Replies

1. 
   RickL | Feb 22, 2006 07:16pm | #1

   You can only take off a few thousandths at a time. Another option is a Stroke Sander if you have the space.

   http://www.grizzly.com/products/G5394

   Most people don't have a clue about stroke sanders. Before Bill Green invented the hobbyists Performax drum sander, the stroke sander was a desired tool. There was even an article long ago on making one in FWW. For a small shop the Stroke Sander would be the way to go. Even in large shops with widebelts we always had a stroke sander. An added advantage is you can go right to finishing with a SS. After drum sanding you have to random orbit sand to get the drum ripples out. A SS uses a lot less power and belts are cheaper and easier to change.

1. 
   John_D | Feb 23, 2006 12:28am | #2

   I'm afraid I'm one of those who doesn't have a clue.  Could you give a quick tutorial on what a stroke sander does, how it does it, and what it's good at?  I'm looking at the page you mention and it's really not too easy to see what it even does.

   I'll give my best guess, and hopefully you'll correct my incorrect ideas.  This is all speculation, I've never even seen a stroke sander in operation, so later thread visitors -- consider this post to be fiction. :)

   The sanding belt runs at a fixed speed, all the time the machine is on.  The bed can be adjusted up and down with the crank to the left, which is how you set your final stock thickness.

   With the bed height set to produce the target thickness, you put your stock onto the bed and slide it forward and back as needed using the wide handle on the face of the bed.  You grasp the platen (the silver thing above the belt) and push it left and right as needed, applying as much downward pressure as seems appropriate.  You thickness by using a fairly coarse belt, and just keep moving the stock and platen until you've achieved your target thickness.  You know you're done when the belt doesn't bite the work when you lower the platen to its limit of travel.

   From the mechanics, it seems like a clumsy thicknesser, so you wouldn't want to use it to prep stock.  Seems like it would be good at sanding panels.  But since you want the belt to travel with the grain, wouldn't it need a pretty long bed if you were prepping long boards?

   Basically it seems like a belt sander with some awkward thicknessing abilities.

   Now I'm ready to hear the real story! :)My goal is for my work to outlast me.  Expect my joinery to get simpler as time goes by.

1. 
   RickL | Feb 23, 2006 02:13am | #4

   It's not a thicknesser. Basically it's a large belt sander. If you do your glue ups correctly you should only have to sand the planer marks out. You can go right to finishing with a SS. With a drum sander you still have to random orbit sand before you go to finishing. It's still a very viable tool for the small shop. You can make a hand block for very controlled sanding of veneers and marquetry. You can even find these in metal fab shops. We have sanded brass, stainless steel and aluminum.

2. 
   jim1941 | Feb 23, 2006 12:29am | #3

   Rick, thanks for responding.  Unfortunately the Grizzly stroke sander is too big for my shop and my pocketbook.  I do like the concept, just wish there were smaller versions.  I was getting very interested in the Performax 22-44 but the more I read about drum sanders, the more I am backing off.... don't think it would meet my expectations.