Drum sander opinions-Jet 10-20, grizzly G0716?

[Shawn Fisher]

I am looking at an entry level drum sander. My choices are:

1- Grizzly G0716 10". The price is attractive. only 10" width because of end bracket, But I am sure I can build spacers so I could use it as a 10-20.

2- Jet 10-20. They are on sale right now so that makes them a little more attractive. Sound like great machine from reviews.

Need to stay in this price range. I live in northern VT and there are not many of these that come up used so that really is not an option.

I am looking for thoughts from people who own these. Especially the G0716. There really isn't much info on these out there on the Grizzly. I would like to get a G0458 or bigger Jet, but finances are limiting that!

Also I have been looking for a Grizzly coupon and have yet to find one. Anyone have one they are not using?


Thanks in advance!

[Greg Just]

I purchased the Jet 16-32 last fall and I am very pleased with it. A friend has the 10-20 and likes it but admits he is limited by the size.

[Jeff Bartley]

Shawn,
I have a performax 16-32 and I have a couple observations. Don't expect too much from these machines. They do a good job provided you use very very small cuts. That being the mode of operation: they're slow! I do small and large scale work and I take the big stuff to a local mill shop to run through their widebelt. The perfect way to ruin your opinion of small drum sanders is to experience a widebelt! The other advise I'd give is to run the Abranet paper (plenty of info about that here, just search for it). It makes all the difference.....in fact, I think I'd sell my sander if not for the Abranet!

[Bill Huber]

I can not help you on the Grizzly, I have the Jet 10-20.

It is a great little machine and I use it a lot. in fact I use it 10 time more then I thought I would. I have sanded things for 4" x 2" up to a 48" x 19" with very good results.

I screwed up the feed belt right off the bat and had to get a new one but that was my fault not the machine. It takes a little bit to get used to the tracking and installing the belts.

I would hate to have only 10", I use wider then 10" all the time and it is really nice to be able to do that.

[Earl Rumans]

I can't help you with your 2 choices but have you considered a V Belt sander instead of a conventional drum sander? http://stockroomsupply.ca/shop/drum-sanders.html?cat=36 You can buy it ready made, add your own motor and switch, or build your own from several kits. I have the metal 24 inch Flatmaster with the fences, that I added a 3/4 hp Grizzly motor and switch to. I am very happy with mine and really like the fact that I can sand things flat with it. A conventional drum sander doesn't necessarily sand things flat because the pressure makes the wood flex.

[Bill Huber]

A conventional drum sander doesn't necessarily sand things flat because the pressure makes the wood flex.

I don't agree, the pressure that is used on my drum sander is almost nothing. I would say it is no more then what you would use to hold down the wood on the Flatmaster, it is not like a planer that has big rollers that really push down on the wood. How do you keep even pressure all the way along the complete board with the Flatmaster?

The only pressure that is put on the boards are the small rollers that hold it down to the feed belt and there is just not a lot there. I guess if you were trying to take off a 1/8" at a time there would be some down pressure when the board was under the drum but you are not going to be taking off that much at a time. If you tried it I am sure it would stall the drum sander.

I have taken cupped boards that were like 4" x 10" x 1/4" thick and flattened them on my sander, now they did come out thiner but that is what I needed for that project.

[Steve Peterson]

I see used 16/32 Jets on CL for around $5-600 and 22/44 for $8-900. This would give you a much more capable machine for around your target budget.

I have a 22/44 and the largest cutting board I have done was about 16x20. Most of my sanding is narrow pieces, but it is nice to be able to move to a fresh spot or sand diagonally.

Steve

[Robert Parent]

I have a 10-20 and it gets used alot..... Once it is setup correctly you can get very accurate boards easily. It is not a thickness planer so it was never intended to remove large amounts of material. If that is your intent this is the wrong machine for you. The open end comes in handy for doing material wider than 10 inches.

Robert

[Ken Platt]

Same as Bill, I have the Jet 10/20 and use it way more than I thought I would. I would place a premium on having the wider capacity built in; 10 inches isn't much for width. My only "complaint" is that had I realized how useful it would be, I'd have gotten a bigger and more powerful sander. Sometimes using it for longer workpieces gets booooring. But if that's all your budget can go for, I think it's a very useful, well built, easy to use machine.

Ken

[Bill George]

I am looking at an entry level drum sander. My choices are:

1- Grizzly G0716 10". The price is attractive. only 10" width because of end bracket, But I am sure I can build spacers so I could use it as a 10-20.

2- Jet 10-20. They are on sale right now so that makes them a little more attractive. Sound like great machine from reviews.

Need to stay in this price range. I live in northern VT and there are not many of these that come up used so that really is not an option.

I am looking for thoughts from people who own these. Especially the G0716. There really isn't much info on these out there on the Grizzly. I would like to get a G0458 or bigger Jet, but finances are limiting that!

Also I have been looking for a Grizzly coupon and have yet to find one. Anyone have one they are not using?


Thanks in advance!

I know this is a OLD Thread but I am usually over on the Engraving Forum area and wondering about a Drum Sander.
Has anyone tried to use this Grizzly G0716 without that end plate to do wider boards? Otherwise this would be perfect for what I need. Or a quick review from a user would be nice. I am checking the Classifieds area here for a used one daily.

[Bill George]

So no one on here has a Grizzly G0716? Thanks for the help guys.

[DOUG ANGEL]

I have a Grizzly G0716 10" drum sander. Initially I have to confess I bought the Grizzly because of price. Another consideration was that the open end can be secured with the included bracket to prevent flexing. It is not a planer, light passes only, or the motor will stall. I did look at the Performax and Jet drum sanders and they appear to be less rugged. The Grizzly is HEAVY for it's size, nothing flimsy about it. If you buy one new, have a person available to help you get it out of the crate, and assembled.

[Bill George]

I have a Grizzly G0716 10" drum sander. Initially I have to confess I bought the Grizzly because of price. Another consideration was that the open end can be secured with the included bracket to prevent flexing. It is not a planer, light passes only, or the motor will stall. I did look at the Performax and Jet drum sanders and they appear to be less rugged. The Grizzly is HEAVY for it's size, nothing flimsy about it. If you buy one new, have a person available to help you get it out of the crate, and assembled.

To tell the truth until you had replied I was going to cancel the one I ordered because of the lack of feedback on this sander.
I will be using it to sand re-sawed boards good enough to use in my laser to do signs and the like.

Have you used it open ended and is the support bracket on the end a pain to keep loosening and re-tightening every time you adjust it?

[DOUG ANGEL]

To tell the truth until you had replied I was going to cancel the one I ordered because of the lack of feedback on this sander.
I will be using it to sand re-sawed boards good enough to use in my laser to do signs and the like.

Have you used it open ended and is the support bracket on the end a pain to keep loosening and re-tightening every time you adjust it?

Never used it open ended, and the bracket on the end is easy to loosen/tighten, only thing is REMEMBERING to loosen when changing depth. I just used it to sand pallet wood, and it worked well. Please remember that it is not a planer, just a sander. I use it on projects that don't require exact final thickness dimensions. I like it a lot for my requirements, but I only use it for narrow boards, up to 9 in.

[Bill George]

Thanks Doug, you have answered my questions. I know the sanders limitations and the open end thing I might be able to come up with a fix to make it work. Not only do I have some woodworking tools I have a pretty complete home machine shop.
Going to try and post a picture of my last sign made from cedar, done yesterday on my laser engraver.