Memorial Day weekend and a great time to spend with family and friends. Also a time to remember those that made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.

 

I am on the road this week on vacation. Yes I got a vacation and am retired now.

 

We have spend the week in Virginia visiting Montpelier, James Madison's home and Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's home. Wow both were great visits and if you haven't been I highly recommend it. If you go to Monticello, take the "Behind the Scenes" tour, worth the extra money.

 

We left there on Thursday and spotted by Black Dog Salvage and was greeted at the door by Grayson. A super place and I'll have some pictures later.

 

We stopped at several flea markets and antique stores on the way to Nashville. We are here for the weekend to visit the Flea Market. It is huge this weekend. Who knows what treasure I might find. I already have a few to share with you later.

 

So what is on your Patriot Woodworker Agenda for this Memorial weekend. 

We here at TPW love to see all of the wonderful projects you all work on in your shops. Share your Memorial Weekend plans with us.

 

I'll check in later to see what you all are doing. As for me, I am off treasure hunting... 

 

Later.....

Happy trails John!

We are working on our bathroom this weekend, I need to start in on some cabinets for it, the tile man was here yesterday setting tile and he'll be back today to grout, exciting for us!

Look forward to the others projects here at TPW!

Have the bandsaw going this morning, resaw work being done.....Lunch Break right now.   Film @ 2300 hrs,ZULU....

Sounds like an excellent trip John! 

 

Just spent the last few hours clearing drain lines. Our old house needs the plumbing lines serviced every couple of years. When we tear the kitchen out in the future, new plumbing will replace the old cast iron and it should be good for the rest of my days. 

 

I have another gravity clock project to get on after I install new velcro wrap on both of the drums of my dual drum sander. The gravity clock projects are kinda fun!

And I should be able to get some time in with the family. I mowed the lawn early this morning so that is out of the way. 

 

53 minutes ago, Todd Clippinger said:

I have another gravity clock project to get on after I install new velcro wrap on both of the drums of my dual drum sander. The gravity clock projects are kinda fun!

 

Todd, what kind of dual drum sander do you have? I'm looking into getting one.

 

Thanks

 

Well, let's see, installed 4 GFIs in a friends house to satisfy the loan inspector's walk thru. It's an older home so it took a bit of testing and rewiring to get them to work properly. Then mowed grass for a friend. A trip to Lowe's for some rope to go with the tree swing seat (for the little  ones next door) I glued up this afternoon. In the middle of the glue-up got called back to the friends house for another electrical problem- bad circuit breaker. Too late in the day to get to the electrical supply store so I guess that job will continue on Tuesday. I need to water the garden, if it doesn't rain this evening. I may need a nap!

51 minutes ago, John Moody said:

 

Todd, what kind of dual drum sander do you have? I'm looking into getting one.

 

Thanks

 

Currently I have the ShopFox 26" dual drum sander and I have been using it about 12 years with great success. 

 

I also had a Grizzly dual drum sander and it was a great machine, but I left it at my brother's shop back in Ohio. He still uses it and I use it when I work back there too. I bought it in 2001. 

 

Both machines had variable feed rate which I really like. 

 

The ShopFox and Grizzly are pretty much similar machines with slightly different capacity. The Grizzly was considered a 24" and the ShopFox a 26". Both have the same controls just a different style hood and paint color but both have Grizzly green under the hood and use the same parts. 

 

I don't like ShopFox's distribution system. I don't mine that you have to buy the machine from a dealer, but I want to buy parts direct and get them fast, not have to go through a dealer. So what I do is find the part on the Grizzly machine and order it from them instead. 

 

Not that I have had parts break, but the rub collars wore out after 8 years and, of course, the sandpaper wears out. If you jamb a board in that is too thick for the setting, it will ruin the sandpaper and the velcro drum wrap and you will have to rewrap the drum but that is not a big deal and costs about $40. I have only had to wrap my drums 2x in all these years. The first time was from a friend using my sanding machine, the other time was from me just a week ago misreading the depth gauge - D'oh!

 

I ordered a set of belts in case they broke in the middle of a job and so I have belts ready to go. I ordered them from Grizzly too. 

 

Some guys do not like the velcro wrapped drums, they say it produces uneven sanding and is too spongy. I, personally, have not had that problem. I actually believe that the results I get when sanding veneered projects is better because of the velcro backing and get even sanding results on solid lumber.  I have used sanding machines with the sandpaper wrapped straight onto the drum and I had issues with it when sanding a veneered project. 

 

So, just to keep the information balanced, there is that. 

 

I have not liked the performance of the open ended drum sanders, I prefer a machine with the drums supported on both ends. In cabinet work, the largest door any cabinet shop will make is 24" anyway, so that is the largest machine really needed. If it is a table top, I can do a final glue up or I can go to a local cabinet shop and rent their machine at $70 hr and I usually get out the door for $40. But in the last 15-16 years I have only had to rent a larger sander 4 times. So the 24" machine is really a good size. 

 

If a person is thinking to get the open ended machine because they want to do table tops, if those tops are heavy, it may be really pushing the limits of the machine as far as what it can realistically can pull through. 

 

Besides the Grizzly and ShopFox, I would look at SuperMax and see what they have going now. I know that they used to have the 25" machines. I almost bought a brush sander from them last year due to the high volume of reclaimed lumber I was working. I put that on hold as I am making some business changes. 

 

I would also look at the Woodmaster line and see what they have now. A couple local shops I know have WoodMaster sanders and 4-in-1 machines and they have had great service from them. The local ones are older machines and are still making them money. 

 

I have had no problems with my machine, I have made my living with it, and I can say that it was worth the money. But that is my personal experience. 

 

 

No shop time for this weekend.  Sunday, we are going to the Indianapolis 500 with 350,000 of my closest friends.  The local talking heads are saying it is a sellout and a new attendance record.  This is the 100th running and everyone wants to be there I guess.

1 hour ago, Ron Dudelston said:

No shop time for this weekend.  Sunday, we are going to the Indianapolis 500 with 350,000 of my closest friends.  The local talking heads are saying it is a sellout and a new attendance record.  This is the 100th running and everyone wants to be there I guess.

Ok where ya sitting, what you wearing?

I just finished up a couple of curly maple planters with walnut splines this afternoon and have to finish a 16x16 brick pattern cutting board tomorrow. Also pulling a few white oak logs from behind my dads house to have them quartersawn.  Also spending lots of time with family. Next project up is a Lego table for my son that will fit under our settee.

9 hours ago, John Morris said:

Ok where ya sitting, what you wearing?

Third turn just about 10 rows under the TV camera.  You can't miss me.  I'll be wearing sunglasses and a hat.

13 hours ago, Todd Clippinger said:

Currently I have the ShopFox 26" dual drum sander and I have been using it about 12 years with great success. 

 

I also had a Grizzly dual drum sander and it was a great machine, but I left it at my brother's shop back in Ohio. He still uses it and I use it when I work back there too. I bought it in 2001. 

 

Both machines had variable feed rate which I really like. 

 

The ShopFox and Grizzly are pretty much similar machines with slightly different capacity. The Grizzly was considered a 24" and the ShopFox a 26". Both have the same controls just a different style hood and paint color but both have Grizzly green under the hood and use the same parts. 

 

I don't like ShopFox's distribution system. I don't mine that you have to buy the machine from a dealer, but I want to buy parts direct and get them fast, not have to go through a dealer. So what I do is find the part on the Grizzly machine and order it from them instead. 

 

Not that I have had parts break, but the rub collars wore out after 8 years and, of course, the sandpaper wears out. If you jamb a board in that is too thick for the setting, it will ruin the sandpaper and the velcro drum wrap and you will have to rewrap the drum but that is not a big deal and costs about $40. I have only had to wrap my drums 2x in all these years. The first time was from a friend using my sanding machine, the other time was from me just a week ago misreading the depth gauge - D'oh!

 

I ordered a set of belts in case they broke in the middle of a job and so I have belts ready to go. I ordered them from Grizzly too. 

 

Some guys do not like the velcro wrapped drums, they say it produces uneven sanding and is too spongy. I, personally, have not had that problem. I actually believe that the results I get when sanding veneered projects is better because of the velcro backing and get even sanding results on solid lumber.  I have used sanding machines with the sandpaper wrapped straight onto the drum and I had issues with it when sanding a veneered project. 

 

So, just to keep the information balanced, there is that. 

 

I have not liked the performance of the open ended drum sanders, I prefer a machine with the drums supported on both ends. In cabinet work, the largest door any cabinet shop will make is 24" anyway, so that is the largest machine really needed. If it is a table top, I can do a final glue up or I can go to a local cabinet shop and rent their machine at $70 hr and I usually get out the door for $40. But in the last 15-16 years I have only had to rent a larger sander 4 times. So the 24" machine is really a good size. 

 

If a person is thinking to get the open ended machine because they want to do table tops, if those tops are heavy, it may be really pushing the limits of the machine as far as what it can realistically can pull through. 

 

Besides the Grizzly and ShopFox, I would look at SuperMax and see what they have going now. I know that they used to have the 25" machines. I almost bought a brush sander from them last year due to the high volume of reclaimed lumber I was working. I put that on hold as I am making some business changes. 

 

I would also look at the Woodmaster line and see what they have now. A couple local shops I know have WoodMaster sanders and 4-in-1 machines and they have had great service from them. The local ones are older machines and are still making them money. 

 

I have had no problems with my machine, I have made my living with it, and I can say that it was worth the money. But that is my personal experience. 

 

 

 

 

I have a couple of Grizzly machines and I'm looking at the 24". Thanks for your thoughts on them, it really helps. 

11 hours ago, Ron Dudelston said:

No shop time for this weekend.  Sunday, we are going to the Indianapolis 500 with 350,000 of my closest friends.  The local talking heads are saying it is a sellout and a new attendance record.  This is the 100th running and everyone wants to be there I guess.

 

 

Have fun!! Should be great!!! Tell all of our friends hello!!!

1 hour ago, Ron Dudelston said:

Third turn just about 10 rows under the TV camera.  You can't miss me.  I'll be wearing sunglasses and a hat.

Oh ya, that sunglasses and the hat guy, sheesh, there's always one in every crowd aint there?

Nothing's going on in my life today. We drove from PA to wife's brother's home in so. IL yesterday.

Today is truly a day of rest.

We had the great honor of standing among 16 wheelchair bound members of an Honor Flight during the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier last Thursday. These men were mostly Korean war Veterans. A few might have been WWII vets. I got to shake a few hands and express my gratitude for their service. Some had tears falling to their laps. I almost broke down, too.

The next day, we went to a cafe and sitting on a bench, waiting for a table was a black gentleman wearing a hat that said WWII VET- US NAVY. Once again, I had the honor of shaking a true hero's hand. And, once more, I almost lost it because he was thanking ME for recognizing his service. 

Tomorrow, we'll be placing flags on graves of Civil war through Desert Storm vets, here in Phyllis' home town. 

 

 

3 minutes ago, Gene Howe said:

Tomorrow, we'll be placing flags on graves of Civil war through Desert Storm vets, here in Phyllis' home town. 

Wonderful story Gene, and I can't think of a better way to spend Memorial Day. 

On May 28, 2016 at 6:55 AM, John Moody said:

 

 

I have a couple of Grizzly machines and I'm looking at the 24". Thanks for your thoughts on them, it really helps. 

The Grizzly sander is my first sanding machine, and it is in Ohio at my brother's shop and still being used. The close-up with the arrow points out the rub collar that wears out over time. They are very inexpensive and not difficult to replace.

 

I think I spent a little over an hour, but I also ended up doing some other maintenance. I do that, if I am performing maintenance on a tool or machine for something specific, while I am at it I just go ahead and clean it up or perform other maintenance on it. 

 

The ShopFox sander is the one I currently have in my shop and I just re-branded it with the American Craftsman Workshop logo. I thought that was fun. 

6 hours ago, Todd Clippinger said:

The Grizzly sander is my first sanding machine, and it is in Ohio at my brother's shop and still being used. The close-up with the arrow points out the rub collar that wears out over time. They are very inexpensive and not difficult to replace.

 

I think I spent a little over an hour, but I also ended up doing some other maintenance. I do that, if I am performing maintenance on a tool or machine for something specific, while I am at it I just go ahead and clean it up or perform other maintenance on it. 

 

The ShopFox sander is the one I currently have in my shop and I just re-branded it with the American Craftsman Workshop logo. I thought that was fun. 

 

 

Thanks again Todd. I think I am going to order the Grizzly today. I think it will really help in what I am doing in the shop now and in the future.

 

1 hour ago, John Moody said:

 

 

Thanks again Todd. I think I am going to order the Grizzly today. I think it will really help in what I am doing in the shop now and in the future.

 

I don't know what your dust collection situation is, but after I got mine I immediately had to upgrade my dust collection filtration to 1 micron. 

 

A 2hp dust collector will do a decent job if it is not located too far from the sanding machine. 

 

Over time I modified my dust collection system from a single stage into a 2 stage which made significant difference in keeping the 1 micron filter clean. 

 

The sanding machine has definitely been an asset in my shop and has made me money. 

 

I have had good luck with the sandpaper stock from Grizzly. A roll of sandpaper will wrap the drum 3x. 

 

The sandpaper lasts a long time in my shop being used as a small pro shop but not as a production cabinet shop (trying to give a perspective on how it is used.) 

 

A roll will typically last me over a year. If you try sanding soft, pitchy wood, it won't last very long at all. It will clog horribly. 

 

Be sure to scrape any glue squeeze out so the glue does not melt onto the sandpaper. 

 

You will have to buy a cord for it. One of the less expensive options is to buy a generator cord for an RV from Walmart, cut it at a location that works for wiring one part into the machine and the other 1/2 into an electrical box. That allows you to unplug it and move if necessary.  The RV cord costs less than the price of wire and plugs combined.

Edited May 31, 201610 yr by Todd Clippinger