Thickness Sander Drum?

[mmattockx]

I'm not sure if this goes here, but there isn't a tools forum...

I am collecting parts for a thickness sander. The only thing that isn't an easy off the shelf part is the drum itself. I could make one on my wood lathe by stacking MDF discs but that will not be perfectly square and I would like to get as close as possible with it. What have other members done for a drum? This is for sandpaper in strips, not the sanding sleeves.


Thanks,
Mark

[dylanholderman]

I’m not much help but I have thought about making one the same way that stumpy nubs on YouTube shows.

For the quick version, he made his drum from pvc pipe and stuck the sandpaper on with spray adhesive . but and this is the part you want, he glued sand paper to a board and used that to true up the drum while it was running.

[mmattockx]

For the quick version, he made his drum from pvc pipe and stuck the sandpaper on with spray adhesive . but and this is the part you want, he glued sand paper to a board and used that to true up the drum while it was running.

PVC might make a decent drum. I hadn't thought of that, thanks. I will go find that video and see how he does it. I know I can get a drum round, it is getting it perfectly parallel that is the trick with a wood lathe.


Mark

[Stick Bender]

I have seen guys on other sights use pvc as well as steel/aluminum pipe , Bayou Ben thats a member here made one using a cheap Harbor Freight belt sander , I use a Performx unit works great but not home brew ,some of the narrow drum sanders for limb lams have really came down in price now unless your repurposing parts probably not much more exspensive !

[Del the cat]

As Dylan said... best way to true it up is on the final build of the machine, that way it will remove any alignment errors on the base.
Plastic pipe probably won't be true (and maybe not rigid enough)... trust me I know, I tried to build a quick 3Litre test syringe for driving respiratory instruments.
Del

[DC]

I drilled a one inch hole in a 4x4, glued in a 1" aluminum shaft and turned it on my metal lathe.(people with metal lathes are cheaters, I know) Nice and square but as it turned out the table wasn't so I had to shim that. If your drum isn't square maybe you could shim your table to compensate. Two wrongs can imitate a right

Kinda what Del said

[Badger]

  I make my own from plywood, I true them up when installed.

[Aaron H]

I turned one from a solid piece of 5" nylon on a metal lathe, but that's cheating...

[Hawkdancer]

Got to think the metal pipe would be pretty true to round, but use whatever tools you have!!  Unless you are in a totally primitive frame of mind or a contest!  Don't have any type of lathe, but have fun anyway!
Hawkdancer

[dylanholderman]

Got to think the metal pipe would be pretty true to round, but use whatever tools you have!!  Unless you are in a totally primitive frame of mind or a contest!  Don't have any type of lathe, but have fun anyway!
Hawkdancer

I work in a fab shop and you would be pretty surprised at how “out” of round most of that stuff is.

[willie]

what is the planned length and diameter of the drum?

[Badger]

    I use a 6" drum about 6" wide. I made my taper skids from 2 pieces of 1/4" glass glued together with silicone at the desired taper in my case .002 per inch.

[mmattockx]

I work in a fab shop and you would be pretty surprised at how “out” of round most of that stuff is.

+1 on that. Aluminum extrusions will be pretty close to true, but hot rolled steel sections are awful and the mill tolerances are very loose for the most part.

what is the planned length and diameter of the drum?

Length is 6", with the center 4" used as working area. Diameter was originally planned at 5", but I have a piece of scrap 4" PVC which is a touch under 4-1/2"OD, so that may be the winner.

Since we are discussing this, what drum RPM do people use on their sanders? What grit paper do you use?


Mark

[Badger]

 I had mine about 875 rpms and I used the good quality 60 or 40 grit paper.

[bownarra]

You could also contact one of the makers of drum sanders and simply buy the drum. Build your machine around a perfect drum with attachments/holders for the paper already built in.
Failing that that some ali pipe and get it turned at a machine shop.
Drum sanders are great and open up lots of possibilities but they must be accurate to really ultilise the potential.
I'd be wary of pvc pipe...drum sanders can generate a lot of heat.
No finer than 60 grit for your paper.
ideally you want your feed drum to be adjustable speed. Grinding ipe versus say walnut put quite different demands on the set up.