Drum sanders make smooth surfaces fast. Here’s the setup.
What They Do
Wide sanding drum spins while wood passes under it on a conveyor. Consistent thickness across the whole board.
Not for shaping. For finishing. After planer, before final hand sanding.
Why Use One
Planers leave mill marks. Drum sanders remove them. Especially useful for figured wood that tears out in the planer.
Glue-ups come out flat. Panels get even. Work goes faster than hand sanding.
Setting Up
Level the infeed and outfeed tables. Critical for consistent results. Check with straight edge.
Align the drum parallel to the table. Most have adjustment screws. Get it right or you get taper.
Dust collection is mandatory. These make a lot of dust. Connect to good collector.
Using It
Light passes. Take off 1/32 or less per pass. Heavy cuts burn belts and stall motors.
Feed rate matters. Too fast skips spots. Too slow burns. Find the rhythm.
Move across the drum. Same spot all the time wears unevenly.
Grit Selection
Start coarse for thickness removal. 80 grit. Finish with 120 or 150. Don’t go finer on the drum.
Worth The Money?
For furniture makers, yes. Saves hours of hand sanding. For occasional use, maybe not. They’re not cheap.
