Running Low on Elbow grease! Drum Sanders?

R

Rhinoknives1

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Jul 1, 2013
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I have described the process of tacking down a sheet of sandpaper on a piece of tempered glass or marble to flatten out Scale sets for other new makers.

I've been at this a few years and I'm running out of elbow grease to get these scales nice & flat. ;)
I've already had Carpel Tunnel & Cubical Tunnel "Elbow" surgery on one arm and am looking for recommendations for a Drum Sander that will get scales nice & flat in a few passes.

I'm currently looking at the, Grizzly G0716 - 10" Drum Sander.

Could others with experience with a drum sander or other tool/machine please share their brand of machine and any tips they may have on how to do this when they are already cut into book matched sets?

Thanks.
 
how about that Kalamazoo S4 rotated 90 degrees?
remember the video on my IG you commented on?
would that work for you?
 
Whats wrong with a 6x48 flat sander or a 4x 36 .

the bad word on the griz is DRUM , round not good for flats
 
I just use a fresh 60 grit belt and my 2x72. I would like to find a 6x48 or disc sander but my belt grinder works just fine.
 
A disc sander or flat platen belt sander is what you need, not a drum.
 
Thanks for all of the replies,
I have a 6 x 48 and a 9' disc attachment on my Hardcore machine. Still touching up on glass for a final flatness.
So nothing to be gained with a drum sander?
 
Having used a drum sander and a disc sander to refinish floors I can definitely say a drum sander is not the tool you want.
 
I believe he's talking about a drum sander much like a planer but uses sand paper to remove wood. They are very accurate for their purpose, having used them for years drum sanding 90 thousandths at the thick end of wood strips that get skinnier by .002 for every inch in length for making laminations for recurve bows. The problem with them is they "snipe" about two inches in from each end much like a planer does. There are "fixes" but trust me they aren't complete fixes. I can't imagine doing small knife scale blocks unless your lining them up end to end and continually feeding several through as one long piece. JMHO
 
Laurence, I use a 4x36 but I would use my 9 inch disc if I didn't have the 4x36. The disc will flatten your scales just fine in my opinion. Larry
 
MY KBC tools 6x48 flattens scales nicely.

I then take them to a glass plate and sand paper to insure they are perfect.

You can get some great belts for the 6x48 from TruGrit. I use the blue zirc and they have lasted a a very long time.
 
LCoop said:
I believe he's talking about a drum sander much like a planer but uses sand paper to remove wood. They are very accurate for their purpose, having used them for years drum sanding 90 thousandths at the thick end of wood strips that get skinnier by .002 for every inch in length for making laminations for recurve bows. The problem with them is they "snipe" about two inches in from each end much like a planer does. There are "fixes" but trust me they aren't complete fixes. I can't imagine doing small knife scale blocks unless your lining them up end to end and continually feeding several through as one long piece. JMHO
Click to expand...

Thanks for reading my post in its entirety,;) Yes, A drum sander, I had that "snipe" problem with a Planer as well and thought there may be issues doing the small scales with a Drum Sander..:confused:

I'm trying to get out of the final hand sand, Doesn't look like its going to happen.

Has anyone used a DRUM Sander for Scales? Please chine in if you have.

Thanks everyone.
 
I use the Rod Neilsen magnet disc with a variable speed. It will do a complete job , Lawrence but I believe the variable speed is necessary. Since I use it for folder work I also use it for the metal on the bolsters and blade.
Frank
 
Remember that even a flat disc is not moving at the same speed across the face of the disc. I like Stacy's solution of the big flatbed belt sander assuming is has a truly flat platen.
 
I have one of these in my woodshop and it works great for bringing relatively thin wood, bone down.
I used it recently to clean up a steel tool rest table.
Kinda spendy for what you are talking about though.
Jet2244.jpg
 
If you use a helical head planer (or jointer if you don't care about the sides being perfectly parallel), you can achieve pretty awesome results. low feed rates are key. I can get an equivalent finish to about 220-320 grit straight off of my jointer, even on highly figured burls. Even when they are not stabilized. If you do this, don't skimp on the motor. You don't want the cutter head to dog at all.

Anyway, I find a planer to be far more useful in general than a drum sander.
 
joedhiggins said:
If you use a helical head planer (or jointer if you don't care about the sides being perfectly parallel), you can achieve pretty awesome results. low feed rates are key. I can get an equivalent finish to about 220-320 grit straight off of my jointer, even on highly figured burls. Even when they are not stabilized. If you do this, don't skimp on the motor. You don't want the cutter head to dog at all.

Anyway, I find a planer to be far more useful in general than a drum sander.
Click to expand...

Don't really care about the sides being parallel, I have mostly stabilized sets of scales. in roughly, 1 1/2" x 6" x 3/8"-1/2" in thickness.
Could you share the brand & model of machine that you are using?
Thank you.
 
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