Drum Sander

[Ted Baxter]

Anyone use a drum sander in place of a jointer by using a sled similar to using a sled with a planner?

[Matt Day]

Nope, definitely not as a jointer since you can't get a 90 degree edge. It will make a poor planer as well since it takes such a light "cut".

Edit: when you say drum sander do you mean spindle sander?

[Van Huskey]

Nope, definitely not as a jointer since you can't get a 90 degree edge. It will make a poor planer as well since it takes such a light "cut".

Edit: when you say drum sander do you mean spindle sander?

I realized the same thing after reading the post, I was trying to figure out how in the world you would send a board on edge through a drum sander...

It is "possible" to set up a fence and use a spindle sander to edge joint a board but it is one of the poorest ways to work around not having a jointer. The best option is to use a router table to do it, that works very well.

[Art Mann]

I believe the OP may be talking about using a drum sander like the Performax 16-32 as a way to flatten boards like you do on a jointer. If that is true, then the answer is yes and you don't need a sled. This type of sander doesn't force the wood flat on the table like a planer because the springs on the feed rolls are much weaker. If you run both sides through enough times, you can make a small board flat and parallel, within reason. I have done this a few times for various reasons but it is an incredibly slow way to get the job done. Typically, I take off about 1/64 inch per pass on my drum sander with 80 grit.

[Van Huskey]

I believe the OP may be talking about using a drum sander like the Performax 16-32 as a way to flatten boards like you do on a jointer.

Face jointing... ahh OK, I should have realized that!

[Chris Hachet]

The best option is to use a router table to do it, that works very well.

It's worked for 30 years for me so far.

[Chris Hachet]

Face jointing... ahh OK, I should have realized that!

Still, wouldn't the rollers just push the wood flat and leave it cupped or twisted? My initial thought was that the OP was using a spindle sander similar to a jointer table....

[Nick Decker]

The rollers, at least on my sander, don't push down hard enough to flatten a cupped board, unless it was a very thin board.

It can work, as Matt said, but it's a long process and you will, of course, lose thickness.

[Ted Baxter]

Thanks for the input here is a little more info.

I have a very small shop and I would like to add both a 8" jointer and a drum sander 16-20" size. maybe a 19/38" from grizzly.

My question is could I get by with just the drum sander trying to save some floor space.

I currently joint boards with a 13" planner with a sled.

I would like a sander to run segmented rings through before glue up and turning on the lathe. I was just wondering if I could get by with out the jointer?

[chase standifer]

Like others said, trying to flatten something in a drum sander is a very slow process. I only use mine for very wide boards that I don't want to slice up just to fit on the jointer. I definitely want to rely on the drum sander for that purpose. It would be faster to do it by hand.

[Matt Day]

Good try, but I think it'd be best to just get the jointer - it'll be very useful for other woodworking projects too. Maybe just get the Grizzly baby drum sander if space is a premium? how big is your shop?

[Ted Baxter]

My shop is 19'X19' and I have aquired several tools the largest is a G0800 Grizzly lathe. It also is where I have to store any wood or other material I have. I am considering a Grizzly 8" jointer and their 19"X38" sander if I were to buy both tools. I was just wondering if there were other options besides a jointer. From your comments though it sounds like it might not be a good compromise. If I did a sander only I would goo with Grizzly's 16" model

[John K Jordan]

I have a Performax 22-44 drum sander. I can't imagine using it to joint lumber - it would take forever. It is also easy to burn the surface of some woods without extremely fine passes. I do use it a lot to flatten and smooth small pieces that would be unsafe on the jointer.

Also, the jointer leaves a much better surface. To sand in a reasonable time requires pretty coarse paper. Changing paper is such a pain I seldom switch to fine paper.

I once worked in a shop that had a huge drum sander with three big drums, coarse, medium, and fine paper. Put a rough glueup in one end and get a finish sanded piece on the other. Now THAT would be nice in the home shop!

JKJ

[Sam Puhalovich]

Get the drum sander, Ted ... I've had wonderful results with my 22/44 ... with-and-without sledding ... even edging within the height limitation of the machine..
Yes ... it is a sander ... and sanding is not quick. The relavance of speed is in direct proportion to the results. Yes ... you will lose material thickness ... as you would with any other flattening 'process'.
With the sander you get to 'treat' both sides of the workpiece. Whenever I have a run of stiles, rails ... or any similar components ... AFTER facing the material ... I clamp them together, on edge, and run them thru the sander. Then I make one or two passes with the ros and I'm done ... the parts are perfectly straight, square ... and the same size.

[Jim Tobias]

Yes, I do it all the time with highly figured wood and also have a sled for very thin pieces. I have a planer but use it for rough sawn wood. Slower than planing but it works very well.

Jim