I have just completed a small shop, 10 x 20, and space will be at a premium. Originally, I thought about purchasing a 20 or 24 inch planer and then began reading comments about about drum sanders. I hate sanding so my thoughts are now to purchase an open end drum sander, like the Performax 16-32 a and bench top planer that I can stow away.
My idea is that I can use the planer for rapid sizing, glue up and then sand the wider piece, rather than having a larger planer to handle a glued piece. I realize that snipe is more likely with a bench top planer, but I can always use a slightly longer board.
Does anyone have any comments about this approach?
Replies
Davidp, Everyone has their own method. And what you've described is exactly what I have. I didn't buy a drum sander until several years after acquiring a planer. I originally bought the sander so I could clean-up very wide work. I have a Powermatic model 100 12" planer. So, when I plane then glue-up work I can send the piece through the sander just to "kiss" the surface and take out mill marks and any possible unevenness. It is especially nice when I'm working with material that has grain patterns that tend to tear out during planing- leave the piece slightly thick then gradually sand it down. I keep 80 grit paper on the sander. This does just what I need but doesn't leave any real scratches that can't be taken out by hand sanding with 100 grit. But like I said, everyone has a method. This works well for me and may for you too.
** Be extra careful to scrape off ALL glue from jointed boards prior to sanding. Glue will gum up the sand paper and cause it to burn the work.
Good luck, Ken
Ken, what model sander do you have?
John
Performax 25" dual drum w/5hp.
I would get a planer for planing and a sander for sanding - Myself I would get the planer and a good scraper plane or scrapers.
I do my finish sanding by hand with a block that has felt glued to it.
Ron
The Performax 16-32 is an underpowered machine and you're going to find that it bogs down on wide pieces. It's also tricky to get the sander tuned up so that when you sand a wide piece (say about 30 inches wide) you don't have scoring at the end of the drum or the reverse ... a bump in the middle because the drum is higher on the outboard end.
I had one of these and sold it ... replacing it with a wide Woodmaster sander (which is much more expensive). If there is a choice here, I'd go with the wide planer and for items wider than the planer I'd plane the two (or more) pieces and then glue them together, using hand tools to get the glue-up ready for finishing.
Just my opinion and experience.
John
Let me expand a little on my answer.
The Performax is a great machine for stock that's not very wide ... small items. If you want to get a sander, and want to use it for wide stock, you need something more powerful. On http://www.woodweb.com there's a listing for machines for sale, and there is a new listing for a Woodmaster 26" sander. The price is $1750, only about $800 more than the Performax 16-32.
But if it's a choice between a wide planer and the sander, I'd go with the planer. Grizzly sells a 20" planer for about $1250.
John
1 st . What kind of things are you building and how wide of things do you want to sand?
I'm a professional furniture builder and long before the performax sanders were out I looked at a woodmaster 18'' planer/ sander and over the 18 years I've owned it I haven't run into a thing that was to big that I had to take to a bigger machine.
I will say that between the dust collector and the planer they do take up some room. but I figured in the space it would take up for in feed and out feed. I'm very happy with the job it dose and the service from the company here in the US. ( Kansas City MO.) They offer 20''and 24'' now. They have adds in most ww magazines .
Furniture By Douglas, Grand rapids, MI
Good Luck, Desiding
I do the same as Ken. I Plane, build and sand with a Performax 16/32 with 80 grit. I use a random orbital sander with 100, then finish with a random 1/4 sheet sander with 180. The Performax is under powered and a hassle to setup, especily with outfeed tables. Once done I does work pretty well (but slow).
Good Luck,
Dave
David
I bought John Hardy's sander.
I don't use it for wide panals, but just simple tasks to save me work.
It probably is underpowered for what you want.
If I were doing alot of panals, I'd buy a larger, more powerful machine then the Performax.
Jeff
I have a portable 12 inch thickness planer, and more recently got the Performax 16-32 to help get larger surfaces smooth and even. But I find I use it for FAR more than I thought I would, for all kinds of sanding.
It is a bear to set up - really slow and irritating, but once it is set up it stays good for a long time. I leave the open center about 1/100 higher than the other side, as recommended when approaching from opposite sides for wide items, but it is also great for casual sanding - the first side towards the open end, and then the second side passed close to the center, without having to adjust thickness.
I use mostly 150 grit or 220 grit. Even with the fine paper, there are still some sanding lines so I finish with 220 or 320 in an ROS, then finally by hand. Don't even think of using it without a dust collector or a VERY good shop vac.
An ammeter (cheap clamp-on unit) helps immensely in getting the most out of the unit. If the current rises too high, slow the feed. If the current is low, you can take a bigger cut or run faster. It isn't a high power commercial machine, but it doesn't cost thousands of dollars either.
The belts can be washed in simple green, rinsed, and stretched out to dry (on my deck), giving excellent belt life.
Thanks for all the advice and comments. It has given me ideas to consider. Since I don't have a production shop, time is not as crucial to me as cost. I am a hobby woodworker, and will be retiring in about 18 months, so will have even more time on my hands. Davidp
I have a 12" benchtop planer (DeWalt) and the Delta 18" drum sander. I use them exactly as others have decribed: do as much with the planer as possible, only use the drum sander when necessary to flatten panels etc. or for woods that tear out in the planer. (Ash seems to give me a lot of trouble sometimes.)
The drum sander does a nice job but is very sloooowww - not enough power so you have to take very light passes. And I find 80 grit puts horrible deep scratches that take forever to get rid of (especially in oak), so I usually start with 120 unless I need to remove a lot of wood.
For my setup I need both tools. The planer isn't big enough for the wide panels I frequently produce, and my shop (and cash flow) is not big enough for a larger planer. But the drum sander alone is too slow for basic stock preparation.
One problem with the Delta drum sander: I cannot get the feed belt to track properly. Looking at others' machines I think this is a common problem.
"Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler." A. Einstein
http://www.albionworks.net
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