Drum Sanders - Performance differences based on design?

[Aaron Mills]

I'm looking to add a drum sander to my shop, but am stuck on trying to figure out the differences between the entry level offerings with the same design as the General 15-250 and a well-made reproduction of the Powermatic DDS225.

The General type models usually have 5" aluminum drums, 1/8 HP variable speed feed motor, 3 HP main motor, and a soft rubber conveyor belt.

The Powermatic style model has 6" rubber coated drums, 1/4 HP two speed feed motor, 3 HP (not 5 HP as on the Powermatic) main motor, and a poly conveyor belt. This is the reproduction that I'm considering (http://www.houseoftools.com/product.htm?pid=16277).

I'm curious if there are any performance differences that would be noticed between the two models, especially since there's a $400 CDN (~$325 USD) difference. Please share your experience with either style of sander.

Also, why do the mid-level offering drum sander offerings not include a variable speed feed motor like the basic 1/8 HP motors that come on General style models? Does the 1/4 HP feed motor perform better than the 1/8 HP one?

Thanks,

Aaron

[Mark Singer]

I have the General...I used to have a Performax 16-32...there is a very big difference in performance...the General is 3 HP and really can handle larger boards 120 and 80 grit is what I use on the drums

[lou sansone]

hi aaron

this is one of the more difficult purchases to make IMO.. I spent a lot of time trying to research these guys. I think in another post I had said that it would be nice if equipment dealers allowed one to go to their showroom and try one of these tools out. Someone replied that in their neck of the woods this happens. I have not found it in CT though. Like you, I did a lot of "asking questions and research". I even called a bunch of guys provided by one of the mfgs as people who would give a good recommendation.... the funny thing was those recommended by the factory had nothing good to say about the drum sanders.

From what I found out about them is that if you use them as they are intended to be used and don't push them, then they will do what they are intended to do pretty well. There is one machine out there that has repeatedly had very negative comments about the sandpaper attachemnt clips. This was about 2 years ago, but eventhough this flaw was well known, the mfg had not made corrections to the machine. That particuar machine is very green and made in Tiawian, and is not a "general international" machine.

I had been drifting toward the woodmaster machine which I believe is still made in the USA. They seemed to have pretty decent designs.

End of story was I bought a timesavers widebelt instead. I love it, but @ 20hp is not for everybody.

lou

[Jim Hager]

I have the General like you show in the photo. I did add hook and loop to it and am very satisfied with the machine. I just finished sanding panels for some rp doors a little while ago. I have probably done upward of 200 doors with the same paper that is on the machine right now.

I have had other brands of machines but they would not hold a candle to this one. The General's 3hp motor is enough in my opinion.

[CPeter James]

Speaking of adding hook and loop, has anyone added this to a Performax 25-2 or something similar? I have considered it, but haven't done any research on the matter. Does this give the drums a "slight" cushion effect? How much more expensive is the sandpaper?

CPeter

[Aaron Mills]

Jim & Mark,

How hard do you push your drum sanders? I certainly don't expect any drum sander to handle the workload of a planer, but when you throw larger pieces that span the full width of the sander, does the motor bog down at all?

Also, how often do you find yourselves using the variable speed feature on your sanders, or do you just set it at a particular speed and leave it at that speed the majority of the time?

End of story was I bought a timesavers widebelt instead. I love it, but @ 20hp is not for everybody

LOL. Would've been my first choice if I could swing 20 HP and fit one of those monsters in my garage. Unfortunately, I had to pass on a Timesaver in great condition that went for $1700 CDN, just a couple weeks ago. Resigned myself to going with a mid-level widebelt until such time that a Timesaver is feasible.

Thanks,

Aaron

[Ian Barley]

Whichever one you go for make sure that your dust collection is more than adequate first. If it is at all lacking not only is the atmosphere affected but so is the performance of the machine. These things make a lot of dust and if you don't get it out of the way promptly you get all kinds of problems.

[Jim Hager]

Aaron, I use my sander for mostly raised panel doors. While most of the doors are not normally 24" wide, the sander still handles them just fine when I have the need for it to do so. I try my best not to overwork the machine but I use the heck out of it and have no trouble at all.

I use the variable speed feature often to slow the sander down on tighter grain and up a bit on looser (if that is a word) grain. I found out on another sander I once owned that I never wanted another drum sander without variable speed feed. Otherwise you will have to adjust the height of the machine and mess up your settings. On a machine that doesn't come back to the same place that can get to be very frustrating. If you have any problems with material thickness varying even a 1/32" you will want the variable speed.

The motor on my sander has never pulled down but I often slip the belts when running a piece into the machine a bit too fast. I just reach for the variable feed knob and slow er down a little bit. I need to tighten the belts on the machine I know but that is kind of a little fudge factor that lets me know when enough is enough.

Take your time doing this so you don't wind up doing it again like I did.

[Mark Singer]

Mine also seems to handle everything quite well...If you are going too fast or too big of a bite...it will burn. It is better to go slow and smaller bites.. Once the paper has a burn it will continue to burn other pieces....That is the nature of drum sanders....you need o listen to the machine and adjust it so it makes a small sanding pass....It will not bog down though

[J.R. Rutter]

This may not be appropo to the specifics of this thread, but is a logical place to post for furture searchers. . .

I have been using my 36" Extrema for about 2-3 months now. (My previous experience was with a 22-44 Pro.) While Woodtek and Grizzly have similar models, I think the Extrema was first on the market with this design, and is equipped with a Baldor motor. Extrema also offers this is a 25" and 50" model:

http://www.extremausa.com/sanders_drum.php

In this design, the drums are climb cutting - pushing towards the outfeed end. I'm not sure if this equates to less heat than opposing rotation, as with cutting tools, but I have been getting longer life out of my abrasives, and am able to run 120/180 for a finish pass - even on resinous woods. The first drum is aluminum, the second is rubber coated. The rubber does not get as hot to the touch as the aluminum.

I went with 7.5 HP for the motor, and have managed to pop the breaker a couple of times on full-width passes. I went with the drum sander as an intermediate step towards a dual head widebelt, which I couldn't afford, fit, or power in my current shop. While the drum balance isn't perfect (one side of the drum shows abrasive loading before the other side) there are no chatter marks at low (8 fpm) speed feed.

Dust collection is a major factor. I had to upgrade my setup to get enough suction and flow. I may install some brush type sweep/seals at the hoods for better pickup when I have the chance. I build my doors to 0.85" thick, then sand to 0.815" (about 13/16"). I can do the finish thicknessing in one pass per side - a huge time saver over a single head. Anyway, this is a fair amount of wood being turned into flour, so the more suction the better.

[Aaron Mills]

Given the amount of dust created by drum sanders, what type of set up do you have for your dust collection? Do you find it adequate, or do you have any suggestions for possible ways to improve the dust collection for a drum sander?

[J.R. Rutter]

Use everything you've heard about good DC principles:

Start with a powerful blower sized to fit your needs. The sander probably needs your largest diameter duct drop. Focus the air flow where it is needed - right around the drum, and especially where the dust is being thrown off the board. Depending on the hood design, it might be worth adding a baffle or two on the underside.

I have about 2,000 CFM at the sander (based on looking at fan curves, not measured) via an 8" duct split into 4x4" hoses via tapered wyes. This is just enough to give a mostly dust-free board coming out the other end. If another gate is open, I get a film of dust on the surface of sanded boards. This dust will end up on other equipment/in the air eventually, which is why a sweep on the outfeed would be nice. It would knock the dust loose to be sucked up. My goal is not to wear a respirator, but if I have another machine in use with the sander, I really should wear one.

[Peter Gavin]

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=600 bgColor=#ebebec border=0><TBODY><TR class=listing><TD align=left colSpan=3>This one has been for sale locally for a few weeks. I don't have room for it but does anyone know anything about them?

RAMCO 37" wide belt sander: factory

</TD></TR><TR class=listing><TD align=left colSpan=3 VALGIN="TOP">rebuilt

Thanks

Peter

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

[tod evans]

they`ve been around for quite a few years and i haven`t heard a bad word about them. tod