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Hi Pat,
I tried Woodmaster Tools, ( one of them) and they show their huge white drum sanders but could not find the backer and paper.
Which specifid Woodmaster site did you buy them from.
RonaldD
Haileybury, ON

Pat
I found the accessories,
How many yards/feet of 4 inch backing is needed?
Ronald

Ron,

How much you need depends on the size of the drum you made. You need to calculate the area of the drum and get the same area of velcro. For example:

if your drum has a 6" dia and is 20" wide then its surface area is 6 X 20 X 3.14 = 376.8 square inches
divide the drum surface area by the width of the velcro (say 4") and you get 376.8/4 = 94.2" length or about 8 feet. In this case I'd get 10 or 11 feet to allow for trimming on the ends.

Pat

_________________
There are three kinds of people:

Those that make things happen,
those that watch things happen,
and those that wondered what happened.

Thanks Pat,

Pat,
At the risk of being such a bother; where in ontario can I order the pillow blocks, pullies and belt?
I imagine that the pillow block ID as to be in consideration of the shaft?
Ronald
I have been looking for a drum sander plan that is both aesthetical , practical and functional for so long...
Ronald

Ron,
No need to order. All those things can be had at Canadian Tire. More than just tires! Another source would be Princess Auto if that is more convenient for you. Yes, you want the pillow block ID to be suitable for the shaft.
Pat

_________________
There are three kinds of people:

Those that make things happen,
those that watch things happen,
and those that wondered what happened.

Hello Pat,
I see that the outfeed end of the flatbed is closer to the drum then the infeed,
What is the maximum thickness lumber stock that can be sanded?
Ronald

The maximum thickness you can sand (within reason of the design) will just depend on the length of thread you have on the bolt that raises and lowers the table provided you allowed for that and didn't limit yourself by structure holding the table. In my case, I think I can run wood up to about two inches max.

Pat

_________________
There are three kinds of people:

Those that make things happen,
those that watch things happen,
and those that wondered what happened.

Do you remember how much this cost you to make? Because I think I might try and make it this weekend.

I have a 1/4 hp motor. do you thing it will be strong enough?

I have a third horse motor on a fourteen inch and it works but is no powerhouse. I would recommend half horse as a base. If all you have is a quarter, try it and see. Changing motors on a belt drive is not rocket science.

Bob

thank! its what I had laying around the shop. what was your motor from? I was going to get just big fan motor but they guy at the place said it wouldn't work for what I want to do.

I don't know much of anything about motors and searches turn up items with prices ranging from ten bucks to several hundred dollars. I find this confusing. So... I'm wondering if this type of motor would be suitable for this application.

http://cgi.ebay.com/DAYTON-1-2-HP-Indus ... 2a1165d4a0

Anyone?

Thanks,

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George :-)

I made a drum sander very similar to the one shown in the plans. Used it a lot before I build a Kuster Drum Sander from a set of old plans they used to sell. The one that I built with the piano henge set up had a longer infeed and outfeed area than in the plans. I did this so I could use a sled set up when pushing the wood through the sander. It made it much easier to keep even pressure on the wood being sanded so that divots across the board could be maintained. The sled was just a flat piece of mdf board with a right angle board with hand cutouts attached to one end. About six or so inches from the handle I put a narrow stop across the sled to hold the piece being sanded in place. It worked suprisingly well. From time to time, very narrow pieces would jump the stop, but the board with the hand cutouts would stop it. Probably not the best set up, but it worked for a long time. I used a 2 horse motor on the unit and could sand a board 18 inches across.

I am currently building a sander from Pat's plans but had a quick question on the steel bar to use... Can I use just cold rolled steel or do I need to use high carbon or drill rod... I have 1" ID pillow blocks and was planning on using drill rod but didn't realize it's oversized so getting the shaft into the bearings isn't going to happen (easily).

Anyway, just hoping to get some insight on how to move forward with the project!

By the way, thank you Pat for putting these plans together, I really appreciate it!

_________________
"Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never--in nothing, great or small, large or petty--never give in, except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy." - Winston Churchill

Hey Aaron,
See if there's a Metal Super Market location near you, and tell them you want Turned, Ground, and Polished shafting. It's precision made and slides right into the bearing, and it's very straight.

_________________
Regards,
Phillip Patton

http://www.pattonblades.com

The bitterness of poor quality lingers long after the sweetness of low price has faded.

https://hoosierbladesmith.wordpress.com

There's one right next door to my local Tandy Leather and I had no idea... Thanks Phillip! Should have just emailed you in the first place...

_________________
"Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never--in nothing, great or small, large or petty--never give in, except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy." - Winston Churchill

Trying again...

Bearings, rods, etc. are no problem for me, but I'm not sure about the motor. I could use a little guidance. Does the one at the link below seem suitable?

http://cgi.ebay.com/Dayton-1-2-Horsepow ... 1e6492ba5a

Thanks,

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George :-)

Not enough HP. I would look for 1.5 - 2 HP.

_________________
David Malicky

Thanks for your response. The plans call for a .5 HP/1750 RPM motor. My question is not about the power of the motor. I'm just trying to find confirmation that the motor at the link will work with these plans. The 2,678 motors I found on eBay all look pretty similar to me, yet they range widely in price. I don't understand why this is and I am hoping someone with a greater understanding of electric motors can say, "Yeah, that would work." Or, "No, that one runs the wrong direction. Try this one..." or some such thing.

Thanks again,

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George :-)

Yes, searching for a motor on ebay is an adventure. I see that one is sold. You'll probably want a ~115V, AC, single phase, 1725 rpm, foot-mounted, capacitor-start motor, with nameplate/rated amps of 15 or less. Some tips:
All 110-120 V AC motors are single phase (can plug into a std wall outlet; most motors on ebay are 3 phase).
Speeds will be generally either ~1725 or ~3450 rpm. 1725 is preferred for most apps; 3450 has 1/2 torque and is usually less $ (but fine if 2x the HP with same pulleys).
Rotation on most name brand "general purpose" motors will be reversible with a wiring change. Or move the pulleys to the other side of the drum.
Look for at least one cylindrical capacitor cover on the motor body ("capacitor start" / "capacitor run")--these motors have more torque on startup, are always single phase, and usually ~115V (larger ones may be 230V).
http://images.harborfreight.com/cpi/pho ... /36039.gif
(Many motors have no protrusions on the body except maybe a rectangular wiring box... these are either 3-phase or single-phase "split phase" motors)
http://www.inverter-china.com/blog/uplo ... otor-b.jpg
Mounting is either by the foot (most common and generally easiest), the front face ("C-face" or "56C"), both, or other (probably avoid).
Best brands: Baldor, Reliance, Leeson, Marathon. Good brands: GE, Emerson, AO Smith, Dayton, WEG, Magnetek, many others.
Used motors are generally fine, unless ancient or corroded.
Most motor casings are either ODP (Open Drip Proof--open on each end) or TE (Totally Enclosed--sealed); the latter is preferred for dusty environments, but many woodworking motors are ODP as they're cheaper.
A grounded wall plug is usually not wired; get an electrician if you aren't sure how to wire it (or reverse it).

Pat's plan shows a 2:5 speed reduction; this slows the drum and increases torque, allowing the 1/2 HP 1725rpm motor to work. Sanding would be faster with more motor HP and more rpm at the drum. (Increase the motor pulley size as HP goes up... a 1.5HP motor could run at 1:1, though that might be too fast for a wooden drum.)

Here are some lower $ ones that would work:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Dayton-3-4-Horsepow ... 0708440364
http://cgi.ebay.com/EMERSON-1-2-HORSEPO ... 0633698480
http://cgi.ebay.com/GE-AC-MOTOR-NEW-MOD ... 0716446820 (wired as 1725)
http://cgi.ebay.com/DAYTON-CAPACITOR-AC ... 0607964752
http://cgi.ebay.com/GE-C1156-3-4HP-1-PH ... 0580278828
http://cgi.ebay.com/DAYTON-3-4-HP-Belt- ... 0740727514
http://cgi.ebay.com/5-8-HP-LEESON-ELECT ... 0545072043
http://cgi.ebay.com/Sears-Craftsman-Tab ... 0599847531
I'd probably get this one (1.5 HP, 15 amps, TE, USA): http://cgi.ebay.com/1-5-HP-ELECTRIC-MOT ... 0570008581

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David Malicky

Thanks for the info! While I've been reading up on motors all week it's great to get advice and insight from someone here. I appreciate the help.

Best,

_________________
George :-)

One more, including power cord and on/off switch:
https://www.surpluscenter.com/item.asp? ... e=electric
(1HP and 3450, so use same pulleys to get same torque at 2x speed)

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David Malicky

Have you seen this plan for $10?
http://www.plansnow.com/dn3078.html
It's pretty cool I think. You can make it larger it you like or make it a stand alone easy enough.
They even have an edge sander plan also.
http://www.plansnow.com/shoptools.html

My neighbor and I were just talking about rigging up something similar. That's pretty funny.

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George :-)

I have 4 of the plans from them (I've only built from the work bench plan though)and there is also a lot of good ideas that can be gained from them. Things like a turning and cutting jigs to make the mdf drum. One of these days I want to build that drum sander, maybe a tad smaller for thicknessing FB's and well you know the smaller stuff.