Instead of investing in another wide sander that can be used “wrong” has the group considered a Flatmaster drum sander? FLATMASTER Drum Sander (Approx. 12 weeks) – Stockroom Supply Tools I am not an expert in sanders, but this type seems less likely to be damaged by the wrong settings. Just something to consider and as a newbie to the Maker Space, would love to see the sander remain in operation for longer than a few weeks. Just my 2 cents. Thanks
It’s a good idea/alternative for a secondary tool to quickly sand an already flat surface, but it doesn’t have the same capabilities as the Powermatic drum sander, e.g. sanding a second surface flat and parallel to an already flat opposing side of stock, or sanding a piece of stock down to a specific desired thickness (note: this second function is far less used than the first).
In other words, this tool is to a jointer what the Powermatic drum sander is to the thickness planer; and there is a reason why both a jointer and a thickness planer are required to square up board.
That said, it might/could make a useful addition to woodshop since it would take some of the workload off of whatever replaces the Powermatic, as a lot of the use cases we have are just basic sanding of a large flat surface. Also, it’s not clear if there is room in new world order for an additional new tool with this footprint when we migrate to our new digs.
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That’s a cool concept however not sure it would really work for us at the space…
I agree it is not a replacement, but think it should be considered to reduce use and wear on the other unit, and also give us an alternative when the other unit is down. Thanks for the comments and I will see if I can attend the next board meeting and bring up.
A Woodshop Committee meeting would be more appropriate (which is what you may have meant). I’d suggest submitting a specific item to be included/published on committee meeting agenda so that explicit time can be allocated for discussion.
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EVERY PIECE of equipment has a foot print. That includes In-feed and Out-feed.
We have equipment not in the WS now that will go in there: The Panel Saw and Slab Mill just to name two.
@bwhitaker
Out of curiosity, how would you personally use this item(process and to sand what), and how often would you use it?
What would the process look like to flatten a cutting board?
There are lots of demos on this thing, but this one is directly responsive to your Q:
I started it about where h shows a low spot that didn’t get sanded with first pass and then proceeds to flatten the rest of that side.
There’s another one where he takes all the varnish of side of a board in one pass without gumming, burning, or leaving any residue on the sandpaper (due to it’s design). Also, does same thing with a newly glued-up cabinet door panel with plenty of squeeze-out not ren full cured.
This is a good tool with many reasonable uses. e.g. I could easily see it being used for the next step after using slab mill, for instance (assuming width/length not an issue). It’s not terribly expensive. What I don’t know is how heavy duty it is, and if there is any room to put it anywhere if it was decided at committee that it was worth getting at all.
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Here is that other one:
FWIW, I saw one of the DIY versions being demo’d by Stockroom Supply at a woodworking show about 15 years ago and bought the supplies and built one. Sanded many a cutting board on mine. Sold it when I had to shut down due to health issues. It is very good for small to medium sized items. You would need a better in/out feed set up than I had (and probably a power feeder) to effectively handle long stock. Suggestion as a supplement for a drum sander is logical if for no other reason than to address burned sandpaper caused when glue, sap, and other goop is on the object. It also makes it less likely the normal users will sand too deep in a pass. D(Breaker)S members might still be able to figure out how to do that, but that’s another topic altogether.
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That is what I meant. Thanks
To the question about how and how often I would use this. Occasionally to smooth out something I may have already flattened, remove router lines, less rough than the planer so any grain orientation works (End, Side, etc.) About 1/2 the things you can do on the Powermatic, but once again the main goal is to give an option to reduce the usage and strain on the PowerMatic for simpler cleanup and smoothing operations for wide material. (24 inches).
Policing which machine is used may not be achievable. Many members will choose what is easiest for them, not what is best for the shop. The ability to sand glue off of cutting boards does intrigue me. Foot print is also a consideration in our congested shop.
The Powermatic is a thickness sander. Very few people are sanding cabinet doors or custom moulding. They are mostly trying to get something flat.
I suggest we keep discussing this and allow everyone to have a say.
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I can not make the next Woodshop group meeting, but will plan to come present/discuss at the next one. Appreciate all the input and comments.
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Can you attend by video/phone? If that’s an option, might try that.