Drum Sander Question

[Scott Parsons]

My question, I have a large table top glue up (42" wide) that has been sitting in my garage for several years. I am thinking about finishing it. A friend has a Jet 22-44 drum sander and said I could bring the top to him to flatten. Will a drum sander work if the bottom of the panel is uneven (the top is fairly even)? Or will it be sort of like a planer and transfer the uneveness to the top of the panel?

Thanks
Scott

[Matt Day]

Drum sanders work like planers for the most part. I'd get a #7 out and do your best to flatten the bottom before sanding.

[John TenEyck]

Even if you get the bottom flat, you will have a hard time feeding a 42" table top through that sander. You'll need lots of support to avoid snipe and adjust the drum to table gap to avoid a ridge at the center. I think you'd be better off taking it to a shop with a wide belt sander and paying them to do it. You wouldn't necessarily have to flatten the bottom either if you built a support frame for the top to sit on. Shim where needed, and send the whole thing through the wide belt sander.

John

[ken masoumi]

I would flatten the bottom then cut in two halves,feed the 2 pieces through the sander (fully supported on both infeed and outfeed sides), then re glue, clamp ,done.

[Bill Huber]

I just have a 10-20 sander and have done some 18 inch panels with it and it works out fine, you do have to have good support on the in-feed, out-feed and sides to get it done right.

With that said I had a 5'x28" table top and to it to a cabinet shop and for $15 they run it though their sander and it came out great. So for you top I would do as John stated, take it to a cabinet shop.

The way they did my top was to run it though on one side and then flipped it for the next run and so on until it was nice and flat.

Good luck.....

[eugene thomas]

I think would find shop with big sander.

[Andrew Hughes]

I'd get pack of sandpaper and block of wood that fits my hand nicely.With some elbow grease you will be done in no time at all.I bought some sandpaper just the other day made by Norton that stuff cut so fast.
Thumbs down for a drum sander.👎

[jerry cousins]

i have a 22-44 drum sander and have used it to do large panels - but it is very cumbersome and results are "iffy". for big ones i too go to a local cabinet shop that has a wide-belt sander - pretty cheap for the amount of work it saves.
jerry

[glenn bradley]

Yep, drum sanders use a reference surface just like planers. Fix one side first in the method of your choice. I have a 19-38 and have done some large panels. As others have stated, support throughout the operation is key.

[Rick Fisher]

I would flatten the bottom then cut in two halves,feed the 2 pieces through the sander (fully supported on both infeed and outfeed sides), then re glue, clamp ,done.

+1 I have done this ..

[Peter Quinn]

I have a 22-44 performax, it will do it but it takes a lot of support to get large tops through, and you have to deal with the bottom. It could be a simple as shimming the bottom flattish then screwing a sheet of plywood to it to make a continuous bearing surface so you don't have issues with the sand and flip. I'd probably saw it in half and recluse the two sections carefully then you have only one joint to deal with using a belt sander and planes. Or find a shop with a big wide belt, most shops have 37" sanders for cabinets , 42 takes a larger machine you may not find everywhere.