Thread: Sturdee’s drum sander.

I've made the drum 665mm wide, being 40 disks of chipboard some 16mm and some 18mm thick. This will allow for the sandpaper to be stapled on the ends and still leave 625mm max sanding width.

I first cut squares of 145mm out of a pile of chipboard of cuts ( photo 1 ) and then roughly cut out an oversize 140mm diam circle using a jig saw ( photo 2 ). Accuracy or clean cuts are not necessary at this stage, as it will be sanded to size ( photo 3 ).

Using my circle sanding jig and my disk sander ( photo 4) I sanded the disks to final size.


I drilled the holes for the threaded rod in 22 of the 40 disks and to lighten the drum I drilled larger holes in the other 18 using a holesaw. See photo 5.


Peter.

I glued the drum in sections. I first made the sections by glueing together 2 solid disks and 2 open disks. See photos 1 and 2. Just as well that I have many clamps.

Photo 3 shows a section after glue up. And photo 4 shows the final glue up of all section onto the threaded rod. I used liquid nails to glue the disks to the threaded rod.



Peter.

After the glue had set I screwed the nuts to the drum, attached the pulley and locking nuts leaving room for the push on bearings.

Photo 1 shows the completed drum resting in the bearing cut outs of the frame parts.

Photo 2 shows a close up of one end and photo 3 shows the other end.

The drum is now ready for installation and final sanding when the feed table is installed.


Next week I’ll be making the frame.


Peter.

Its looking good Peter, as always I enjoy following your progress reports on things you build. Well done!

Amazing! i feel like such a wimp for buying tools.

Originally Posted by ryanarcher

Amazing! i feel like such a wimp for buying tools.

Nothing wrong with buying tools Ryan, I do that too.

However, here a small drum sander cost about $ 1k and according to some of your countrymen they have some flex in them and is not accurate on sanding thin material like veneers.

Beside I have already overspent my tool budget :eek: :eek: :eek: so I have to make the rest that I want.


Peter.

Peter
"does the centre shaft that goes into the bearing run along the full length of the drum"

Yes it does Al.

It is a 5/8" threaded rod about 850mm long. That's why I made 22 disks with only the small hole for the rod to pass through, so that the rod would not flex with the weight of the drum.

So disk 1,2,5,6,9,10,13,14 and so on are solid and the others have the larger hole cut out.


Peter.

Keep it coming Peter

One thing about putting photos up is that it sort of forces you to keep going so that you don't look like a quitter.

Bob,

I've never been a quitter nor have I ever run away from a good verbal stoush.

I would have built it earlier if I had the time and now that the workshop is in good order, and whilst scrounging parts together for the vertical panel saw, it's a good time. Especially as I'm recycling parts from my old Triton set up.


Worked on the frame today and it was going well untill I ran out of some bolts. :mad:


Peter.

Are you going to have a SandFest for the opening of the Machine of Death??
If so, put me down for a front row seat, hopefully Ill be the one with the foilie baseball cap on.

Al

Don't know yet, maybe I should wait until I've built the vertical panel saw as well and maybe until I've built a router table onto the TS.


Peter.

Sturdee,

I only ask this cause I don't want you getting hurt but I think there is some Merit in Al referring to your prototype as a machine of death!!!!!Are you sure the chipboard is going to hold together???? particularly in use under load as one of the rollers????

REgards Lou?

Have you thought about the heat aspect ? It might be ok on short runs but on long runs

Sanding = friction = heat + wood = fire !!

I dont have a wide drum sander, but I know the belt on my belt sander gets very hot pretty quick.