have the Shop Fox open end wide belt sander, and for my applications it works very well. I find that I have to change out the belts less fequently and it is very easy. I also find that I'm able to change out grits and go back and forth...with a drum sander, I seldom was able to salvage the removed grit.

One caveat with all of these sanders. Be aware of the spacing of the feed rollers, they determine the shortest length of material that one can run. This was the only advantage of the Performax that I also used to own...they were quite close.

My vote today would be a wide belt.

Doug

Basically it's a large belt sander and you can use a handblock to apply pressure on the belt as you move the table in and out and the handblock forward and back. The handblock has graphite cloth on it to slide. Making the handblock is an art form in itself. There's more to it than slapping the graphite on a block of wood. There is a fulcrim pad on some of the other more expensive models that runs on a track. The fulcrum pad allows you to sand all day and not have a sore arm like the handblock will give. It takes more skil to work the fulcrum pad. The Minimax has a fulcrum pad and it can pushed aside and a handblock can be used instead. Stroke sanders aren't that difficult but not learning how to use them properly can have a bad influence. I know of a high end furniture shop that never learned how to use theirs and it sits idle now. They rely on their widebelt only.

The stroke sander will save hours of general sanding and you can get flexible belts to sand radiused parts. Here's the mitts we used...
http://www.proengcorp.com/graphite_a...op%20of%20page
Stroke sanders are great for veneer work. It obviously doesn't thickness like a widebelt but if the panel is relatively flat you can control it pretty well. I know a number of shop still using them but most folks don't know how great these machines really are or even how they work. For the money it's a better investment than a drum sander. You can go right to finishing from the stroke sander. Belts change really fast and are pretty inexpensive. I've got a great source with best prices and lowest minimum quantities. A drum sanded surface needs to be ROs to remove the chatter marks from the drum. A widebelt with a platen will give a surface that can go right to finishing.

rick is correct about a stroke sander being a very useful tool. the one i owned was made by progress machine co. in canada, 8` on the table, guide bar and fulcrom platten, 5hp motor etc. this is one of the pieces i sold to get the wide belt. look at all your options and test drive as much as you can before writting that check. sanding equipment isn`t cheap no matter what you choose. just remember one thing when looking at sanding equipment; horsepower!! .02 tod

While a stroke sander and widebelt overlap in some of the capabilites neither one can replace each other. We always had both in the larger shops. Picking the right stroke sander for ones needs is important. The Mattison has pedestals you can put whatever distance you want so it's more flexible and the drums are away from the stand so you can sand longer pieces unlike the Grizzly which is more limited. I paid $700 for the Mattison but a buddy picked his up for $200. On the plus side you can sand very wide pieces on a stroke sander that you could fit in a widebelt. It's really a shame the stroke sander doesn't get the attention of the drum sanders do. Anyone remember the homemade one in the old Fine WoodWorking?

I don't have a Woodmaster, but 99% of the posts I've read about them have been positive.

But... They are ALWAYS on sale at about 49% off. I don't believe I've EVER seen an ad or checked their site that the sale wasn't in effect. So, you probably don't need to rush just to get that price.

If you can wait, they do have free freight 'truckload' shipping occasionally to some parts of the country. You can order it now, and when their truck comes your way, pick the machine up from them at a nearby location. Since their regular freight charges can be fairly high, this can be a great savings.

Gary

Mark,
I have had a 38" Woodmaster for about 5 years. I use it constantly. Easy to adjust, change paper and work on highly figured wood. It has been well worth the investment.

Jim