Bench Driil Press converted to Thickness Sander

BuzzBD

BuzzBD

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I spent a day converting a spare drill press into a thickness sander. The frame is 2x4s, the shaft 1/2” solid steel. I used a 4 1/2” hole saw to cut the disks for the drum out alternating 3/4” mdf and 3/4” plywood. Self stick Velcro is used on the drum and on the sanding belts, so changing belts is quick and easy.

See pics https://photos.app.goo.gl/AuENqRrsG3g2WC2r7

Brad
 
Pretty cool. How's it work? Does the drill motor have enough power?
 
I was pleasantly surprised by how well it works. We used it to thickness everything on a tenor ukulele that was built for my last building course a couple of weeks ago. Using it aggressively with 50 and 80 grit belts, we were getting accuracies of plus/ minus 0.1mm on the top and back plates. Could probably cut that in half by going slower and ending with 120 grit. The nice thing is with a 5 step pulley system, you can pick the shaft speed. I am running it at 900 rpm, the second slowest and it has plenty of power.
Brad
 
This thread inspired me, then I found this ball bearing rolling pin at good will. Cut off from the top and drilled the base of the drill press to pin the bottom. My little shop fox doesn't have clearance for a bigger drum. So far it's working but I don't think i'll get ten years from it.
 

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