13 hours ago, Todd Clippinger said:

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.

 

Excellent information. I have a 2 HP DC and a 2 Stage system. I hope that will be good enough. Good to know about the sandpaper. I ask those questions today of the Grizzly rep and they put me on hold for a while to go look it up. I didn't see your reply before I was on the phone with them.

 

I will be a small shop also, not a full production shop although sometimes it feels like it. 

 

I got the 24" VS ordered today and it should be here in 3 to 5 Business Days. Glad you told me about the plug. I'll get one and be ready when it arrives. Also ordered 60, 80, 100, 120 grit paper along with it.

 

You have been a tremendous help.

 

 

11 hours ago, John Moody said:

I got the 24" VS ordered today and it should be here in 3 to 5 Business Days. Glad you told me about the plug. I'll get one and be ready when it arrives. Also ordered 60, 80, 100, 120 grit paper along with it.

 

Here is a little more info:

 

Both of my machines came with the drums wrapped and ready to go with 100 and 150 grit. I would not normally skip from 100 to 150 on the random orbital, but this works with the drum sander. I have tried various combinations of grits and I always went back to the 100/150 grit combination. 

 

With hook & loop sandpaper on a random orbital, it is easy to change grits and reuse the sanding disk. As you can imagine, it does not work that way with the wrapped drum. Once you pull the sandpaper off, it is usually not reusable since the felt on the back tends to separate from the paper upon removal. So, switching grits is not something that is realistically feasible. 

 

There is still some finish sanding to do with the random orbital after the drum sander, but it makes a world of difference in both production and quality. I typically go 150 then 180 with the R.O. after the drum sander and that removes the lineal track lines. 

 

I have had local cabinet shops make passage and cabinet doors for me, and when I get them they still always have sanding lines in them as well, so the drum sander really isn't much worse. The big wide belt sanders oscillate which helps obscure the sanding lines, but that just means the cabinet shop guys often skimp on the finish sanding compared to what I like. 

 

The drum sander changed my work flow. For instance; if I am building cabinet doors, I leave them a fuzz thicker and assemble then run them through the sander on both sides to make sure the joints are flush. They come out PERFECT and only require a finish up with the random orbital or 1/2 sheet sander. The 1/2 sheet sander floats better over face frames as it stays flat and the edges don't catch. 

 

The drum sander will give snipe if you don't properly support the work. Both of my sanding machines arrived properly adjusted and I have never had to mess with them. But, if the material is not supported or fed properly, snipe will occur. I am sure you will get the hang of it. 

 

I have a lot of miles on my machine and my brother still uses my original machine back in his shop in Ohio and the only things we typically have had to do is replace the rub collars (cheap and easy to replace) or wrap the drum with new velcro (which happens if you cram a piece of wood in that is too thick.) 

 

I will say that we burnt out the feed belt motor on the Grizzly unit one time. When I was working back in Ohio I built several butcher block counter tops and we sent them through the sanding machine. They were heavy and it took both of us to handle them. It was clear we were pushing the limits of the machine and we continued. By the time we were done, we had burned up the feed motor. That cost me $368, I was going through some old receipts the other day and found that one. 

 

Did the machine disappoint me or let me down? Nope, going into it we knew we might be pushing the limits of the machine. We might have gotten away with it if we had just made one or two of the smaller butcher block counters. But we made 6 of them and most of them were pretty long. They were really heavy. 

 

I have used the sanding machine to thickness lumber with wild grain. It is slower and takes more passes than a planer, but produces no tear-out. In those situations where I was milling heavy lumber, it has never been a problem (compared to the counter tops that we made.)

 

Even though you are not a business, I think you will find the drum sander to be a great asset in the shop.

Edited June 1, 201610 yr by Todd Clippinger

It is suppose to be delivered in the morning sometime. I just told them it had to be here before 3:00 pm. I have a show to do tomorrow night so I need to leave by 3:30 or 4:00 pm.

 

I am looking forward to getting it. I wasn't aware of the problem of changing grits. I might not would have ordered the extra grits had I know that. Thanks for that tip, I'll make sure I don't tear up the paper and mess up the backing.

 

Heading to the shop tonight to clear the way to bring it in the garage door. I have several things sitting in front of the door and will have to move them to get it in. I guess I'll be working on the wiring Saturday and see if I can get it running.

 

13 hours ago, John Moody said:

It is suppose to be delivered in the morning sometime. I just told them it had to be here before 3:00 pm. I have a show to do tomorrow night so I need to leave by 3:30 or 4:00 pm.

 

I am looking forward to getting it. I wasn't aware of the problem of changing grits. I might not would have ordered the extra grits had I know that. Thanks for that tip, I'll make sure I don't tear up the paper and mess up the backing.

 

Heading to the shop tonight to clear the way to bring it in the garage door. I have several things sitting in front of the door and will have to move them to get it in. I guess I'll be working on the wiring Saturday and see if I can get it running.

 

 

Is it there yet?

 

Is it there yet?

 

Is it there yet?

 

I couldn't help myself.

John is as close to a business as you can get Todd but he may deny it.

As a matter of fact, John thinks he retired!

Son was admitted to St. Rita's Hospital yesterday, for Double Pnuemonia.   Will update on it as we find out info.    For some reason, the stubborn 23 yr old didn't want to go get checked out....for about a week

 

So.....This will wait a few days

 

 

Will need work, but we be getting there.....needs more slats for the seat? 

1 hour ago, steven newman said:

Son was admitted to St. Rita's Hospital yesterday, for Double Pnuemonia.   Will update on it as we find out info.    For some reason, the stubborn 23 yr old didn't want to go get checked out....for about a week

 

So.....This will wait a few days

 

 

Will need work, but we be getting there.....needs more slats for the seat? 

Thoughts are with your son. I have had pneumonia a few times, it is serious stuff. 

 

We'll certainly wait patiently for the chair to continue.

 

 

26 minutes ago, Todd Clippinger said:

Son was admitted to St. Rita's Hospital yesterday, for Double Pnuemonia

Prayers for a speedy recovery.

2 hours ago, steven newman said:

For some reason, the stubborn 23 yr old didn't want to go get checked out....for about a week

Takes after this ol man Steve!

Our thoughts are with him, that stuff is nasty, keep an eye on it, that is how Frank Byers of Woodcraft ended up in the hospital, not getting it checked out.

7 hours ago, Todd Clippinger said:

 

Is it there yet?

 

Is it there yet?

 

Is it there yet?

 

I couldn't help myself.

 

 

It's here!!!

 

It's Here!!!

 

It's Here!!!

 

I'm so excited!!!!

 

Box of Sandpaper also arrived!!!

 

Oh now I can't wait!!!!

Awesome John!!!!!!!! Now get that sucker out of the box!

Man, I am gonna have to get over to your shop to see this once it gets up and going.

They drained ( or tried to) the lungs today.   Left one drained nicely....right one is being stubborn about it.    More tests, more Morphine, more O2 pumped in.    Will know more in the morning what the is will be......IF they have one.    Tried to relieve a little stress with a few garage sales......yikes!!  What at these things...gold?  $50 for a Yankee screwdriver???? Yeah, good luck with that one..

 

Seat slats aren't looking right, went and made 4 extras, and go with 6 in the seat...sometime.      

 

We also have a Brown Bat flying in the shop......and you people thought I was the Batty one...

Edited June 3, 201610 yr by steven newman