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I see a few downsides to building a drum sander from this plan but I think it would serve well for back/sides/top. Has anyone had any luck building their own thickness sander like this? I like how the adjustment is from the bottom on a pivot point. I think when it is all said and done it would be around $200. You can find an examples below with the plan.

http://www.rockslide.org/drum%20sander.html
http://www.areddy.net/wood/tools.html
http://www.rockslide.org/Images/drum%20sander.pdf

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Time is a great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all its pupils - Louis Hector Berlioz

Chansen / C hansen / C. Hansen / Christian Hansen - not a handle.

Christian

christian, I am in the middle of the rockslide one. I have made a few changes to the dimensions, but not much different after that. It is a kind of cool feeling producing a machine. hopefully it will work well. I assume it will if the table is set to the drum properly, and it has enough power.

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It is better to try and fail, than never try at all

Please provide your cost of build (if you do not mind). The reason I ask is because my analysis suggested that you could buy one (albiet a 10-20) for about the same money, especially if you include the conveyor. You have to shop smart, but 10-20s can be had for $450 (or even less if you don't mind used). Without a conveyor, the risks of uneven sanding and burning increase.

However, if ever there was a tool destined to be shop built, the thickness sander is it!

Good luck,

Mike

Christian-
I've built several thickness sanders and they all worked OK. Power feed is tricky to manage in a homebuilt, but it can be done.

I agree with Mike's point on the cost. Unless you have some components in your 'junk box' already (motor(s), pulleys, stuff for the platen, etc) it's probably cheaper to buy a Performax or knock-off.

It's a bit more tricky to sand evenly with a hand-fed machine ('Arm-strong power feed'), but it can be done. Don't make the table/planten too long, or you won't be able to 'grab' the workpiece and pull it through the sander. Power feed is a real luxury- with the wider machines you can feed 'sideways' to sand cross-grain and avoid some of the resin buildup with rosewoods. Much quicker too.

The plans you've got seem like a good starting point. Either build the drum low-mass so that vibration is not such an issue, or build a husky frame that won't shake.

The MIMF Library also has some thickness sander plans.
http://www.mimf.com/library/catalog_plans.htm#tools

Building your own tools is fun, I think.

Cheers
John

Christian, there is a plan for a drum sander with feed on the disc in the mail. I think its in the first folder, #86. It needs to be widened, but that's easy enough.

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Aoibeann

Mike, if you were asking me, the cost of build so far(everything but sand paper and velcro) is about...? home depot scrap bin frame-@$6. 22" wide drum-@$6. 3/4" shaft-$12? Bearings and pillow blocks and pulleys-$50. the velcro and sand paper is pretty expensive it seems, but the table, motor, belt, hinges, and all else will be scraps I have around I think. I don't have more than an hour or so in it either. About $75 so far. I'll let you know total when it is done

Robert Dunn

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It is better to try and fail, than never try at all

Maybe I've been looking in the wrong spots, but the cheapest I've seen the 10-20 is $600-$650. I might also be a bit low on the build cost because no, I don't have too many scraps (but could get them). If I did go ahead with it, I would build it low mass so it could be set on a bench. The thing I like is that I could build it just for the width I need and not too much more. Maybe it's not a great idea - I'll let Robert tell me how it goes since he is already using the same plans.

_________________
Time is a great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all its pupils - Louis Hector Berlioz

Chansen / C hansen / C. Hansen / Christian Hansen - not a handle.

Christian

I built my own a few years ago & am very happy with it. It has feed rollers which aren't as handy as a belt, but they work well enough & rollers are a little easier to build.
If I did it again, I'd design it with a belt, though.
The problem with the usual design shop-built sander, without power feed, is that (if you're not really careful) it can fire your precious workpiece back at you at an alarming velocity.
It's much safer if you have a helper to pull the wood through from the outfeed end.
One piece of advice I would give anyone planning to build their own is to buy the drum. Grizzly sells their 25" drum for around $90.00 IIRC. (It was several years ago when I last checked)
My drum is MDF discs stacked on a 1" steel shaft & it has gone out of round twice since I built the rig.
I have used several shop built thickness sanders & all did a good job for A LOT less money than an equivalent manufactured unit.

Rod True pointed me in the direction of a 10/20 on Craigslist. It was the full monty, stand, in/out feed and barely used . It even came with two boxes of sandpaper. My memory is a bit fuzzy, but I know I didn't spend more than $500 for it. So they are out there. Patience is a virtue. In the mean time... start gathering.

Like you, I had intended to build mine. I gather up most of the bits and pieces. Got a 1/4" thick aluminum 4" pipe either from eBay or from Metals on Line (they are just this side of Freemont on the lake). Keep your eye out for hardwood pallets. The frame doesn't have to be beautiful, just sturdy.

Watch Craigslist for old tablesaws. I picked up one for free, just to get the 1hp 110/220 motor. You can sell the metal for scrap after you take what you want off of it, like knobs and wheels.

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Aoibeann

I just built one too...

It was too wet in my shop, between 55% and 65%. So in between making jigs for a prototype lap steel I got to making a thickness sander. It turns out, (after some final shimming) to be accurate to +-.006 over a 20" width. Not bad for a pile of scrap cherry that was saved from a burn pile. I set it up with a switch box that turns on both the sander and the shop vac. Nice feature since I never remember to turn the vac on... The hardest part of the whole build was wrapping the paper. I couldn't seem to get it to wrap perfect and tight turns out good enough is actually good enough. Now I don't have fingerprints...

Here it what I had laying around already: (free?)
- 1/2hp motor
- 3/4" shaft
- Misc pulleys
- Pile of scrap cherry
- Particle board scrap (for drum)
- 3/4" ply for table (glued up double thickness)
- Laminate (scavenged from a dumpster)
- Outlet and switch

Had to purchase:
- Belt $5
- Piano hinge $8
- Height adjustment hardware (threaded rod, bolt, wing nut etc) $6
- Pillow blocks $24
- 80 grit abrasive roll (10 yds) $15
- Electrical box and cover plate $5
- Dust extraction fitting $5

$68 total. It adds up... But still cheaper than the alternative.

I'll spare you explanations for each image and just share the lot. I had fun with this one and an excited to put it to work. So much easier than a sanding disk in a drill press. If there are any questions hit me up, I'll do my best to help out.







I recommend building one. Do it. You will not regret it. I have used it a ton and can't understand why I didn't do it sooner. Hope this helps...

_Mike

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_Mike Tracz
MCT Guitars
https://www.instagram.com/mustcreatethings/
https://www.youtube.com/mustcreatethings

I built the Rockslide sander a couple of years ago and it has served me well. I had a motor and some of the hardware. Bought pillow blocks on Ebay. The motor is from an old treadmill. I don't think I put $60 U.S. dollars into it. I always stand on the side when pushing wood through it and have never had a problem with wood flying out of it either. Go for it.
Doug

I built my own for ukuleles. Now I will have to build a new one for guitar widths.
Some thoughts:
A barbecue cart makes a portable stand at the right height, often for free.

6" dia PVC drain pipe makes a good drum (scrap on many construction sites).

2X6 studs make a solid frame for cheap.

A fine-dust control system is important.(shop-vac filters are not enough)

1 1/2" wide emery-tape wraps on the drum better than 2 1/2" sandpaper (no kinks)

1/3 hp motor will work (sort of) but one horse is better.

Mounting the motor below the drum gives a more stable ballance.

These are a few ideas for your consideration.

Bob

Christian,
I built one several years ago and it worked well enough, but not having a power feed made it a bit of a pain. I replaced it a couple of years ago with a 22/44. I may very well still have some parts around like carrier bearings, roller, etc. You're welcome to have them if I find them. I'll let you know.

I would reccomend going over to Equipment Sales and Surplus in Auburn and buying a Jet drum sander. They sell scratch and dent stuff there at a considerable savings.

Doug

I haven't been by Equipment Sales & Service in a while - they do have the best deals though. I bought a jointer and bandsaw from them (ended up selling the jointer for more than I bought it on craigslist). I work near there and should stop by tomorrow to see what they have. I'm just toying with the idea of DIY - let me know though if you find those parts - that may help my decision.

_________________
Time is a great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all its pupils - Louis Hector Berlioz

Chansen / C hansen / C. Hansen / Christian Hansen - not a handle.

Christian

Hey guys hope you dont mind if i could ask a few dumb questions
i dont know anything about this kind of stuff but ive got this crappy working bandsaw
and this thread inspires me to do it
Ive got a suitable stainless shaft and those pillows so i just need to make a drum

1. how is the drum attached to the shaft ? ..i take it that it dosent spin freely

2. Ive read that someone used a pvc pipe .. i can get 1" thick water mains pipe
would that be suitable (with ply filler? ) is weight an issue here ?

3. Would a pulley system/belt from a washing machine be suitable ..
and how is it attached onto the shaft ?

Thanks for looking if you know a link that explains all this
that would be brilliant
tomas

You can try epoxy, but I would not count on it for the long haul. McMaster.com (McMaster-Carr) has a lot of shaft collars that make sense. Consider go-kart axles. They are keyed the whole way.

Your little bandsaw motor will probably not work.

Tomas:
I had a similar bandsaw and the motor didn't last too long. It might be easier to source a used 'standard' motor (used- it needn't be pretty)- simpler to mount and if it breaks you can easily replace it. Also, if you are going to make a guitar-sized (ie 20"+) sander, more power is better. (1 HP?) You can get away with less power but you will be taking very light cuts.
You might be able to make a belt sander out of the bandsaw?

I don't like working with stainless much- hard to drill/machine, but it should do.

If you are using the 'stack of discs' method, one way is to put a pin (bolt or even a nail) through the shaft and then make a slot in one of the discs. Glue up on the shaft with epoxy or PU.

The heavier the drum the more vibration can be an issue. Also, you will need to 'true up' the drum somehow, so keep that in mind. Is this PVC watermain pipe? That should work. The bigger the diameter of the pipe, the longer the sandpaper should last. You wouldn't need a solid filler- just a couple of substantial end caps which you could make with a router circle cutter or on a lathe.

You need to work out the drum speed you want (check the specs on commercial machines) and get a pulley combo that works with the rpm of your motor. You should put a keyway into the shaft, but I think some folks get away with just driving the pulley setscrew into a 'dimple' drilled into the shaft. If you have vibration from the drum, the setscrew will tend to loosen- threadlocker (reversible) is a good idea.
If the motor rpm is close to the desired rpm of the drum, you can just join the motor to the end of the drum shaft. A proper flex coupling is best, but I used a sander for several years that just used hose clamps and a chunk of heavy hose as a coupling. It's amazing how 'claptrap' some things can be and still work. That said, make sure you put proper covers over the pulleys/belt to keep from catching your clothing/limbs in the machine.

We're not allowed to scavenge in the local dump (aka 'tip') any more- that used to be a great 'hunting ground' for parts! Sometimes metal recyclers can provide 'stuff'.
Cheers
John

thanks for taking the time explaining the whole process to me
you saved me alot of bother
im going to find a bigger motor before i look more into this
cant thank you enough

ps if you want to go to the dump bring the dog and say he took off after a rat
worked for me for the last 2 years
thanks again
tomas

http://www.surplustraders.net for motors

The pin method is probably the cheapest and most used technique. I would want to use a precision ground shaft for balance (flex mitigation), but then you will have trouble drilling that.

Check the above site for motors.

Mike

i just thought of a place that has an old convayor belt and motor
its been left outside for months with scrap
i dont know anything about it but its pretty big 1hp judging by the size

the only thing i know about non working motors is the smell of
a burnt out one

would it be salvagable if i were to dry it out
if so is their some other telltale signs of a non working one
thanks for the help guys
tomas

Tomas-
There should be a spec plate on the motor. If you can find it, check the voltage and phase to make sure it matches your shop supply.
If the motor shaft is disconnected from the machine, you should be able to turn it by hand. Feel for bad bearings.
Get some expert on-the-spot advice if you don't know your way around motors and electricity.
Other than that, it's mostly a 'stand back and turn it on' sort of thing.

Cheers
John

When it comes to shop-built tools, you might want to consider the cost of "not finishing it" or the cost of "tossing it after you built it" if it does not work. I know, that seems terribly negative. I went down this path and agonized and researched endlessly. Finally, one day, I saw one for sale on ebay, NIB, scratch & dent for $450. Instead of spending my time building one, I was off and running building a guitar. Never found the scratch or the dent! Trust me, there is plenty o'nuff jig building to satisfy that creative tool building scratch.

However, If I cannot convince you, it does appear to me that you missed that plan for a thickness sander that uses your table saw motor to power it. Just clamp the rig to your saw, attach a belt to the arbor, lower to tighten and you are off to the races! http://www.woodworkstuff.net/EDTSander.html

Nice platten design as well.

Mike

PS: I like the one built out of ash much better! MDF is so vulnerable. You can get printing press rollers suitable for the conveyor on ebay for cheap. You won't have to worry about the piece being ejected.

You can also purchase a dc gearbox motor and controller to move the conveyor. You are getting up there in cost, but a 25" width more than makes up for it!

Good points Mike. I will research it a bit more and see what pieces I have and what I need. I stopped by a surplus place today and the sell the 10-20 for $500. It is hit or miss if they have one in stock - they get truckloads of scratch and dent directly from Jet. Today they didn't have any. I'll track my progress here if I do end up making one.

_________________
Time is a great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all its pupils - Louis Hector Berlioz

Chansen / C hansen / C. Hansen / Christian Hansen - not a handle.

Christian

$500 for a surplus/scratch & dent is an excellent price. And, no shipping charges. Patience is the name of the game. Give the guy your name and have him call you while you are off building, say, a Williams binding jig. With shipping, mine came to $510. Oh, and if you do get one, make sure to remove the plastic block between the belt and the drum. Don't ask me why I am emphasizing this.

Mike