Replies

1. 
   forestgirl | Oct 04, 2003 07:21pm | #1

   A couple of people have asked the same question this summer -- must be the ads!  I searched and couldn't find much, but here's a post from John O. that will provide some info on the sanders.  I think the general concensus was that no, the sander will not satisfactorily replace a planer when it comes to thicknessing lumber.
   http://forums.taunton.com/tp-knots/messages?msg=13541.26

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl   ;-)

1. 
   riverr1 | Oct 04, 2003 08:20pm | #2

   Yep, I have both, and they are very different machines. Taking large amounts with the drum sander results in extremely hot paper and drums with a lot of loading on the paper and scortching of the wood is not uncommon. You can take amounts of stock with a planer that you could not come close to with a drum sander. Some also suggest that you can joint with a drum sander. That's not my experience. You can get better results face jointing with a drum sander then you can with a planer, but it is very slow, and still doesn't take you all the way to a flat face.

   Don

2. 
   GHR | Oct 04, 2003 09:50pm | #3

   I don't have a planer, but I do have a drum sander.

   It does not damage the wood I use, hardwood burls and crotches, H. Mahogany, redwood, and red cedar as a planer might.

   If you resaw properly and use the drum sander properly, it takes about the same amount of time as planing and there is less waste.

1. 
   riverr1 | Oct 04, 2003 10:15pm | #4

   George,

   Do you do anything different then planer users might to ensure the stability of your wood after resawing?

   BTW, my resawing skills suck!

   Don

3. 
   jazzdogg | Oct 05, 2003 01:33am | #5

   John,

   We usually use a thickness planer to remove 1/32" to 1/16" per pass; when using the finish sander, we remove no more than 1/100th to 1/50th of an inch per pass.

   The cost of maintaining these tools, as well as the cost of the abrasive used in the finish sander, dictate conservative and prudent use; to do otherwise becomes very costly in the long run.

   I recently resawed some beautiful Torrey Pine to 100/1000" in thickness and used the finish sander to reduce each strip to a uniform thickness of 65/1000" - something that I believe was possible because of the inordinate care lavished upon this tool (BTW the strips were used to make a run of Shaker-style oval boxes).

   Good luck,
   Paul

   Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you're right.
1. 
   Adrian | Oct 05, 2003 02:53am | #6

   There used to be a fad for abrasive planers....using a sander to replace a planer. Ther are still some around, but it takes a lot more horsepower to abrade away what a knife can do easily. A lot of those abrasive planers were 50hp +. Now most are back to knifing away the bull with a planer, then usng a sander for finishing. Or they are buying combo machines with a planer and a sander in one machine; these are industrial machines though, not home shop machines.cabinetmaker/college woodworking instructor. Cape Breton, N.S

4. 
   migraine | Oct 07, 2003 02:26am | #7

   Each one of these machines have a specific use and I feel that they don't really overlap.  Best way to desctibe is the old fashioned +/- methods and then make your decision.  Here's the way I see it

   Drum sander advantages:

   Cross grain sanding as in 1)face frame construction  door stile/rail 2) sanding mateial to VERY thin thicknesses 3)surfacing of quilted/burled material with out tear-out of the finish face 4)Able to glue up multiple boards and finish to a consistant flatness 5) able to sand veneered panels if the machine is set/adjusted correctly

   Drum Sander disadvantages:

   1) burning of the finish surface which in turn can burn the belt   2) cost of a single 37" x60" belt runs $25-$40   3) only able to remove small amounts in one pass 4) a good dust collector is also needed  4) did I say the cost of belts   5) expense of the machine 6)having to use sharp planes and chisels on sanded material causes dulling/chipping to the hand tools/saw blades

   Planer advantages

   1) greater removal of material in a single pass  2)cheaper sharpening costs   3) lesser cost machines 

   Planer disadvantages

   1)tear out of material due to dull knives or change in direction of grain  2) wider machines cost more  3)limited to small width projects

   In the last 20 years, I have run every thing from a 3head/52" widebelt sander, to a 70+" drum sander to 25" performax single head sanders. Just to the same with 30"segmented planer heads to a 12 Hitachi floor planer to a small 10" ryobi table top planer.  The small drum/wide belt sanders really are not worth the investment and a reasonable one starts at $5,000 and goes up.  Unless you plan on using it alot, I would recommend you find a local shop that has one and charges hourly/by the minute.  I have owned a 25" single head performax and it was less than ok and from a business mind set, It was a waste of money, but I needed it to sand 1/8" x 2 B.E. maple for laminating/bending.  Then again, I bought used for $1000 and sold it for $800.  I have a 37"single head widebelt sander being delivered this week, but that runs around $7000 new and even it has limitations   I also own a 13+ year old Hitachi planer(floor model type) and it has never given me one bit of trouble.  If you can find used one of those or a used Makita 15", they are worth their weight in gold.  When ever you can, stick with floor(stationary) models

1. 
   riverr1 | Oct 07, 2003 09:40am | #8

   migraine,

   I sure don't agree with your assessment of drum sanders but I guess I can understand. Talk to someone with a Altendorf or Martin table saw, and they think all of our top of the line cabinet saws are pretty useless too. In used machinery alone, you can find widebelt sanders in the 100k range with multiple 50 hp motors, and their own onboard air compressor. It's all relative.

   Don

1. 
   migraine | Oct 07, 2003 06:56pm | #9

   That's why I stated it from a "business" point of view on purchasing a small drum sander.  From a "hobbiest" side, I think finding a local shop is still a good choice.  Being in the middle nowhere, as I am now, a performax would help me get by, since I have not found any local shops who run their machines for out side clientele.  As you put it, once you have used "bigger and better" it is hard to go back.  It's just hard to not want to run all your wider cabinet parts through a wider machine.  If this wasn't the case I would still  be using smoothing planes,jack planes, scrapers, and chisels for my finish work

   Now, as to the "Altendorf thing", I have owned a EMA 52" sliding saw(for 15 years), a SCMI 104" sliding saw and a Powermatic 66.  I sold the EMA when I bought the bigger SCMI(still preferred the EMA over the more expensive SCMI) and I sold the SCMI before I moved up to Washington.  I still own my Powermatic66 and would never think of selling it.  Bigger can be nicer, but not always better, which includes versitility.