Thickness Sander for Segmented Work Question

[David Walser]

If you search ebay for 20" disk sander there is an auction for a used State sander with a current bid of just over $130.

That's all from me on this topic. Honest.

[Robert McGowen]

Why I don't post on Sawmill Creek anymore. A story by Chris Hartley.

One day, while killing time on a Friday afternoon, I posted a simple question about a drum sander. I thought that surely a simple answer would appear in no time at all. To my amazement, numerous answers appeared, all pointing away from my original drum sander question, and towards a disc sander that costs upwards of $2000. Suddenly it dawned on me. Could a gloat be on the way? Hmmmmmmm.

To be continued....

Another $2000 post Chris?

[Tim A. Mitchell]

http://www.google.com/search?sourcei...ch+disc+sander

[Richard Madison]

Sorry about that. Did not mean to highjack Christopher's thread. It was an accident.

Thanks to all for disc sander info. Was expecting to see a variable speed model for a couple grand (for the serious home craftsman or craftswoman). Of course for low speed, one sands near the center of the disc.

Richard in Wimberley

[Malcolm Tibbetts]

Sorry about that. Did not mean to highjack Christopher's thread. It was an accident.

Thanks to all for disc sander info. Was expecting to see a variable speed model for a couple grand (for the serious home craftsman or craftswoman). Of course for low speed, one sands near the center of the disc.

Richard in Wimberley

Richard, I guess I was also guilty of taking this tread off course. But just to promote the large 20" models a little more, I often use mine on "coast". For really delicate sanding, I'll hold the start button for just a few seconds and then release it. The 40-pound steel disc will rotate for quite a while without power and it's a very handy trick for light sanding.

[Robert McGowen]

I hope everyone realized that I was just laughing at the way things turn out with my above post. I have already sent off for the Laguna DVD in regards to their 20" sander. Reading this thread will possibly cost me at least a $1000, if not more. Chris probably already ordered the 20" Powermatic AND the drum sander.
By the way, does anyone make a 24" sander?

[Charles Drake]

I am just a novice at segmented turning (probably have made about twenty items in the last couple of months--Malcolm, what a fantastic book!). I have both a 16/32 drum sander and a 12 inch disc sander and don't know how I could do without either. I haven't had any problem with snipe on the drum sander--no mater how big or small the glued up ring is, I firmly fasten it to a flat piece of MDF with two sided tape before it goes through the drum sander and take very light cuts and so far, they all have come out very flat and within about +/- 0.002 inch. One qualifier-none of my pieces are more than about 8 inches in diameter.

[Christopher K. Hartley]

First off guys, I'm OK with where this thread went and thank all of you for your input. I know Powermatic is a good tool, but why would I pay in excess of two grand for the same tool I could get from HF for $620? I have their 12 model and it is as good as you can get anywhere. I think I paid $100 bucks on sale. I learned I can save the approx $2500 on the Drum sander and go with the bigger Disk Sander. That isn't a bad thread. Robert, you are right though, some threads do go a bit off the mark sometimes.Thanks all.

I hope everyone realized that I was just laughing at the way things turn out with my above post. I have already sent off for the Laguna DVD in regards to their 20" sander. Reading this thread will possibly cost me at least a $1000, if not more. Chris probably already ordered the 20" Powermatic AND the drum sander.
By the way, does anyone make a 24" sander?

[Malcolm Tibbetts]

I hope everyone realized that I was just laughing at the way things turn out with my above post. I have already sent off for the Laguna DVD in regards to their 20" sander. Reading this thread will possibly cost me at least a $1000, if not more. Chris probably already ordered the 20" Powermatic AND the drum sander.
By the way, does anyone make a 24" sander?

Robert, this was also a valuable tread for me. I've had my Woodtec 20" sander ($1000 at the time, now about $1400) for quite a few years. At the time of purchase, it was the only 20" model that I could find that didn't require 3-phase power. Now, there are other more affordable options. That Laguna sander looks like a good value; I didn’t even know that it existed.

You asked about a 24" sander. Check out this web page: http://www.tannewitz.com/t_disk_sanders.asp
Their sanders go up to 36", one with a pair of discs (different grits). I don't even want to know the price.

The key to any disc sander is how true the disc runs. If there's a lot of runout at the edge of the disc, then you will not be happy - you'll lose a lot of the useable diameter.

[Stuart Johnson]

I spoke with a salesman from Laguna yesterday and their 20" disc sander only comes in 3 phase. He said it would increase the cost by around $400 to add a controller but the sales force asking for a single phase machine.

This got me to thinking at $795 if is 50 to 60 percent less than the competing 220V single phase machines. I upgraded my Nova 3K to a 2HP VS that includes a controller. It should be a simple fix to change the wire going from the controller to a plug. I could then use whichever machine I wanted.

[Richard Madison]

Should one wonder what grit to use on their new 20" (or 36") sander? I sure do. And I'm going to order it as soon as that lottery money comes in.

[Fred Conte]

I'm a newbie turner but have done alot of woodworking (flatwork) all my life and have not done any segmented work except to read Malcolms and Allens books so if I'm way off with this suggestion please forgive me.

Why can't you use a router with a staight bit and a jig to make a router plane here's one example but if you do a google search you'll find more.

Router Plane Jig

HTH - Fred

[Malcolm Tibbetts]

I'm a newbie turner but have done alot of woodworking (flatwork) all my life and have not done any segmented work except to read Malcolms and Allens books so if I'm way off with this suggestion please forgive me.

Why can't you use a router with a staight bit and a jig to make a router plane here's one example but if you do a google search you'll find more.

Router Plane Jig

HTH - Fred

Fred, the only dumb questions are the ones that don't get asked. There is a little use for a router plane, but in general, it's not nearly as accurate as a finely turned drum sander. And of course there's the convenience issue, not to mention the inability of a router plane to dimension really thin stock.

[Jon McCoy]

For the casual turner, why not use a face plate, some MDF or ply, and spray adhesive to make a flat disc sander? I expect runout might be tricky at 20", but I was thinking more for folks like me with mini 1220s and a desire to give segmenting a try.

-jon-

[Malcolm Tibbetts]

For the casual turner, why not use a face plate, some MDF or ply, and spray adhesive to make a flat disc sander? I expect runout might be tricky at 20", but I was thinking more for folks like me with mini 1220s and a desire to give segmenting a try.

-jon-

Jon, what you describe would work "ok" for flattening a ring glue surface, but it would not be very practical for sanding segment ends. Individual segment sanding requires a jig and it would be a real hassle to set up something using the lathe everytime it was needed.