Replies

1. 
   RickL | Dec 02, 2005 06:53pm | #1

   What brand?  As long as it's not Kuster you probably can get a manual. If it's a Kuster get a manual from another manufacturer to use as a guide. The big difference between most drum sanders is velcro paper or non-velcro paper. My Lobo at home  is non velcro and our woodmaster in the shop is velcro.

1. 
   user-57280 | Dec 03, 2005 12:44am | #2

   how do you like your woodmaster?  Doyou like the velcro sandpaper?  which model do you have?  Is the 7hp motor enough?

    

   Thanks

   trevor

    

2. 
   ackkacilliac | Dec 04, 2005 05:29am | #4

   GI 15-250.

   I have the owner's manual which says nothing except the most basic obvious stuff about  sanding  with it.

     i.e   what causes snipe. I live with it on the planer but I wouln not expect it on this thing. 

   Ken

3. 
   stephengaal | Dec 06, 2005 12:41am | #10

   I am looking at the Woodmaster 26" or a similar but cheaper Grizzly or Woodtek. Any thoughts?Stephen J. Gaal

    

    

1. 
   RickL | Dec 06, 2005 06:26pm | #11

   I consider them to be more alike than different. I myself prefer the non-velcro models. My Lobo (no longer being made but Lobo is a good industrial company) has  rubber coated steel drums.  Our Woodmaster has velcro and can round the edges a bit from multiple passes. These are meant to be sanders not thicknessers so you only remove a few thousandths at a pass.

   If you are only concerned with sanding to remove planer marks and such and can spare a bit more room and spending less money I would get a strke sander. I know a lot of professional shops who have only a stroke sander and no widebelt. Even in the big shops I worked in we had a widebelt and several stroke sanders. Especially great for  veneer work. The famous Silas Kopf uses one for his marquetry. I even put a stroke sander in a custom metal shop I used to work for. I've bought used stroke sanders for as little as a few hundred dollars. Very simple, low tech machines, kind of considered obsolete by many but they are truly mistaken. They overlap some functions of a widebelt. You can sand wider pieces than a widebelt for one. Depends on what you do but a stroke sander is a great tool.

   Best source for abrasives is

   http://www.industrialabrasives.com/index.html

   Lowest minimum on custom stuff too!

2. 
   MStehelin | Dec 03, 2005 01:08am | #3

   I just got a general double drum sander.
   This is what I have learned:
   -File/sand the slot where the paper is pinched through the drum. These areas although beveled proved to be sources of wear and breakage. The more rounded the less chance of breaking.
   -Take up as much slack as possible at the beginning.
   -Tighten the paper after a few initial passes
   -Don't move the drum every pass like a planer. Just run the piece through a couple of times before raising the bed.
   -Pine gums your paper. Have a big ol rubber belt cleaner handy. I Just open the top and carefully clean each drum. Don't get caught in the moving drums!!!
   -I'm looking for the type of tape used in creating sanding belts. Then I Can use the broken drum sander paper in my belt sander. Any one know what tape I should use?
   Regards,
   M.Stehelin

1. 
   ackkacilliac | Dec 04, 2005 05:34am | #5

   Hi.

   Thankyou for the information.  Mine is a GI 15-250. 

   Ken

3. 
   DougF | Dec 04, 2005 06:28pm | #6

   I have a 25" dual-head 5-hp ProforMax so my experience may be similar to what you will experience.

   You asked about snipe: usually it is caused by feeding the wood at an angle that is not perfectly parallel to the drums.  Overly aggressive cuts can also account for some snipe but usually it is the feed angle.

   I never use the depth gauge except for rough approximations.  I start the feed belt and keep adjusting the height until the primary roller is barely engaged and add a slight fraction of a turn.   Then I set the height of secondary roller based on how I have the grits set up.  This will prevent overly aggressive first passes that can cause snipe, burning and stalling.  Only then do I power the heads and run the stock through.

   Glue lines: Scrape off ALL excess glue before running boards through the sander unless you are using really aggressive grits (30 - 60).  For finishing grits (100-220) When you make your first passes, be sure to angle the boards relative to the drums so the same point on the paper is not continuously in contact with glue line.  Failure to do this will cause built-up on the surface of the paper than can not be removed with the gum stick and it will burn the wood.

   Woods with high sugar content such as maple and cherry and woods with high resin content such as fir and pine, are extremely easy to burn so light passes with finish paper is a must.  If fact, with a 3hp motor, I think light passes are required with any grit.

   Once I have the the material to the desired thickness, I then finish sand, usually with 120 on the primary roller and 180 on the secondary roller.  Sometimes I go with 150 and 220, depending on the wood.  The finish sand is done in 3 passes, usually without lowering the heads on each successive pass.  The material is fed at an angle from the right, then from the left and the final pass is down the middle.  The reason for this is will quickly become apparent since a fixed belt or drum sander will leave striations from the straight-line sanding action.  The only way to beat this is to use an oscillating belt sanding machine - very expensive.  The 3-pass system seems to lessen the amount of final finish with a ROS and/or scrapper.    

   These machines tend to have fairly long belts so tension and alignment is very important to minimize power loss.

   As previously mention by another Knoter, check you roll paper and readjust after the machine has run for 30 seconds or so and after the first sanding pass.  The paper will stretch as it heats up.

   Bulk roll paper is cheaper than pre-cut rolls but only buy bulk from reputable sources: any variations in the width of the paper will cause significant problems in installation.

   Hope this helps.

   Doug

1. 
   ackkacilliac | Dec 04, 2005 08:35pm | #7

   Hi

    Thanks. Lots of information there and it is the kind of thing I was looking for.

   Ken

2. 
   MStehelin | Dec 04, 2005 10:44pm | #8

   Doug,

   Any suggestions for a good bulk paper supplier?

   Also any suggestions on changing paper without using three hands and losing your sanity??

   M.Stehelin

1. 
   DougF | Dec 05, 2005 05:28pm | #9

   http://www.onlineindustrialsupply.com/drsaro.html

   http://www.abrasivesales.com/quickord.asp?title=Abrasive%20Cloth%20Rolls%20for%20Drum%20Sanders&req=clothrol

   http://store.sandpaper.ca/catalogue/default.php?cPath=173

   http://www.cabinetmart.com/92.html

   http://www.abrasiveresource.com/category.jsp;jsessionid=ikQ2lrbkzAe9zqr7?category=10260

    

   I puled this list from a file I keep on hand.  I have used two of these suppliers and as I recall, online industries was the last one I used and they were okay.  I had a problem with one of the boxes on width but they made it good without any questions or delays.  You could also check with Grizzly.  I now buy through a local industrial supplier since they give me a commerical discount.

    

   Regarding 3 hands, I haven't found that that is a problem.  I do wear a gloves since as I wind the paper I am using one hand to turn the drum and keep some tension to get a tight wrap.  When I get to the take-up clamp, I hold the paper/tension in place with one hand hold it in place using a piece of foil-backed duct tape on the roll and right-hand drum edge and with then insert the tail in the take-up clamp.  I run the machine for a little while and ajust for any slack. 

    

   Doug