Thread: Drum Sander Comparison

The biggest problem I've found,is running resinous pine, quickest way to gum up your paper.
Kryn

yep resin is a killer of paper

I'll weigh in with a vote for the 16/32
I like mine and have the extension tables - which I should say really need to be level with the belt (now fixed)

Originally Posted by legin

Aren't the Hafco model and the Carbatec model the same?
I had a look at both recently at the shop and could not notice any differences.
The Hafco model claims it can sand down to 3.2mm and the Carbatec one says 5mm.
If you go to the website of each and click on download manual they bring up the same manual for a sander with a model number DS-1632A.

If I where to buy either the Hafco or Carbatec I would buy the Hafco as you get the stand as well. You have to pay extra for the stand from Carbatec.

Hafco it is then. I can pick it up for sub $800 so will pick one up this morning

Getting extremely frustrated now. I have spent about 3 hours now trying to align the drum.

early in the process i got close at about .3 of a mm out but now it is out by a couple if mm.


i have no idea now how to fix this. Nothing i try seems to work. The open end of the drum is now about 2 mm lower then the motor side. The manual suggests some steps to rectify this and i have tried all if these a dozen or so times however the drum will just not realign.

the manual is average. I found a slightly better one from a Canadian reseller hiwever still not great.

I cant find any videos out there either

anyone got some ideas here?

check that you haven't managed to bend or twist the frame the drum rises and falls within

make yourself a pair of blocks
lower the drum so that it is supported on the outer block
release the tension in all four screws so that the drum is supported on both blocks
tighten the screws -- top pair then bottom pair -- till they are just finger tight
raise the drum a fraction
measure the gap between the drum and each block
lower the drum back onto the blocks
gradually tighten the screws -- top ones to lift the outer end of the drum, bottom ones to drop the outer end -- checking after each half turn or so. Use shims where necessary.
continue till a pair of screws is tight
then snug up the other pair


scrap the above, try the attached
drum sander alignment.pdf

I posted this recently; https://www.woodworkforums.com/f154/jet-16-32-drum-adjustment-tweak-196228. It may have some relevance for you.

I will give the above a crack when I get home after work.

hopefully I will be cooking with gas In time for diner

I have had a Jet 22-44 machine for a number of years and have recently had to do a rebuild on the parallel adjustment on the machine. The thread in the cast iron base had pulled and I needed to put a threaded insert into the base. I also changed the adjustment knob and it's threaded screw.

The reason the thread pulled was that the adjustment screw that came with the machine was 1/64 smaller in diameter than it should have been. I hate imperial measurements with a passion, by the way. Worked well for ages, then failed during thickness sanding components I needed to be flat, real flat.

My method of calibration is as follows.

Cut two pieces about 300m long on the table saw to a consistent width, I aim for about 25mm x 25mm.

Feed these into the sander at an appropriate height to sand at least one.

measure the result with verniers.

Adjust accordingly.

Run the material again, I usually run the material through three times at a given setting. The base table does flex a bit.

With a bit of time and a bit of care I can get my machine to within .05mm

Originally Posted by ian

scrap the above, try the attached
drum sander alignment.pdf

great post Ian. The attached gave me the clarity to understand how it worked from which I was immediately able to ascertain what i was doing wrong.

Now have it left to right out by 0.11 of a mm. Not sure if this will be good enough but atleast now i understand how to adjust.

my prior testing on a larger piece of pine actually revealled considerable difference in width front to back. In fact all four courners measures a different depth. I cant understand how so i am putting it down to residue build up from the pine on the paper. When i have more time (and get hold of a drum cleaner) i will do some more tests

thanks again for your help

what you could try is a finer grade of paper.

It could be that your piece of pine is not flat on one face and is therefore rocking as it goes through the sander.
although the manuals don't mention it, a drum sander works like a a thicknesser - with in-feed and out-feed rollers either side of the drum, so snipe is possible, especially if the conveyor belt is not flat

Originally Posted by ian

what you could try is a finer grade of paper.

It could be that your piece of pine is not flat on one face and is therefore rocking as it goes through the sander.
although the manuals don't mention it, a drum sander works like a a thicknesser - with in-feed and out-feed rollers either side of the drum, so snipe is possible, especially if the conveyor belt is not flat

Snipe is very possible
especially if your extension tables are not coplanar with the belt

I tend to keep a finger on the end of the piece as it enters the sander and again on the leading end as it leaves on the other side (hope that makes sense

18 months ago I was shopping around looking for the same thing.After looking around and listening to some cabinet makers advice, I've decided to bite the bullet and bought myself a proper 930mm wide belt sander with platen by SCM. At the time I also needed to buy a proper compressor to service the sander, have the electrical and the dust extraction upgraded, it was not cheap but it was worth it.Late last year I upgraded the Uno to a SCM twin belt 1100mm WBS. I still have the 930mm wide belt sander sitting in the shed.

Thinking I have wasted my money!

after many hours of adjustment i have got it accurate to 0.1 of a mm. Well so i think

According to the verniers it is accurate to 0.1 of a mm however when i run a 600mm board threw parralel to the drum it cuts a line at the 400mm mark (understanably). Turning the board around and sending it through again i get another line in the timber at 400mm. Rotate again and put through without adjusting the height, this time not quit using the full 400mm of the drum and i get another line. Rotate andrepeat and repeat and repeat and more and more lines. How is this possible? Additionally there is considerable snipe, almost as much as my thicknesser.

my first thought is the conveyor is not flat -- i.e. it's twisted in some way