Planer, or Drum Sander?

I picked up a nice used Delta 13 in. planer, and it works well for pieces that aren't already too thin, but I put a piece of cherry I'd resawed down to 3/32, through, hoping to clean it up some, and it chopped (gouged it and shredded one end) it up till it's useless. I'm thinking I might want to sell it and invest in a drum sander like the Jet 10-20. Anyone have any thoughts on this? I'd have to find another good deal used, but I could start keeping my eyes open.

Most of us use a home built one..I made this one out of an old shower pump motor.
and scraps of wood...here I'm sanding down the back of the headstocks

That is what planers do... have you tried making a false bed out of some flat ply and make sure the grain is in the right direction? Most luthiers starting out make their own sanders. Posted before Heath Robinson above got in there. Seriously, Ken is brilliant at doing just enough to get something together and as if by magic, it is just right!

The drum sander is better than the planer IMO. I ruined some very nice tops in a big planer a while back, even though I put them on plywood with double stick tape. I have a miniature planer that takes care of the fingerboards (the rosewood I use clog the paper in the sander), but my very low budget home made sander is far more useful.

I couldn't find any sanders to buy, so I built this one from a bread rolling pin, some ball bearings and a pivoting table. I've been meaning to get a proper motor for it but I am so bad at electronics and stuff like that so I don't really know where to start looking. I know ppl use motors from pumps and washing machines, but... the power drill did a marvellous job today. Sanded 23 tops and some sides in a couple of hours. Two 40-grit papers and one 120-grit spent.

So. If you can trade, afford to buy one, or build one. Do it.

All the best / Sven

You can get by without a planer but not without a drum sander. I personally don't use a planer because it tears up koa. If you are doing a good job at resawing, a sander is probably all you need.
You're going to hate hearing this but you might want to consider stepping up to a 16/32. Woodcraft often has Performax models on sale. I've heard negative things about Delta. Grizzly is also good.

Stockroom Supply in Canada have a great system that works for shop built thicknessers and as you can see, Sven has a great solution. Necessity is always the mother of invention.

I have read as much also Chuck...however the class amateur builder Kathy Matsua has as 10/20 and finds it OK as does my mate Richard. I guess they don't use them that much to notice and like anything, they need setting up carefully.

Still, have fun building your own for a fraction of the price! BTW if you have a pillar drill with a rise and fall table I have the solution for you...

Sven...you told me, that "this machine" was for making "Pasta"...and what is all this "Mass production" all about ?????..It's no wonder a that I can't sell anything in "Viking Scandanavia"

What's the purpose of the pivoting table? All the homemade thickness sanders I've seen seem to have them.

Sven has that market sewn up - and you are rapidly getting all the business in the UK Ken....

A sander is the way to go - here's mine:



I've since made it it's own set of legs and a dust collection hood. Really handy - for the obvious, the backs of peg heads (as Timbuck mentioned), and even for making nut files from needle files

And speaking of sanding, I got one of these yesterday: http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=93431 and I'm wondering how I got along without it all this time! Makes short work of taking out the inevitable ripples the drum sander leaves. And it was on sale for $20 and I had a 15% off coupon too

dave g said:

A sander is the way to go - here's mine:

I've since made it it's own set of legs and a dust collection hood. Really handy - for the obvious, the backs of peg heads (as Timbuck mentioned), and even for making nut files from needle files

And speaking of sanding, I got one of these yesterday: http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=93431 and I'm wondering how I got along without it all this time! Makes short work of taking out the inevitable ripples the drum sander leaves. And it was on sale for $20 and I had a 15% off coupon too

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The reason you get ripples is because the base plate is too thin.. it has to be thick and sturdy with no sag .. 1/2 inch (or greater) steel plate would cure it....my sander had the same problem until I upgraded the 18mm Plywood board up to 40mm Chipboard...it's a good sander Dave, get your mate to do the mod's and it will be the best.

The gouging the planer makes at the end of the board is called snipe. Try lifting the board just before it leaves the blades. Locking the head down helps too, I don't know if the Delta can do this.

Making a long bed under the planer also helps. Just make sure it is fixed to the bed somehow. My bed extends 5" from the planer

If all else fails use a board that is 6" longer than you need and cut off the snipe when you are done.

A cantilevered drum sanders are "ok" but don't expect perfect results trying to match a wide top. In other words a Jet 10/20 will only reliably sand 10" a Performex 16/32 will only reliably sand 16". Go for a drum sander that is fixed on both ends.

I know a few people with lathes who turn them into drum sanders

BTW - good drum sanders will not leave ripples.

camface: the pivoting table is used to change the thickness

Timbuck said:

The reason you get ripples is because the base plate is too thin..

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Humm... I'm thinking it has more to do with the uneven rate of feed from feeding it by hand - but maybe not (that's 5/16" steel plate...). The drum is also out of balance somewhat - it vibrates quite a bit, which can't be helping. But, all in all it's doing a great job (And the new DA sander makes it perfect!)

I have the 10/20

I have had the 10/20 for a few months now. It is very accurate and I just got done with a electric bass that required 2 pass sanding (over 10" wide) the transition between directions is invisible. Getting the feed belt to track was the hardest part of setting it up, but after that was done I have had no problems.

I also have a 12" delta planer, it will only go down to about .110 minimum I have sanded down to .030 with the 10/20. So the drum sander is what you need for ukes for sure.

One thing, you need a dust collector for a drum sander.

Pete Howlett said:

I have read as much also Chuck...however the class amateur builder Kathy Matsua has as 10/20 and finds it OK as does my mate Richard. I guess they don't use them that much to notice and like anything, they need setting up carefully.

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I can't help but note that Grizzly offers a 12 inch "Baby" sander, enclosed on both ends, with more horses and 2 more inches over the jet, for the same price, delivered...

mattclara said:

I can't help but note that Grizzly offers a 12 inch "Baby" sander, enclosed on both ends, with more horses and 2 more inches over the jet, for the same price, delivered...

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I looked into that sander prior to getting the Jet and decided against it as the specifications for it say it will only go down to 1/8" so anything smaller would require a backer board.

-darrel

I have limited experience with the smaller machines, but I will say this. Get as large of a sander as your budget and space will allow. Seems like you're getting all of the machinery ready to start jamming on some ukes. If you continue to build, (and I'm pretty sure you will), you won't regret buying a larger machine than you think you need at the moment.

Having the right tools doesn't make a good luthier, but it sure makes life a heck of a lot easier.

I've had great experience with Grizzly, although I've heard otherwise from people. I have a 20" planer that I rarely use anymore, but I ran that thing 8 hours straight, on a daily basis. I kept it well maintained and never had a single problem with it. I also have a 10" cabinet saw and 12" spiral jointer that I run for at least 4 hours a day. Neither tool has given me any problems.

One thing nice about drum sanders is that they often come with variable speed control. It comes in real handy when you sand harder woods. What I don't like about them is changing the belts. It's not that hard, but one of those jobs that I consider to be a PITA. They're great for finish work, but I prefer a wide belt sander for most general work. Changing belts takes about 15 seconds and it's really easy to rough down some resawn stock to finished thickness. People may argue that drum sanders are more accurate, but I find that the accuracy is very comparable. I shoot for +/- .001" deviation from the target thickness on any given board that I sand and both of them are able to bring the wood within that range.

Darrel said:

I looked into that sander prior to getting the Jet and decided against it as the specifications for it say it will only go down to 1/8" so anything smaller would require a backer board.

-darrel

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I looked at the pdf specs, where it indicates the smallest board it will accept is 1/8 in. If they allow a 1/8 in. board, seems like one could take it down from there some. But it's not perfectly clear, so I wrote Grizzly and asked.

I've got a Craig's List lead on a PerformaX 16-32. I talked the guy down to $450, now I've got to talk him into taking PayPal!

mattclara said:

I've got a Craig's List lead on a PerformaX 16-32. I talked the guy down to $450, now I've got to talk him into taking PayPal!

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Cool! ........