Thread: Carbatec wds-400 drum sander

Hmm - wonder what that says, seeing as they are still a current model, and I'm currently considering one.....

I had difficulty fitting the paper when I first got mine. In fact I want back to Carba-Tec to get them to show me how to load the paper. The dam thing is too heavy to take back so wanted to see if I had a problem or not first. Took the bloke there a few goes before he had any success. I suspect that your problem is locking in the finishing end. I found that I had to reduce the width of the piece that goes into the gripping device before it would grab. Also, the instructions don't make you aware of how to hold the gripping device open. Re the paper. At the moment I am using the paper I purchased from Carba-Tec, and once you crack the code, it stays around the drum OK. I did purchase a length of different grits and cut my own without success. The backing was too thin and could not be held for any period of time. Others on the forum have purchased rolls and cut their own with success. Once you figure out how to load the paper, it is a great piece of equipment.

Hey stu, remember a certain conversation.............................................?

As Bob said I had similar problems but after practice it is not too hard just fiddly. There is a "bolt" thingy in the frame which you can push in to help hold the clip open on the drum while you thread the paper. Not easy to explain - easier to show.

The parallel adjustment of the drum to the feed table can be a PITA also but it can be done.

Persevere with it as I was ready to throw mine away but now find it very useful. This week I have been sanding some redgum that I have cut from old fence posts and it has come up a treat. Do not try to take off too much at each pass as it might stop the feed belt.

A dust collector is a must - 2HP is much better than the recommended minimum 1HP.

Hope that helps

thanks for the replies everybody,

when loading the sandpaper, do you start from the left and work to your right, or start at the right hand side near the motor, i will take a look for the bolt which is supposed to hold the clamping jaw open, it is a 2000 model so i dont know if it has this feature.

i looked at the jet 16-32 and it has a much easier way of loading the paper, if anybody is thinking of buying either model, i would recommend the jet model for sure.

hi fozz, your post does'nt really help me much, can you tell me what conversation you are talking about, maybe it will help me with this old beast.

hi chesand, what is the maximum you would take off, is it different if you are working with hard or softwood?
i hope these questions are not to basic or stupid, i prefer to learn from the horses mouth, not dodgy salesmen.

cheers, justin.

Originally Posted by justinmcf

thanks for the replies everybody,

when loading the sandpaper, do you start from the left and work to your right, or start at the right hand side near the motor, i will take a look for the bolt which is supposed to hold the clamping jaw open, it is a 2000 model so i dont know if it has this feature.

You must always put the paper from the outside and work inwards holding it firmly in place as you go. The 'bolt' is spring loaded to hold it out of the way when sanding.


hi chesand, what is the maximum you would take off, is it different if you are working with hard or softwood?

I don't tend to measure each pass but usually 1/3 to 1/2 a turn of the handle until I reach the thickness I need.
It does depend on the timber and state of the sandpaper. If you try to take too much in a pass the machine will struggle or even jam and you end up with a nasty hollow in the timber

i hope these questions are not to basic or stupid, i prefer to learn from the horses mouth, not dodgy salesmen.

cheers, justin.

The only stupid question is the one that you do not ask

Hope that helps

Sorry about the colour mixup

Originally Posted by Stuart

Hmm - wonder what that says, seeing as they are still a current model, and I'm currently considering one.....

Put your money to better use and get a super heavy duty Rolls Royce belt sander with sanding frame (BS105) you will not be disappointed

well i cant argue with you there lignum,
i am glad i got the chance to use the wds-400 for a day, my mate bought it, he paid $300.

i told him he should have given me the money, i would have bought the festool bs-105!

you cant buy experience, i will never buy second hand crap based on this experience i had with my mates sander.

festool.........here we come!

thanks everybody for the great advice, i will try to put the sandpaper on from the outside and work my way in towards the motor, you never know, i might have a use for the old relic yet!

@ Fozz - haven't forgotten the conversation, although I've heard there are ways of making that less of an issue - basically 2 passes (or more) without changing the height end up producing an accurate pass

@ Lignum - it is an interesting point, although I'm not sure how that would work to produce accurately thicknessed boards, at least as easy as a dedicated machine. The proof would really be in the seeing - perhaps I need to convince Anthony to let me do a review!

FWIW, I headed into Carbatec yesterday to do some serious shopping. Came out with a (yet to be collected) 15" thicknesser (I was debating between it and the 20"). Wish I could have afforded one with a helical head, but that is well out of my price range.

I had a close look at the drum sander, and perhaps it is quite telling that I chose not to buy it.

So now I'm at a bit of a loose end what to do. Just want a good solution at an acceptable price.

hi stu, how much did you pay for the thicknesser?

i paid $1350 for a dewalt dw 735 13" thicknesser last year.

never big enough.

the helical head is the way to go, how much is it?

the finish you get with the thicknesser will be great, you can go straight to finish sanding, i love my festool ETS 150/5 sander.

regards, justin.

Justin, sorry about my comment to stu earlier, he made mention to me earlier that he was looking at buying one of the single sided sanders and I advised him against it.

The reason I did this was due to things said to me by two different people, one who had bought and used said sander for 6 months and couldnt get rid of it quick enough due to its inaccuracy, the difficulty in changing paper and having the drive motor for the conveyor burning out while still under warranty. The other person I spoke to about this sander actually sells them and he advised me that I too wouldnt be happy with it.

I made the comment because Stu has been a great help to me in the past and I would not want him to make a purchase he may regret.

Hope this clears things up,

Ross.

hi fozz, now i understand your comment, it makes very good sense.

the beauty of using other peoples tools, is you find out whether they are worth buying or not, from what i have learned using this machine and the feedback from this site, i would not touch this brand now.

i just bought a festool bs 105 belt sander, i sand a lot of slab timber for tables, bookcases, computer desks, etc, etc.

i am very happy with the festool belt sander, i paid $1265 in brisbane.

in the future i will look at buying an american thicknesser and drum sander, i have heard had to many negative stories about the taiwan tools.

hopefully festool will start making big boys toys in the near future.

regards, justin.

Guys

I have a jet 22-44 have had it for 4 years anf found it to be excellent, changing papers takes less than 2 minutes.

have sanded 15 " x 2" by 12' redgum boards.

have not used a carbatec though.

steve

hi oden, i looked at the jet 22-44 model. it looked sturdy and very well made.

i went to carbatec last week and saw the wds-400, it has 1 new option on it that the old one i used didnt have, the spring loaded bolt which keeps the jaw clamp open while you are attaching paper. i think loading paper would still be a PITA.

the overall design has not changed at all, that worries me, i used the 2000 model, so 9 years later, very little design change, either it is an amazing design, so why mess with perfection, or they could not be bothered to update their tools.

i did'nt see a carbatec version of the jet 22-44, but based on what i did see, i would have to say the jet looks great. much better build quality.

i would like to use this machine for a day or two before handing some serious beer tokens out.
regards, justin.