About 2 weeks ago my wife bought me the JET 16-32 drum sander for my 55th birthday and today I was finally able to try it out on an end grain cutting board. I must say I'm very impressed with the initial results. The sander leveled out both surfaces to within .005" of each other. Out of the box after assembly all I had to do was adjust the feed belt tension. I've found that 1/8" turns of the elevation handle work the best and run the stock through about 4 times before adjusting the elevation of the drum. It's not as fast as a planner but I wouldn't attempt end grain or segments for turning on a planner. I'm very impressed with the quality of construction on this tool. Materials for the board are purple-heart and rock maple. The next step is to cut 1.250" sections then glue and clamp. I can't wait to see how this sander performs on end grain. Also the dust collection works great, when I was done sanding there was only a tiny amount of sanding dust on the lower shelf of the stand. I'll post pictures when it's completed.

Yes, drum and wide belt sanders are a great addition to any shop. Congratulations on a fine tool.

 

 Got any pictures?

John, let me know how you like it on the end grain. I use mine all the time now for end grain cutting boards. And you are correct, about 1/8 of a turn and four trips through works pretty good.

 

I know you will enjoy it.

I agree John, I have the Performax 16/32, I believe it's the same as the Jet these days. It is great for delicate work too, and you can sand out thin strips to tight tolerances, all things you would love to do on a planer, but you know would destroy your work or send a projectile across the shop. The Drum sander is great.

I bought mine used but second to help out an acquaintance that was going through some tough times. At the time I was asking myself "what in the world am I going to do with this thing?" Since then it's become maybe the 3rd or 4th most used stationary tool in the shop and I can't imagine being without it.

I ran two more cutting board through mine last night. I even like that I can sit down on the stool while I am sanding.